New crematorium should be ready for business this year

SUFFOLK: Who would think that the fillings in our teeth would be poisoning fish in the sea?

Times are certainly changing in the funeral business and the new crematorium will cater for 21st century needs on several fronts – including pollution and changing body shape.

Operations director Jon Luby said the �500,000 state-of-the-art cremator will clean chloride and mercury from the emissions caused by the cremation process.

Scientists have found that mercury polluting fish in the seas sometimes comes from cremation – evaporation from the incineration of teeth fillings which has then been blown on the wind and eventually dropped into the ocean.

“The crematorium will also be able to handle people up to 55 stone in weight,” he said.

“To have someone weighing 30 stone used to be an extremely rare occurrence but now it happens every week.”

Mourners will not even have to attend the crematorium to be part of the service – those from around the world unable to attend, or even housebound relatives and friends who cannot get there, will be able to watch it on a webcast via the internet.

Families will also be able to have a DVD made of the service if they wish.