Infection risks and embalming

The main job of a funeral director is to arrange for the safe disposal of the body of a deceased person. Embalming can be undertaken to help preserve the body and prevent the spread of infection both before and after burial. In order to do this the embalming fluids used must be effective disinfectants against virulent organisms. Due to the very nature of their work, embalmers and funeral directors may come into contact with potentially infectious cadavers, with transmission of infectious agents being possible via several routes of exposure. This report describes the results of a literature review undertaken for the British Institute of Embalmers (BIE) to determine the infection risks which funeral directors and embalmers are exposed to from working with embalmed and non-embalmed cadavers. The effectiveness of embalming fluids on the viability of infectious organisms is discussed, along with strategies for preventing infections. Several other topics relevant to the disposal and decomposition of human remains are also discussed. On the basis of this review a number of recommendations for potential studies are suggested. These include an UK wide survey of the use of universal precautions, incidence of percutaneous and mucocutaneous exposures and incidence of infections between non-embalming and embalming personnel. Given that there is limited data in the literature concerning the in-vivo disinfection efficiencies of embalming fluids, further research should be undertaken and reported in the relevant peer-reviewed literature.