TX Funeral Commission Responds To Body Fluid Disposal Report

Austin TX

14 September, 2021

9:32 AM

Description

AUSTIN, TX — A day after a report that Austin-area funeral homes have been pouring human blood from corpses down drains, the Texas Funeral Service Commission has responded on the issue in order to elaborate this embalming process. The report, which was first broken by the Austin-American Statesman on Monday, states that blood, body fluids and embalming liquid that come out of a person's remains all go down the sink. The newspaper reported Austin Water was unaware of this method and stated the fluids could interfere with the treatment of wastewater entering the Colorado River and that Austin funeral homes must be permitted to use this method. The Statesman states Austin Water has not received a permit from any funeral home. Live in Austin? Click here to subscribe to our free breaking news alerts delivered to your inbox and mobile devices. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and download our free mobile app on Android or iPhone. Executive Director Glenn Bower, who is in charge of the state agency, told Patch on Tuesday that the report sounded like Texas funeral homes dump everything down the drain, which he says "is not the case." According to the agency's website, the Texas Funeral Service Commission licenses and regulates funeral homes, funeral directors, embalmers, crematories, and certain cemeteries in the state. It is also the regulatory agency that oversees compliance and investigates complaints made against licensees. While Bower does not refute that these fluids are sent down the drain, he elaborates that this process uses a heavily diluted solution, which only uses less than four percent of a diluted form of formaldehyde. When it comes out of the body, the diluted solution is mixed with body fluid and some blood and is further diluted when it goes down the drain. This legal process makes it safe for the environment. While Bower does not refute that these fluids are sent down the drain, he elaborates that this process uses a heavily diluted solution, which only uses less than four percent of a diluted form of formaldehyde. (Shutterstock) Embalming chemicals that are not used or have expired are disposed by a licensed third-party, which gets rid of the chemicals safely. They are not thrown away or disposed down the drain, he said. "I don't want people to think that we are just dumping fluids or harsh chemicals down the drain to get rid of them. What goes down the drain is a strongly diluted solution with fluids that is used through the tank and the embalming process," Bower said. While many may believe the process to be jarring and taboo, Bower said this embalming method has been around since the Civil War era and is considered to be a "modern" practice. He says all funeral homes in Texas use this process, including many nationwide. When it comes to funeral homes being permitted by local agencies, Bower said local funeral homes already go through a permitted process during the building stage and must be permitted and licensed by local and county authorities before they can legally run its operations. Texas Funeral Service Commission Executive Director said the process isn't dangerous to the public or the environment because workers use water to dilute medical waste. But Austin Water disagreed. https://t.co/wSnYMPB7zW— Austin Statesman (@statesman) September 13, 2021 The executive director of the state agency said Austin Water's statement that Austin-area funeral homes do not have a permit for this is not true. "Through these building permits, the city of Austin and Travis County inspectors know that these types of fluids are going down the drain. When we go into inspect, these permits are already approved before we get there," Bower said. Bower said he believes Austin Water may be assuming that local funeral homes are dumping used/unused fluids from some type of storage tank into the water system itself. "I don't think they are understanding the process that we do in the preparation room in each funeral home, and that this is all just a misunderstanding," he said. Patch reached out to Austin Water for comment on Tuesday. When we receive an update, we will update this story. Bower said he is encouraging the public who may have questions about this process to contact the state agency. He says the agency hopes they can help clarify any misunderstandings on the process. To reach out to the TFC, the public should contact Kathy Sparks at 512-936-2469 or email [email protected].