Facts About Embalming:

It is rarely required by law. The Federal Trade Commission & many sate regulators require that funeral directors inform consumers that embalming is not required except in certain cases. Check you state for requirements in crossing state lines, some require embalming when a body is shipped by common carrier.

Embalming provides no public health benefit, according to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Canadian health authorities. Hawaii and Ontario forbid embalming if the person died of certain contagious diseases. Many morticians have been taught, however, that embalming protects the public health, and they continue to perpetrate this myth.

Embalming does not preserve the human body forever; it merely delays the inevitable and natural consequences of death. There is some variations in the rate of decomposition, depending on the strength of the chemicals and methods used, and humidity and temperature of the final resting place.