Pollution and environmental degradation intensify environmental health risks and create harmful living conditions. Pollution of the water, soil, and the air is a threat to human health and wellbeing and exacerbates poverty and inequality. Additionally, environmental disasters can quickly overwhelm and/or interrupt the established protocols for dealing with the dead. Under such circumstances, the decomposition and putrefaction of cadavers go unchecked and raise a series of health, logistical, and psychological issues.

Ensure traditions are safeguarded if needed.

Air pollution
Soil pollution
Water pollution

Risk of air, soil, and water contamination or direct human contamination from human or animal bodies, fetuses, placentas, organic waste, medical instruments, and other medical waste, and from medical facility effluents.

Burials and cremations can have the following environmental impacts:

– land use, reducing land availability for other activities including agriculture
– land clearance damaging flora and fauna
– burials contaminating soil and watercourses
– embalming chemicals leaching into soil and groundwater
– release of methane from decomposition
– release of mercury and dioxins in cremations
– substantial energy use in cremation

‘- Disease spread through the environment from contact between health responders/rescuers and dead or dying infected people.
– Disease spread through the environment from dead bodies in contact with groundwater
– Disease spread through the environment from medical waste disposal contact with people, soil, or water
– Disease spread through the environment from contaminated blackwater release into the environment
– Disease spread from poor handling of medical waste including sharps, or poor hygiene or cleaning practices

Waste from autopsies, animal bodies, and other organic waste that has been inoculated, infected, or in contact with highly infectious agents (based on the World Health Organization’s [WHO] Laboratory biosafety manual or other international or national risk-based classification of pathogens) are highly infectious waste. Discarded instruments or materials that have been in contact with persons or animals infected with highly infectious agents are also to be considered infectious waste. Mortuaries and autopsy centers are one of the major sources of healthcare waste. Pathological waste could be considered a subcategory of infectious waste but is often classified separately – especially when special methods of handling, treatment, and disposal are used. Pathological waste consists of tissues, organs, body parts, blood, body fluids, and other waste from surgery and autopsies on patients with infectious diseases. It also includes human fetuses and infected animal carcasses.

Burial or cremation funerals can have damaging impacts on the environment, including land use and land clearance, and removed access to potential agricultural land. Chemicals from embalming fluids, burial, and the cremation process can leach into the air and soil, and expose funeral workers or funeral mourners to potential hazards. The chemicals founds in embalming (e.g.: formaldehyde, phenol, methanol, and glycerin) fluids can enter the ground and gradually work their way into the soil and ground water. Buried bodies also release methane as they decompose. On the other hand, whilst cremation is said to be less harsh on the environment, cremation releases harmful gases, such as mercury and dioxin, into the air as well as using significant amount of energy and power.

•  Train personnel in the appropriate methods and waste management processes for dead bodies, animal carcases and other organic and medical waste.
•  Conduct a healthcare waste assessment
•  Plan for infectious waste separation and appropriate disposal (see relevant international guidelines)
• Consider sustainable burying practices or linked activities, such as avoiding cremations and avoiding the use of embalming fluids and encouraging burial in sites that are not close to watercourses, and planting trees over graves to absorb the nutrients and provide a symbol of new life.

• Assess existing organic waste disposal methods, processes, and locations for their environmental impacts and risks. Plan for and fund hazardous waste separation and management with appropriate specialised interventions. Where existing facilities such as graveyards or crematoria are inadequate, alternative facilities should be provided. Provide training to personnel on infectious waste disposal methods to increase workers’ and patients’ safety.
• Bodies should not be buried in “Body Bags” as these will limit natural decomposition.
• Use sustainable coffins made from sustainable wood or cardboard and avoid using metal.
• Dress the body in biodegradable clothes such as cotton or wool.
• Avoid printing papers as funeral notices

There was much learning from the West Africa Ebola humanitarian response around dead body treatment and disposal. A key way to influence community behaviour and reduce the spread of Ebola was to support religious leaders of different faiths to jointly dispel false health beliefs and promote hygienic burial practices.

• # of locations where existing organic waste disposal methods, processes, and locations have been assessed for their environmental impacts and risks and safer alternatives implemented.
• # of communities adopting more environmentally sustainable burial practices
• # of burial sites assessed for potential soil and water contamination and remedial actions taken
• # of medical waste sites assessed for potential air, soil and water contamination and remedial actions taken

Prevention of environmental damage

• Time and resources to assess existing organic waste disposal methods, processes, and locations for their environmental impacts and risks and plan and implement safer alternatives.
• Time, resources, and expertise to assess the environmental impacts of existing burial practices and encourage uptake of more sustainable practices.
• Time, resources, and expertise to assess the environmental impacts of burial sites and medical waste disposal methods and sites, and handling of dead bodies.