Embalming chemicals

lying in repose in 1891. He was embalmed shortly after his death. During the process, six liters (1.585 gallons) of hydrochloride of zinc and aluminium were injected into his common carotid artery. In 1912, Brazilian educator and archivist Luís Gastão d'Escragnolle Dória went to the emperor's glass-topped coffin. At the occasion, he had noticed the well-preserved state of Pedro II's body. Embalming fluid acts to fix (denature) cellular proteins, meaning that they cannot act as a nutrient source for bacteria; embalming fluid also kills the bacteria themselves. Formaldehyde or glutaraldehyde fixes tissue or cells by irreversibly connecting a primary amine group in a protein molecule with a nearby nitrogen atom in a protein or DNA molecule through a -CH2- linkage called a Schiff base. The end result also creates the simulation, via color changes, of the appearance of blood flowing under the skin. Modern embalming is not done with a single fixative. Instead, various chemicals are used to create a mixture, called an arterial solution, which is uniquely generated for the needs of each case. For example, a body needing to be repatriated overseas needs a higher index (percentage of diluted preservative chemical) than one simply for viewing (known in the United States and Canada as a funeral visitation) at a funeral home prior to burial for a cemetery, entombment for a mausoleum or cremation in a crematorium. ==Process==

Embalming fluid is injected into the arterial system of the deceased's abdomen and a trocar is inserted into the body cavity. The organs in the chest cavity and the abdomen are then punctured and drained of gas and fluid contents. Many other bodily fluids may also be displaced and removed from the body using the arterial system and in the case of cavity treatment aspirated from the body and replaced with a specialty fluid known as cavity fluid. ==Chemicals and additives==

It is important to distinguish between an arterial chemical (or fluid), which is generally taken to be the product in its original composition, and an arterial solution, which is a diluted mixture of chemicals and made to order for each body. Non-preservative chemicals in an arterial solution are generally called "accessory chemicals" or co/pre-injectants, depending on their time of utilization. Potential ingredients in an arterial solution include: • Preservative (Arterial) Chemical. These are commonly a percentage (normally 18–37%) based mixture of formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde or in some cases phenol which are then diluted to gain the final index of the arterial solution. Methanol is used to hold the formaldehyde in solution. Formalin refers specifically to 37% aqueous formaldehyde and is not commonly used in funeral embalming but rather in the preservation of anatomical specimens. • Water Conditioner. These are designed to balance the "hardness" of water (the presence of other trace chemicals that change the water's pH or neutrality) and to help reduce the deceased's acidity, a by-product of decomposition, as formaldehyde works best in an alkaline environment. Additionally, water conditioners may be used to help inactivate chemotherapy drugs and antibiotics, which may bind to and render ineffectual the preservative chemical. • Cell Conditioner. These chemicals act to prepare cells for absorption of arterial fluid and help break up clots in the bloodstream. • Dyes. Active dyes are used to restore the body's natural colouration and counterstain against conditions such as jaundice as well as to indicate distribution of arterial fluid. Inactive dyes are used by the manufacturer of the arterial fluid to give a pleasant color to the fluid in the bottle but do nothing for the appearance of the embalmed body. • Humectants. These are added to dehydrated and emaciated bodies to help restore tissue to a more natural and hydrated appearance. • Anti-Edemic Chemicals. The opposite of humectants, these are designed to draw excessive fluid (edema) from a body. • Additional Disinfectants. For certain cases, such as tissue gas, speciality chemicals such as Omega Decomp Factor, Triton-28, STOP or Dispray (Topical) can be arterially injected to kill tissue gas. • Water. Most arterial solutions are a mix of some of the preceding chemicals with tepid water. Cases done without the addition of water are referred to as "waterless." Waterless embalming is more common in difficult cases or those requiring a very high degree of preservation, such as instances of an extended delay between death and final disposition. • Cavity Fluid. This is a generally a very high-index formaldehyde or glutaraldehyde solution injected undiluted directly via the trocar incision into the body cavities to treat the viscera. In cases of tissue gas, phenol based products are often used instead. ==History==

