Problems Associated with Morbid Obesity Do Not End at Death

Problems Associated with Morbid Obesity Do Not End at Death

Designers in several industries are finding it necessary to return to the drawing board and come up with innovative means of accommodating the increasing girth of Americans. Typical family cars, for instance, are now more than a foot wider than they were in the 1950s and almost double the weight, as manufacturers struggle to create room for immense bottoms, thunder thighs and even larger fingers. And those whose behinds won’t fit into a normal airliner seat are forced to purchase a second seat, or fly first class, where the seats are larger.

One might say it’s a growing problem. But catering to the extra-hefty in life isn’t the only difficulty, for the morbidly obese, like everyone else, also die. So what do you do when a 400-pound 5'5" woman shuffles off this mortal coil and doesn’t fit into a regular-size coffin? Enter Goliath Casket, Inc., an Indiana manufacturer that has been committed to serving the funeral needs of the big and tall for more than three decades with its larger, longer and deeper 20-gauge steel coffins. Goliath produces caskets up to 8-feet-long that can accommodate a body weighing as much as 1,000 pounds. For example, the Heartland model comes in three widths, up to 37-inches; and the Homestead comes in widths from 40- to 52-inches. Needless to say, these gigantic receptacles don’t come cheap.

The demand for behemoth coffins has brought America’s obesity epidemic into sharp focus. Today, approximately 67 percent of Americans are overweight, 30 percent are considered obese, and 5 percent (a staggering 16 million) are morbidly obese, an increase of 400 percent since 1986. But while the humongous coffins can accommodate those who are significantly overweight, there are other problems associated with dying fat. Most hearses cannot accommodate over-sized coffins; the openings of some crematoriums aren’t wide enough to receive the huge containers; and in cemeteries cramped for space, graves are too narrow for them. Some cemeteries in the U.S. are now offering larger plots, but others may require the family to purchase two single plots to accommodate oversized coffins. And in the case of pre-purchased plots, if the loved one doesn’t fit into the designated grave space when he/she dies, this leads to all sorts of complications and added expense.

However, finding a coffin, hearse, crematorium or cemetery to send the morbidly obese on their way aren’t the only obstacles. Embalming those with thick layers of adipose tissue is a pain for undertakers. Deeper incisions are necessary, longer autopsy scars must be closed and additional embalming fluid is required for preservation. Approximately a gallon of fluid is used for each 50 pounds of weight, or between 1½ to 2 gallons for the average person. But if an individual weighs 400 pounds, it takes 8 gallons and this doesn’t include the cavity solution pumped into the internal organs via a trocar. So, not only is burying the obese difficult for those in the funeral industry, in the case of a “green burial,” that’s several gallons more formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, methanol, etc. that will seep into the earth. Additionally, one man (or woman) cannot lift seriously overweight corpses and if no one else is on duty, the embalmer must wait – sometimes several hours – for assistance. Some funeral homes utilize mechanical lifts, but these devices have weight limitations.

There are pitfalls even if the morbidly obese loved one is cremated. In June 2012 in Austria, a 440-pound woman was being reduced to ashes when employees noticed thick, black smoke billowing into the building. The power was immediately cut, but the flames had already reached the filter and the fire department was notified. Water had to be sprayed into the unit, causing the fat to pop and crackle and by the time firefighters got things under control, they were covered in a greasy layer of soot.

Author: Graveyardbride.
Sources: Sara J. Marsden, US Funerals Online, October 30, 2013; Graham Smith, The Daily Mail; Helen Collis, The Daily Mail, June 5, 2012; The Centers for Disease Control; and Goliath Caskets, www.oversizecasket.com/