Using a 3-inch foam pad on top of a mattress or massage table, or whatever surface the family chooses, helps. If potential freezing is an issue, changing out smaller amounts on a regular basis will address the issue, but the family must understand the body will need to be disturbed (moved, rolled to one side, etc.) more frequently. It’s a delicate balance, and an artful one at that, managing to keep a body cool with dry ice without freezing. By the third day, it is often necessary to use more, if this is the departure day for the cemetery or crematory.Ī. For this reason, dry ice may or may not be used on the second day. The body will absorb the most amount of cooling from the dry ice in the first day, since the initial temperature of the body (98.6°, or often higher due to infection/tumors/etc.) is so much higher than the cool temperature required (typically 47 or 48 degrees in most states) throughout the vigil. Having a solid answer to this question also helps determine how much dry ice is necessary throughout the home vigil. Cooling the body within the first four to six hours following death helps to achieve a much better outcome. By then, it’s typically too late. Nature has already begun her process, and this is when families may witness purging of the body. They may then decide at the eleventh-hour to keep the body for another two days, and then expect dry ice to miraculously cool the body and maintain the body’s current condition. They may slowly evolve to the idea of keeping the body at home after death, during which time the body may not be cooled. The biggest issue regarding the application of dry ice is whether families are decided or not about their plans for a home funeral vigil. How long is the family anticipating holding their home funeral vigil?Ī. The following are considerations and advice if dry ice is chosen as the primary cooling method. Room ventilation is imperative to accommodate off-gassing for the safety of the living. It also requires special handling to avoid burning the skin of either the user or the deceased. In many parts of the country, dry ice is difficult to come by. Techni-ice is available from Amazon be sure to purchase heavy-duty. Some prefer to encase the activated sheets in a pillowcase or ornamental cloth, or add the changing of the ice to the ritual process. Each sheet can be cut to fit the dimensions needed for the individual, beneath and on top of the torso, and switched out as necessary with little disturbance. As the body cools, the time of effectiveness lengthens until, in many cases, it is no longer required. Once activated, the sheets stay effective up to 3-4 hours when used beneath and on top of a cooling body. Polymer refrigerants are highly recommended for their long life, reusability, absence of off-gassing or condensation, size versatility, and relative ease of activating and using for family members. The following is a discussion of various acceptable cooling techniques that may need to be improvised upon, depending on the length of vigil, sheltering time, burial circumstances and logistics. ( To learn more information pertinent to cooling requirements throughout the U.S., see State Home Funeral Requirements.) In the absence of embalming of any sort, cooling the body is of paramount importance.Įach state has different rules and regulations regarding method, time elapsed, whether dry ice is considered refrigeration and several other considerations, so it is vital that both the family and the funeral director know those parameters at the outset. This necessitates shifting paradigms and practices that eschew the use of toxic chemicals. Home funeral and green burial families are eager to care for their loved ones as naturally as possible.
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