Answers to the 9 most common questions about modern crematoriums from a professional

Everything that concerns death always arouses a person's interest. This is not surprising, because none of the people living on earth is immortal. Crematoriums, which, although they have been used in our country for almost a century, have not been widely used, cause a lot of questions among compatriots. We will try to dispel several myths that have formed around the "fiery" burial.

All over the world, cremation is a common practice that allows you to solve many problems at once. Firstly, this method of burial allows rational use of land resources, because the columbarium for storing urns with ashes takes up much less space than a cemetery. Secondly, the burning of bodies helps to improve the epidemiological situation. And thirdly, when moving, relatives can take the ashes with them, so as not to part with the remains dear to their hearts.

It is also worth mentioning that cremation, as a rule, is cheaper than traditional funerals. It seems that the advantages are obvious, but a number of stereotypes that are firmly rooted in our minds prevent many from making a decision about cremation. What are the most disturbing moments for our fellow citizens? Pavel Alekseev, director of the Rostov-on-Don Municipal crematorium, answered the most important questions to journalists.

Yes, once it was exactly like that, but even the church canons change over time. In 2015, the Russian Orthodox Church adopted a document "On the Christian burial of the deceased", which, although it does not approve of cremation, already treats it with leniency.

The document states that if circumstances so require, the body of a Christian can be burned. An important requirement in Orthodoxy and Catholicism is a respectful attitude to the remains, and the church cannot call burning a reverence for the deceased. The scattering of ashes is in fact categorically condemned by all Christian churches.

In Judaism and Islam, cremation of the dead is prohibited, but among Buddhists and Hindus it is considered the preferred method of burying a person. People of any religion are cremated here, since the main factor in making such a decision is the desire of the deceased and his relatives.

Pavel Alekseev claims that over the years, his crematorium has never received a body with gold crowns. Before going on his last journey, the deceased must pass through the morgue. There, relatives are offered to take everything of value, including gold crowns.

Sometimes there are problems with jewelry-relatives insist that they stay with the deceased until the end. But there is a clear instruction about this — there should be no foreign objects in the oven. The pathologist gives a conclusion that there is nothing superfluous with the deceased. Therefore, relatives are offered to put their favorite products of the deceased in an urn with ashes.

Prosthetic elements and implants remain with the body. They are not withdrawn and they are not given to relatives. After burning the body, these elements are removed from the ashes and disposed of by crematorium workers according to the existing instructions.

Pavel Alekseev considers this rumor the most absurd. The body is sent to the oven along with the clothes, which are burned there with it. It is also necessary to take into account the fact that in many cases, in order to make it easier to dress the deceased, things are unpacked. Is it worth talking about the moral and ethical aspects of this moment?

This is absolutely true and a fiery burial is not as expensive as a funeral in a cemetery. A regular coffin, delivery of the body, digging the grave and the burial itself costs at least 20 thousand rubles. At the same time, no more than 15 thousand should be paid for the cremation of the body. If transportation of the remains is required, then the ashes in the urn significantly reduces the cost of this task.

This is not true, says the director of the Rostov crematorium. Two foreign-made furnaces are installed in its crematorium, certified and meeting all environmental requirements adopted in Europe. The equipment is electronically controlled and equipped with special filters that clean emissions.

Compliance with the current norms and standards is constantly monitored by Rostechnadzor. Experts even take air samples near chimneys to make sure that the smoke is safe for people and the environment. In the same way, this happens in any other crematorium located on the territory of Russia.

Pavel Alekseev denies the possibility of such a violation, since it is a criminal offense. The regulations of the crematorium clearly state that only those bodies that arrived with a full package of documents can be cremated.

Cremation of a body without documents or with incorrectly executed papers is a serious violation of the law and therefore such an action is almost impossible. Sometimes there are requests from law enforcement officers about the cremation of a citizen, which need to be answered — on the basis of what and when the cremation was carried out.

Pavel Alekseev completely excludes the possibility of issuing someone else's ashes to the relatives of the deceased. A separate card is created for each body, which the crematorium staff hangs on the stove after the farewell ceremony. After the cremation is completed, this card is fixed on the urn in which the ashes are placed. It is simply impossible to confuse the remains at the same time.

The director of the crematorium claims that there is nothing secret in the work of his enterprise. Quite another thing is that some crematoriums are simply not adapted for monitoring cremation. In Rostov, this is impossible, but in the Novosibirsk crematorium, relatives can observe the process through a special window.

But it is still technically impossible to look into the oven. Sometimes the relatives of the deceased ask the crematorium workers to take a video of how the body is placed in the oven. Crematorium operators never refuse this service.

Pavel Alekseev assures that such a possibility is absolutely excluded. The body enters the crematorium after visiting the doctors and receiving the conclusion of the pathologist. A person who has undergone an autopsy procedure cannot be in a lethargic sleep.

The crematorium furnaces are closed from the outside and their opening from the inside is not provided. There is absolutely no need for this, since the temperature inside reaches thousands of degrees Celsius.