How do caskets preserve a body? | Answerbag

How do caskets preserve a body? | Answerbag
by Kim Norton on April 29th, 2010
GREAT ANSWER
Professionally Researched. (What's this?)

A casket is another name for a coffin---the rectangular funerary box built to enclose and offer protection to a corpse. Caskets are made from many different materials including various types of wood, metal, fiberglass and even bamboo.

Preservation Claims
Many casket manufacturers, according to a Funeral Caskets Guide, claim their product protects and preserves an embalmed body from decomposition for a period of time, especially caskets which are designed to be leak proof and airtight.

Protective Caskets
These airtight and leak proof caskets, also known as sealed, or "protective" caskets, are designed to preserve the body from the elements and the effects of "natural" decomposition. However, while a sealed casket can preserve a body from air, water and dirt for a period of time, it will not preserve against eventual decomposition, according to the Funeral Caskets Guide.

Anaerobic Decomposition
A body in a sealed casket will still decompose over time. This type of decomposition is caused by the anaerobic (non-oxygen) bacteria that occur naturally within any sealed casket, according to the Funeral Caskets Guide.

Funeral Rule
The Federal Trade Commission issued an April 30, 1984 ruling called the Funeral Rule. The Funeral Rule regulates the funeral industry and helps consumers get accurate information on industry practices, including preservation claims about funeral caskets.

Casket Ruling
According to the FTC Rule, funeral providers cannot claim a body will not decompose or be preserved for an indefinite period due to specific funeral practices, including type of casket. The Rule also prohibits claims that any casket is totally impervious to water, air or dirt.

Burial Vault
One type of protection is offered by burial vaults---concrete, metal or plastic containers which enclose the casket, according to a Consumer's Guide to Burial Vaults. While vaults do not preserve the body, they do preserve the casket from caving in under the pressure of earth.

Source:
Funeral Caskets: Guide on Funeral Caskets

Federal Trade Commission: Funeral Rule

Federal Trade Commission: Funeral Rule Information for Businesses

A Consumer's Guide to Burial Vaults

Trade with Forex Club