A seminar sponsored by the ministry later this week is aimed at educating undertakers, monks, temple administrators and coffin-makers on how to mitigate the negative health effects caused by emissions from crematoria. As things stand, this is the only industry operating outside the country's stringent emission regulations.

There are over 34,000 temples throughout the country that collectively operate 27,000 crematoria. The majority of these crematoria are not equipped with extremely high-temperature burners or hi-tech filtering systems. Only some large temples in urban areas operate gas- or oil-fired crematoria, while small temples upcountry continue to conduct cremations in open spaces with a wood fire.

These crematoria and cremation sites emit mercury, dioxin and furan along with other environmentally harmful gases and particles, such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, sulphur dioxide and hydrogen chloride.

Mercury is harmful to humans, and children are particularly susceptible to mercury poisoning. Exposure to even small amounts of mercury over a long period may cause damage to the brain, kidneys, and lungs, as well as to developing foetuses. Dioxin and furan belong to a class of compounds known to have harmful effects, including various types of cancer, on laboratory animals. Scientists believe they may also pose serious threats to humans. Among the measures that should be seriously considered are regulations to make it mandatory for undertakers and crematorium operators to remove dental amalgams prior to cremation, as well as to upgrade of most crematoria now in operation. In predominantly Buddhist Thailand, cremation is the most popular method of memorialising the dead. Cremation is also considered a sensible option because it is simple and does not involve securing a costly plot at a cemetery.

Government agencies responsible for environmental standards have been reluctant to impose stringent emission requirements on these facilities because such a move would force most temples to make costly upgrades. Such a move would add to the cost of cremation and would probably be unpopular with the public.

This week's seminar should be the beginning of a public-awareness campaign to emphasise the urgent need to upgrade crematoria. The government's campaign for cleaner air and environmental protection, which has focused mainly on pollution from industry and vehicles, will fall far short of its objectives unless crematoria are to be subjected to the same tight control.

It is estimated that each person cremated has an average of 2.9 grammes of mercury in teeth fillings. The amount of mercury released into the atmosphere from the cremation of more than 300,000 per year could be as high as one tonne. The dioxin and furan emissions are more difficult to gauge, but the environmental effect of allowing these substances to accumulate for so long must be no less staggering. According to the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry, it is suspected that crematoria emissions may have contributed to the marked increase in cancer among urban residents.

Even now there are no accurate scientific estimates of the harmful emissions released by crematoria that government planners could use to map out emission-control measures. Sadly, this is typical of a lot of Thai government agencies, for which accurate data and information are apparently not that important. It remains to be seen how government agencies in charge of environmental protection and emission controls will be able to launch a public-awareness campaign without hard scientific data to dramatise the dire situation the country faces.

Unless the government gets serious about the need to have accurate data to back up this campaign, it will take far too long to achieve the objectives. It is time we made sure that the business of disposing of the dead poses no harm to the living.