Overview of Embalming Process:
The embalming process involves draining body fluids and replacing them with preserving chemicals. Solutions contain formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, methanol, ethanol, and phenol.
- Wash the body, massage the limbs to aid drainage, and solution circulation.
- Use 1 gallon of solution per 50 pounds of body weight, injected into an artery while draining blood from a vein.
Duration of Embalming Process:
The embalming process takes two hours, including washing and drying the deceased’s body and hair. The time may increase if death affected the body.
Effects and Duration of Embalming:
Formaldehyde fumes irritate eyes, nose, and throat; it is a potential carcinogen.
- For an open-casket funeral, do not leave the embalmed body out for more than a week.
- The embalmed body can last two more weeks after that.
Embalming preserves bodies for transport and viewing, delaying natural decomposition but not stopping it permanently.