Thursday, November 24, 2011

Frequent Mausoleum Issues and Solutions


Mausoleums, typically, tend to be beautiful buildings, standing as majestic memorials to the Beloved who are encoffined in them. These ornate structures, commonly decorated with bronze and gold accents, marble columns and stained glass windows, are designed and fashioned to exhibit a sense of dignity, serenity, and peace. There are two common complaints with many mausoleums, however, which, sadly, rob the serene and peaceful impression from the families of the entombed, and make a mockery of the deceased bodies. These two conditions are mausoleum odors and coffin, or phorid flies.

Mausoleum smells are from the decomposition process, which occurs naturally as the body undergoes the decaying process. Morticians frequent identity the offending bodies, “leakers”. These mausoleum smells can be utterly overwhelming, and because of the embalming chemicals and the fumes coming the result of decomposition, they can coupled with that pose a health hazard to workers and visitors.

The second difficult issue that is commonplace for most mausoleums is the phorid or coffin fly. These unpleasant pests are about one 4th the size of the typical house fly, and while they're in the larval stage of development, coffin flies feast on the decomposing bodies inside the crypt spaces. When they emerge from the casket as adult flies, they furthermore cause a terrible risk in spreading sickness when they land. Frequently, they are searching for moisture, and it is quite typical for them to fly into the eyes, nose and mouths of site visitors or employees in the structure. The flies are so tiny that a lot of people mistake them as gnats, and insiders in the mausoleum business do not want visitors to find out the truth about where the flies are usually emerging from.

Here is what one visitor to a mausoleum in Glendale, California had to say, “Possibly the most shocking of all is the Mausoleum. I stepped inside and knew immediately something was wrong. There the temperature inside the complex was around 80 degrees. I heard what sounded like insects swarming in one of the walls… many of the vaults have had leakage problems where they have sealed them with shower caulk. As I scanned the flashlight around the room, I saw horrible … damage. There was a discolored substance that ran from the marble plates down to the floor.”

Thankfully, there are solutions to combat both mausoleum odors and coffin flies. For years, many within the trade have tried to employ deodorizing sprays, chemical pest control, fly papers, and large fans to cover the smells and to attempt to handle the phorid fly infestations. These sprays and chemicals, etc. have disappointed mausoleum caretakers and other workers, because they are generally ineffective, plus, they turn out to be a health risk in the building, creating a harmful condition that may be toxic to employees and guests alike. An alternative remedy is an electronic machine that mausoleums utilize to neutralize smells and also to keep control of the coffin flies, which often from industry claims, is likely to make life simplier and easier for the mausoleum owners and operators because it is successful at controlling the flies and will completely get rid of odors on a nightly schedule while the structure is vacant. Utilizing the electronic method, there is also the surety in knowing that there are no hazardous toxic compounds being spread throughout the structure, which makes for a “green” solution which is a great deal healthier for employees and visitors.

Why not help preserve the dignity, peace and serenity for the deceased and for their relatives, and help to keep these beautiful buildings as the memorials that they were supposed to be. We grieve at the loss of a family member; there is certainly no good reason to have to constantly endure hardships when paying respects. If you happen to be in a mausoleum and you see the little coffin flies or if you detect any foul odors, without delay register a written grievance with the mausoleum owner and with the Funeral Consumers Alliance,or in the case of a Catholic cemetery, to the church, or the office of the local bishop.

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