Washington State cremation owners and operators find themselves in somewhat of a Catch-22 when it comes to new cremation equipment.  According to this article from the Seattle Times Pacific Northwest Magazine old cremation machines have been grandfathered in but operate less efficiently as compared to the new cremation machines available.

However, because of new regulations on air quality and the environment, permits are needed for new machines.  And, according to the article, securing the necessary permits for these machines can take years.

The article mentions the case of Bryan Lorentzen who purchased a fuel-efficient, low-emissions cremation machine in 2022 and still has not been able to use it because he is waiting for a clean air permit.

Corey Gaffney, a fourth-generation funeral director based in Tacoma, Washington, is quoted in the article as saying “Are we going to impede technology that, on aggregate, is going to lower emissions?   Washington could become like Cuba: You’ll have a bunch of old vehicles and nobody’s able to upgrade.”

One particular issue with the permits on these new cremation machines has to do with a pollutant named “hexavalent chromium”.  According to the linked article, Hexavalent chromium is “a known carcinogen whose profile has risen among regulators in the past six years or so. (It’s one of those pollutants that has been around for a long time, but has gotten brighter on our collective radar.)

The problem with controlling hexavalent chromium, at least when it comes to cremation: Nobody knows its source. It doesn’t seem to be produced by the cremation machines themselves, but is present in their emissions. One leading theory, says John Dawson, engineering manager at PSCAA (Pugent Sound Clean Air Agency), holds that the pollutant is coming from the bodies being burned — a lifetime of bioaccumulation going up in smoke.”

 

In the meantime there is a growing bottleneck of cremations in Washington state.  And, in 2024 flame cremation in Washington state continued to be very popular as the state cremation operators cremated 79.1% of deceased human remains.

More news from the world of Death Care:

• Regional District working to ensure a correct record at Okanagan Falls Cemetery.  Penticton Western News (British Columbia, Canada)
• Russia’s war losses fuel surge in funeral industry revenue.  Moscow Times – English edition (Russia)
• Group forms to save, restore historic cemetery.  Hill Country Community Journal (Texas)

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