Human ashes certified non-contagious after flame-based cremation
Québec’s Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux certifies that human ashes produced by flame-based cremation in Québec do not present a risk of contagion, regardless of the cause of death.
Certification of the absence of contagious diseases in human ashes after flame-based cremation
This certification is based on the Québec legislation regarding the flame-based cremation process and the following elements:
The combustion process eliminates all organs and tissue;
The ashes contain only bone residues and non-organic particles;
The public health bodies, such as the World Health Organization and the American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, consider that the temperatures reached during flame-based cremation deactivate and destroy all infectious agents, including prions.
Legislation regarding the flame-based cremation process
In Québec, two regulations govern the flame-based cremation process:
The Regulation respecting the application of the Funeral Operations Act Section 117 of this regulation requires that the cremation of a body must be carried out in a manner that completely eliminates all organs and soft tissue, to the centre of the bones and skull. This section is in force since January 1, 2019.
The Clean Air Regulation(Chapter Q-2, r. 4.1) Sections 108, 125 and 127 of this regulation require:
that a crematorium have a primary combustion chamber and at least one secondary combustion chamber;
that the gases reaching the last secondary combustion chamber must be brought to a temperature greater than 1,000°C for at least one second.