How Aqua Cremation or Alkaline Hydrolysis for humans became available in California
What is Aqua Cremation?
The information below about Aqua Cremation or Alkaline Hydrolysis comes from the Cremation Association of North America (CANA): Alkaline Hydrolysis – Cremation Association of North America (CANA)
It started in 1888 on the farm of Amos Herbert Hanson. He wanted to “reduce animal carcasses to fertilizer.” Adding an alkaline chemical such as Potassium Hydroxide to hot water in a chamber speeds up natural decomposition by breaking the bonds of the chemicals in the body. A process that normally takes days is reduced to 12 hours.
When complete, the water solution contains salts, sugars, amino acids and peptides along with bone fragments. Farmer Hanson could grind the bone fragments into a powder to use as fertilizer.
As word got out about Aqua Cremation, the next step was to accommodate human tissue. In 1993, Albany Medical College in New York state is the first location to use it for disposal of teaching cadavers.
There is another distinct advantage of Alkaline Hydrolysis over standard cremation. A pacemaker will explode in the flame heat so they must be removed by the funeral home before starting cremation. Not so with aqua cremation. The photo below shows a bin of medical implants recovered after aqua cremation:
Why did it take so long for human aqua cremation to start in California?
Aqua Cremation is very common in cremation of pets. But the rules and regulations for animal cremation are different from human cremation. We can thank resistance from some funeral directors and some religious leaders for the delay. For funeral directors, the start-up cost is more than “traditional” cremation retorts. The Catholic church opposed cremation in any form until the early 1960s. It finally gave in to pressure to provide alternatives to traditional casket burial.
The church argues that an intact (embalmed) human body is best for the Rapture or return of Christ. Their concern about Aqua Cremation is that body elements are diluted in water when the process is done. That fluid can nourish plants or go down the drain.
The final hurdle in San Diego County
California business law had to be changed to allow Aqua Cremation on humans. That happened in 2020. But that was not the final challenge! The company White Rose Aqua Cremation obtained a business license to offer the service in North San Diego County. The County Health Department decided that the “waste” water created from the process had to be tested to ensure it is safe for the sewer system. When the county testing finished, White Rose received its permit and opened in early 2022: A Sustainable & Gentle Farewell | Eco-Friendly Home-Based Services (whiteroseaquacremation.com)
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