The PSOE suggests that cardboard coffins be used and the deceased be dressed in natural textiles to minimize the environmental impact

• Environment California approves human composting as greener burial method

The

considers it necessary to take measures to

and health impact of cremation ovens and suggests, for example, the use of coffins made of corrugated cardboard or other vegetable materials other than wood, dressing the deceased in natural textile fiber, avoid thanatopraxia treatments or that the new crematories are located on land classified as industrial, outside urban centers.

With this objective, the socialists have registered a non-law proposal for debate in the Commission on Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge of Congress.

In its initiative, the PSOE recalls that numerous studies warn that

produces polluting emissions that are dangerous to health.

Current legislation, they point out, already obliges the owners of these services to carry out controls and have the necessary filtration equipment to reduce the toxic content of their emissions.

However, they point out, "the best available decontamination techniques are not always applied, especially in old installations."

No specific state legislation

In addition, as detailed, although the Interterritorial Health Council approved a 'Consensus Guide on mortuary activity' in 2018, there is no rule that prevents these facilities from being located in urban centers or in areas close to them.

That guide does set some requirements on the distance that chimneys must be from population centers, but there are still autonomous communities that have not incorporated them into their legislation.

For this reason, they want Congress to urge the Government to coordinate with the autonomy to promote an ordering of the activity of cremation of corpses that ensures the protection of both health and the environment.

Thus, it proposes that, for existing

, emission controls be increased in order to guarantee adequate air quality, in accordance with the protection standards required by the European Union and the recommendations of international organizations.

And, for the newly created ones, they advocate locating them on industrially classified land and setting a mandatory minimum distance from population centers or vulnerable spaces, "taking into account, in addition, all the circumstances that intervene in the dispersion of emissions, such as the strength and direction of the wind.

Dress the deceased with natural textiles

In addition, both for the crematoria that are already in operation and for those that are installed in the future, the Socialists demand that they use the "best practices and existing technologies to reduce polluting emissions as much as possible."

As indicated in the explanatory memorandum of the initiative, these would be: the use of corrugated cardboard coffins or other plant materials other than wood, dressing the deceased in natural textile fiber clothing, avoiding thanatopraxy treatment.

"With these actions, the volatile synthetic components that usually make up conventional coffins and synthetic clothing could be eliminated, as well as formaldehyde and other toxic conservation liquids," argues the PSOE.

Conforms to The Trust Project criteria

Know more

• PSOE