{"id":11299,"date":"2021-04-02t17:33:35","date_gmt":"2021-04-02t17:33:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dpetrov.2create.studio\/planet\/wordpress\/neighbors-hope-for-relief-from-crematorium-smoke-as-covid-19-deaths-decrease\/"},"modified":"2023-02-28t18:37:19","modified_gmt":"2023-02-28t18:37:19","slug":"crematorium-air-pollution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/crematorium-air-pollution\/","title":{"rendered":"neighbors hope for relief from crematorium smoke as covid-19 deaths decrease"},"content":{"rendered":"

by kevin pirehpour<\/strong><\/p>\n

phoenix \u2013 rows of cardboard boxes containing corpses line the walls of refrigerated storage containers, waiting for charred human remains to be cleared from the incineration chamber to make room for the next body.<\/p>\n

the cremations continue through the night in a scene that has unfolded across america as covid-19 deaths have risen to more than 540,000<\/a> over the past year.<\/p>\n

in arizona, where 16,842 have died in the pandemic, the smoke and the hum of crematoriums working overtime have left some neighbors desperate for relief from the odor and pollution.<\/p>\n

arizonans opt for cremation more frequently than the national average, with 67% choosing that option in 2020, according to a july 2020 report from the national funeral directors association.<\/p>\n

the national cremation rate reached 56% last year, an increase from 47.9% in 2015, the last reported year. the rise was fueled by the covid-19 death toll and pandemic restrictions, the low cost of cremation services and the flexible timing for funeral arrangements with cremated ashes.<\/p>\n

some condo owners in east scottsdale have taken notice of unexpected wafts of smoke and a lingering odor coming from the nearby paradise memorial crematory near 93rd street and shea boulevard.<\/p>\n

\u201cthe smell was so unbearable that everybody needs to run into their houses,\u201d said retiree marlene dove, who moved there in september. \u201cif you have guests, they have to come in or they put things over their heads and their faces to keep the smell out.\u201d<\/p>\n

her complaint is among 20 filed in maricopa county regarding crematorium smoke from feb. 27, 2020, to march 2, 2021. records from maricopa county air quality show the complaints include black or brown smoke and a \u201chorrible odor.\u201d some residents claimed the emissions gave them sore throats.<\/p>\n

\u201ci understand that you have to take care of the dead,\u201d dove said. \u201cbut i also understand you have to take care of the living.\u201d<\/p>\n

last april, maricopa county air quality lifted a regulation prohibiting crematoriums from operating past sunset, giving them more time to cremate the increased number of covid-19 deaths. that lift, which was extended in june and again in december, is in effect through may 31.<\/p>\n

according to arizona department of health services data<\/a>, the state saw surges in covid-19 related deaths during the summer and winter, with a single-day high of 173 deaths reported jan. 18.<\/p>\n

the occasional smoke coming from crematorium chimneys is an inevitable byproduct of the cremation process, said james ahearne, coo of messinger mortuaries, the company that oversees paradise memorial crematory.<\/p>\n

\u201cevery crematory will smoke, if they tell you they don\u2019t, they\u2019re lying,\u201d he said. \u201cit\u2019s just the way it is.\u201d<\/p>\n

last year, paradise memorial crematory \u2013 one of the largest in the state \u2013 cremated 6,868 bodies, an increase from 6,071 in 2019, before the pandemic began. from the start of 2021, paradise memorial already has cremated 1,931 bodies, ahearne said, with much of those coming in january after the holidays. if the trend continues, 2021 could outpace last year.<\/p>\n

ahearne said a walk-in freezer used to store bodies at paradise memorial had 60 to 70 bodies backlogged in january, waiting to be cremated.<\/p>\n

by 2030, the cremation rate in arizona is expected to reach nearly 80%, the national funeral directors association says.<\/p>\n

nationally, the median cost to bury an adult in a traditional ceremony is $7,640, according to the association. in arizona, it\u2019s $6,906.<\/p>\n

cremations cost an average of $6,645 nationally, with a cremation casket and urn, and about $5,812 in arizona, according to the association.<\/p>\n

there\u2019s also the convenience of cremating now and organizing a service later at a particular destination, said barbara kemmis, executive director of the cremation association of north america.<\/p>\n

with travel restrictions and social distancing guidelines in place for many states throughout the pandemic, cremation extends the time frame for grieving families to make decisions for the deceased.<\/p>\n

as covid-19 cremations surged across the country, so did neighbor\u2019s complaints about smoke and sore throats.<\/p>\n

\u201cthat\u2019s completely a danger when they\u2019re overwhelmed and trying to do as many cases a day to return those cremated remains to loved ones,\u201d kemmis said.<\/p>\n

issues with smoke coming from paradise memorial crematory are not new but have seemingly worsened throughout the pandemic, said david dubner, 79, who has filed multiple complaints with maricopa county and is dove\u2019s neighbor.<\/p>\n

\u201cthere\u2019s not just been puffs but pouring smoke, sometimes for up to five, six minutes. (it) covers the whole area,\u201d dubner said.<\/p>\n