Prior to the advent of the modern range of embalming chemicals a variety of alternative additives have been used by embalmers, including epsom salts for edema cases, but these are of limited effectiveness, as the validity of their use has never been demonstrated by professional embalmers or mortuary science programs. During the American Civil War, the Union Army, wanting to transport dead soldiers from the battlefields back home for burial, consulted with Dr. Thomas Holmes, who developed a technique that involved draining a corpse's blood and embalming it with a fluid made with arsenic for preservation. Embalming chemicals are generally produced by specialist manufacturers. The oldest embalming fluid company was founded as the Hill Fluid Company, in 1878 and the Hill Fluid Company was incorporated only 10 years later, in 1888, as the Champion Chemical Company under the direction of Dr. A. A. Bakker making the Champion Company the oldest fluid company in the world at 147 years old and still in operation and still family owned and operated. The Frigid Fluid Company was founded in 1892, followed by the Dodge Company in 1893, with other companies including Egyptian, now U.S. Chemical, as well as Kelco Supply Company (formerly L H Kellogg), Pierce Chemical Company (now owned by The Wilbert Company), Bondol Chemical Company, and Hydrol Chemical Company. There are many smaller and regional producers as well. Some funeral homes produce their own embalming fluids, although this practice has declined in recent decades as commercially available products have become of better quality and more readily available. Following the EU Biocides Legislation some pressure was brought to reduce the use of formaldehyde. IARC Classes Formaldehyde as a Class 1 Carcinogen. There are alternatives to formaldehyde and phenol-based fluids, but these are technically not preservatives but rather sanitising agents and are not widely accepted. ==Environmental effects==

Despite genuine concerns, formaldehyde is a naturally occurring substance, of which human beings produce approximately 1.5 oz a day as a normal part of a healthy metabolism. Formaldehyde also occurs naturally in many fruits, such as bananas, apples, and carrots, and does not bioaccumulate in either plants or animals. Formaldehyde works to fixate the tissue of the deceased. This is the characteristic that also makes concentrated formaldehyde hazardous when not handled using appropriate personal protective equipment. The carbon atom in formaldehyde, CH2O, carries a slight positive charge due to the high electronegativity of the oxygen double bonded with the carbon. The electropositive carbon will react with a negatively charged molecule and other electron-rich species. As a result, the carbon in the formaldehyde molecule bonds with electron-rich nitrogen groups called amines found in plant and animal tissue. This leads to formaldehyde cross-linking, bonding proteins with other proteins and DNA, rendering them dysfunctional or no longer useful. This is the reason for usage of formaldehyde as a preservative, as it thus prevents cellular decay and renders the tissue unsuitable for use as a nutrient source for bacteria. Formaldehyde is carcinogenic in humans and animals at excessive levels because the cross-linking can cause DNA to keep cells from halting the replication process. This unwarranted replication of cells can lead to cancer. It may be worth noting that although the American Chemistry Council (an organization of chemical producers, many of whom profit from the sale of formaldehyde) asserts that formaldehyde is biodegradable, including through sunlight, an independent study which examined methods of inducing formaldehyde degradation found that UV photolysis caused "no photodecomposition." A separate study also assessed the environmental impact of 45 organic chemicals from the EPA's Toxic Release Inventory, which keeps track of the most common toxic pollutants in the environment, and found formaldehyde to be the most toxic out of all 45. The growth of the environment movement has caused some people to consider green burials where there are either no aldehyde-based chemicals used in the embalming process, or there is no embalming process at all. Embalming fluid meeting specific criteria for such burials is commercially available, and although it is not as effective as aldehyde-based solutions, is approved by the Green Burial Association of America.The Champion Chemical Company became the first company to produce 100% Formaldehyde Free Fluids in the early 1990's and those chemicals are still sold and in use today. Another major stride in embalming fluid came in 2010, when again, the Champion Chemical Company produced and introduced their Enigma Line of Green Embalming Chemicals that have almost no impact whatsoever on the environment. Their products are the only green fluids on the market that are certified by the Green Burial Council and met their rigorous certification requirements. Champion has always been "First in Fluids" since their inception in 1878, with Lower Exposure Glutaraldehyde Based fluids by the 1960's, to HCHO Free Chemicals in the 1990's and finally Green Embalming or Ecobalming chemicals introduced in 2010. ==See also==