Keeping a Body Cool

Since we know bodies smell as they decompose we willingly want to apply principles that slow decomposition. We do this for the same reason that we refrigerate fresh groceries.

Though dispositioners are not required to follow Licensure Rules for Funeral Directors. There is a law that

26B-8-120 (6)The state registrar shall post information on the state registrar's website, providing instructions to a dispositioner for complying with the requirements of law relating to the dispositioner's responsibilities for:

(a)completing and filing a certificate of death; and

(b)possessing, transporting, and disposing of a dead body

So here it is:

R436-8-4. Preservation of Bodies.

No human body may be held in any place or be in transit more than 24 hours after death and pending final disposition, unless either maintained at a temperature of not more than 40 degrees Fahrenheit, or embalmed by a licensed embalmer...

One good guideline: begin refrigeration within the first 4-6 hours after death.

REFREEZABLE ICE PACKS
ThermaFreeze Reusable Ice Pack Sheets for Coolers, 10x15, 4x6 Cells

One Utah family explained,

"One pack went under the head, one went under each shoulder blade, two side-by-side under the kidneys, and one over the abdomen.

We traded them out every 6 hours or more, and they were still cold enough to remain there longer.

We kept our mother's body for almost 72 hours. We had a celebration of life at our nearby church, without the body, then family came and just enjoyed the sweet spirit at home, until the mortuary sent their representatives out to pick up the body for a cremation."

A COLD ROOM

Another family described their father's February funeral preparations,

"Before the funeral his body remained in the casket in the van we borrowed and which we used to pick him up from Delta Cargo.

We kept the van parked in our garage for two days. We lit the inside of the van with a single light to bring the feeling of love and care we felt for him. We monitored the temperature which stayed right at 40 degrees the entire two days as we waited for family to arrive for the services."

DRY ICE
A typical adult body requires about 16 lbs per day. Have on hand:

Heavy Gloves,
Hammer
Chisel or screw driver for breaking sections of the ice (never touch with bare hands)

To place the dry ice against the body: wrap each piece of dry ice in a paper bag, then wrap that in a cloth. Then placed under the body. It keeps the body nicely without freezing it or causing a ghostly mist.

A thorough Article on Cooling