Introduction
Dead body disposal is the practice or an act of removing deceased/ dead person from the environment. According to Onojeharho (2011), there are various ways of removing the dead for disposal e.g. carriage in wooded bade, coffin, etc. the method of the disposal of the dead that have been practiced and are still in vogue include burial, cremation, exposure and cannibalism.
In many cultures human corpse was usually buried in soil, the act of burying is thought to have begun around 200,000 years ago during the paleothic period by homo-sapiens before spreading out from Africa. As a result burial grounds are found throughout the world. Mould of earth/temples and underground caves were used to store the dead bodies of ancestors. In moderns’ times, the custom of burying dead people below ground with stones or concrete marker to mark the place used almost along modern culture. Same burial practices are heavily ritualize others are simply practical (Ebisike et al, 2009).
Method of dead body disposal
According to Onojeharho (2011), the method body disposal includes the following.
- Burial
- Cremation (burning)
- Exposure
- Cannibalism
- Burial
According to Oxford Advance Learner Dictionary (6th ed) It is the act or ceremony of burying a dead body.
Types of Burial
- Human or earth burials: This involves digging the earth, putting the corpse inside and covering it with earth. They include:
- cemetery
- house
- Burial in caves: This is burying of the dead in caves in mountainous area after the corpse have been laid inside them.
- Water burial: This involves dumping the dead at rivers and other water bodies to float away.
- Cremation: It is the act of cremating a funeral at which the dead person cremated. This is also refers to burning of the dead body.
- Exposure: As the name implies, means exposing the dead body for weathering conditions to act on it; exposure makes the corpse to decompose leaving only the skeleton.
- Cannibalism: This is eating of dead bodies, some cultures practices it especially when the dead person was rich, famous and powerful. They believe that eating the corpse will make them to be like the dead person.
Reasons for dead body disposal
According to (Ebisike et al., 2009) the reasons for dead body disposal are:
- Prevent odour nuisance and spread of infections: After death, a corpse will start to decay and emit unpleasant odour due to gases released by bacterial decompositions, burial prevents the living from having to see and smell the decomposing corpse which is a necessarily public requirement.
- Cultural reasons: Respect for the physical remains a considered necessary. If left lying on top of the ground, stray animals may eat the corps which is considered highly disrespectful to the deceased.
- Religion: Many cultures believe in an afterlife. The holy book emphasized thus as a step from an individual to reach the afterlife. Many religions prescribe a ‘correct’ way to life which include, custom relating to disposal of dead.
Laws regulating the disposal of dead
The Public Health Act 2010 and the Public Regulation 2012 regulate and handling of bodies both and by members of the public. The regulation expresses rules rather than explaining how the deceased are to be disposed. The regulating central include:
- Premises and facilities for handling bodies
- Waste disposal
- Handling of bodies including embalming, viewing the use of body vehicles.
- Restriction of animals
- Crematories and cremation
- Maintenance of registers
Health implication associated with dead body’s disposal
- Physical health risk
- It cause outbreak of disease. e.g. typhoid fever, cholera, etc.
- It can also transmit gastro-enteritis or food poisoning.
- It can also cause pollution of water.
- Mental health risks
The psychological trauma of losing a love one and witness of dead on a large scale of the greatest cause for concern, it is not necessary to rush their burials or ceremony. This does not allow for the correct identification and records taking of details of the dead it give the time for the bereaved to carry out the cremation and cultural practice which would normally occur after death.
Measures to reduce the effects associated with the disposal of dead body
According to Ebisike et al., (2009), the following are measures put in place to reduce the effect associated with the disposal of dead bodies,
- No coffin or container shall be accepted at the cemetery unless the name of the decease therein is clearly shown.
- The identity shown on the coffin or container should be verified at every funeral.
- If burial is not occurring, the body shall be cremated individual and the correct identity shall be made throughout the process.
- If burial is to occur and its coffin or container shall be placed in the identified grave.
- No corpse shall be buried in less than 1.5m (6ft) near devilling house.
Recommendations
The following are therefore recommended to avert the effect of dead body disposal.
- The authority should take strict disciplinary measure against dead body disposal.
- Public health laws and other environmental laws should be strictly enforced.
- People should be thought to realize the effect as its affect the health of individual and the envelopment. It should also be demonstrated through different media.
- During the cause of the study, it was revealed, that better health can be achieve if dead body disposal is located away from residential array citing should be incompliance with guidance from the cultural housing and planning authority and legal regulation which enable to live in an environment that promote long life.
References
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Berenbaun, M. (2009). Witness to the holocaust. New York: Harper Collins.
Ebisike, A. O., Oni, B., Ayo, B., Omonayojo, N., Olorunda, J. O. & Eyo, E. (2007). The sanitarians and his work: A practical guide to environmental health practice. Juanchrist Print.
Idowa, E. (2006). Africa traditional religion. London: SCM Press.
Lewis, R. (2005). Lewis Dictionary of Toxicology. CRC Press, pp 212
Martins, H. (2012). Waste disposal system [Lecture Note]. Delta State College of Health Technology Ofuoma-Ughelli, Department of Environmental Health. (Unpublished)
Obomerkpere. (2012). Waste Management system. [Lecture Note]. Delta State College of Health Technology Ofuoma – Ughelli, Department of Environmental Health. (Unpublished)
Onojeharho, D. (2011). Public Health Companion. Ughelli: Ama Ohoror.
Ojugbeli, Z. (2013). Community Sanitation [Lecture Note]. Delta State College of Health Technology Ofuoma – Ughelli Department of Environmental Health. (Unpublished)
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