Science Forum

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Science Forum

• 19th June 2003
• Presentation by
• Boyd B. Dent
• (visuals only)

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The end?or The beginning?
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A Space Model129000 deaths per yr, 60 total
cremation rate, 70 new spaces for burials, grave
size allocation 0.9 m x 2.1 m (1.89 m2)equals
68267 m2/yr (about 7 ha)(excluding roads,
paths, gardens, buffer zones, infrastructure)
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Grave on football field
About 70 Rugby fields will be consumed in the
next 10 years
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Making more cemetery space through innovative
landuse practices e.g. those embraced in the
green burial concept, or re-using landfill
sites.
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Green burials and alternate landuse
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Is there an impact?
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value explains amount of variance attributed
to data analysed in this Study. For practical
purposes, and later discussion, All N or All
P analytes are considered lumped together.
Characterising Analytes of Cemetery Groundwaters
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Survival and transmission of pathogens soft
tissue does survive
Famous 1984 photo of Petty Officer John
Torrington, died aged 20 on 1st January,
1846. His body was exhumed about 19th August
1984, after 138 years buried in permafrost soil
and gravel at Beechy Island in Canadas
artic. (ref Beattie Geiger, 1987)
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• John Torrington as well as William Braine (d. 3
  Jan 1864) and John Hartnell (d. 4 Jan. 1864) all
  Royal Marines from the Franklin Expedition died
  of pneumonia following tuberculosis and
  complicated by lead poisoning.
• Inactive tuberculosis bacteria were recovered
  from Braines lung tissue.
• An uncommon form of Clostridia sp. from Braines
  bowel has been cultured.

Ref Beattie Geiger, 1987
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So what potential pathogens do we investigate for
longevity and transmissibility in the deeper soil
groundwater environments?
Some- Bacillus anthracis (Anthrax) Clostridium
botulinum (Botulism) Variola virus
(Smallpox) Vibrio cholerae (Cholera) Salmonella
typhi (Typhoid) Mycobacterium tuberculosis
(Tuberculosis) Brucella spp. (Brucellosis) Coxsack
ie virus A (HAV, Hepatitis A) and a number of
others
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Cremation Ashes - known analyses
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Decomposition Product Research at UTS adipocere