3 ms·
What does any of this have to do with prions though? If anything, the emissions are probably worse from a public health perspective.
by refactor_master 5y ago
What does any of this have to do with prions though? If anything, the emissions are probably worse from a public health perspective.
- prepend 5y agoCremation will destroy prions. Composting will not. I guess the issue would be with prions from a composting brain getting into food supply. I’m not sure how real of a concern this is as deer with CWD die and decompose and I’m not aware of any transmission in this way.
- beambot 5y agoI was of the impression that Prions are notoriously impervious to heat. They were said to withstand typical disinfecting protocols using an autoclave (250°F for 15-20min). Quick source: > To destroy a prion it must be denatured to the point that it can no longer cause normal proteins to misfold. Sustained heat for several hours at extremely high temperatures (900°F and above) will reliably destroy a prion. https://dwr.virginia.gov/wildlife/diseases/cwd/what-are-prions/ https://dwr.virginia.gov/wildlife/diseases/cwd/what-are-prio... I don't know the specific temperature profile of cremation, but I doubt it is sufficient.
- rtkwe 5y agoCremation actually goes well above that. Cremation happens around 1400-1800F. https://www.cremationresource.org/cremation/how-is-a-body-cremated.html https://www.cremationresource.org/cremation/how-is-a-body-cr...
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- prepend 5y agoYou’re right that it withstands heat, but not cremation heat.
- heavyset_go 5y agoAutoclaves are meant to destroy living material while preserving what's being sanitized, while cremation intends to destroy everything and preserve nothing. For that reason, there's a difference in both temperature and exposure times.
- ClumsyPilot 5y ago900°F is barely temperature of a campfire