May 1998
The Director - Features
Confronting Wastewater Fears with Facts
Recently, funeral service has been under the microscope of those interested in the effect funeral home discharge has on the sewer system. To build up a case with proven data, the NFDA Risk Assessment Project Team has been preparing a comprehensive risk assessment to objectively determine the chemical and microbiological impact of funeral home discharge. The preliminary results indicate embalming effluent poses virtually no environmental or occupational health risk.
Confronting Wastewater Fears with Facts explains the activities the project team has performed while preparing the study and the team s efforts in participating in forums that address the risks of funeral home effluent.
The article was written by the project team's chair Wilson H. Beebe Jr., executive director of the New Jersey State FDA and the Metropolitan (New York City) FDA. Beebe has been heavily involved with funeral service environmental issues for more than 10 years.
