ASK THE DIRECTOR - THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2013

Dear “Ask the Director”, 

Who decides if an autopsy has to be done on a person after their death? What's that decision based on? If the family is totally against having their loved one autopsied? Does a family have a choice in this matter? Thanks for taking my questions. 

John V.

Stamford, CT

Dear John, 

You're very welcome, and thank you for the excellent questions.

It is the Office of the Medical Examiner's (OCME) that ultimately makes that decision. Autopsies are performed on all homicide victims and gunshot victims.  They are also performed on the vast majority of pedestrian deaths, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome cases, overdoses, industrial accidents, sudden and otherwise unexplained deaths under the age of 45 and a variety of other types of cases may be subject to autopsy examination.

The OCME conducts autopsy examinations for a variety of reasons. The primary concern is to determine cause and manner of death. Did the death result from disease, an injury, a combination of both, or another cause altogether? When a death results from chemical agents, an autopsy permits the OCME to obtain biological samples for testing in the laboratory, and to evaluate the effects of the chemical agents on vital organs. When a death results from physical injuries, the autopsy frequently provides a means to reconstruct the fatal incident. If the OCME requires an autopsy, they are doing so in the best interests of the public, and of the family, by answering a multitude of pressing and important questions.

If the family or next of kin objects to having an autopsy performed, the OCME does have the authority and state law behind them. However, the OCME would make an effort to hear and honor family objections. If it's determined by the OCME that they cannot fulfill their legal and public responsibility without performing an autopsy, and the family raises viable religious objections to an autopsy (i.e. Judaism, Islam, Christian Science, Jehovah's Witness, or 7th Day Adventist), the family can hire an attorney to present their objection to a Judge who ultimately determines whether an autopsy will be performed. Ultimately, objections to an autopsy that are not based on religious beliefs have no standing in law. 

Best Regards,

Jerry

Gerald R. Bosak, Jr.

ASK THE DIRECTOR - THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2013

Dear Funeral Director, 

I've read of a new form of disposition available that uses a liquefying procedure to reduce a person's remains to ashes. It's touted as a “greener” approach than burial and cremation. Can you provide me with more details on this and explain exactly how this process works? 

Thank you for your time. 

Ethan T.

North Stamford, CT 

Dear Ethan, 

Thank your for submitting such an interesting and excellent question. The “liquefying” disposition method you're inquiring about is called Alkaline Hydrolysis, and the commercial term for the process is called “resomation”. 

Alkaline hydrolysis is a process for the disposal of human remains which its creator (a company out of the U.K. called "Resomation Limited") states is more ecologically favorable than cremation. The company is currently marketing the process worldwide as an alternative to the traditional options of burial or cremation, and they are recognized as the driving force behind this procedure. The company has a pending patent on the procedure and owns the international trademark on the word "resomator", which is the actual machine that is used to break down the human remains. 

In the “resomation” process, a body is placed in a steel chamber along with a mixture of water and potassium hydroxide (lye). Air pressure inside the vessel is increased to about 145 pounds per square inch (to prevent boiling), and the temperature is raised to about 356 degrees F. After three or more hours, the end result of this process is a quantity of green-brown tinted liquid (which contains amino acids, peptides, sugars and salts) and soft, porous white bone remains (calcium phosphate) that can be easily crushed to form the white-colored dust or “ash”. The "ash" can then be returned to the next of kin of the deceased and the liquid portion is disposed of either through the sanitary sewer system, or through some other method including use in a garden or green space. The process is being championed by a number of ecological campaigning groups for using less energy and producing less carbon dioxide and pollutants than cremation.. 

Currently, alkaline hydrolysis as a means of final disposition of human remains is legal in seven states, including Florida, Maine, Minnesota and Oregon. In fact, the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota uses alkaline hydrolysis to dispose of donated bodies, and in Florida, one of the first commercial “resomators” was installed at a funeral home in St. Petersburg. However, the process is still relatively new in the United States, and it will need to gain professional buy in and acceptance from the public. 

Thanks again and best regards, 

Jerry 

Gerald R. Bosak, Jr.