Bills in the state House and Senate would allow a new way for human remains to be cremated in Hawaii by using high-pressure and high-temperature water in a process that some think is reminiscent to Native Hawaiian burials.
The process that would be allowed in House Bill 1894 Opens in a new tab, called alkaline hydrolysis, leaves only sterilized bones and water, just as Hawaiian tradition steamed deceased bodies in an earthen oven, or imu, to leave only bones for burial.
HB 1961 Opens in a new tab and Senate Bill 2593 Opens in a new tab would recognize alkaline hydrolysis as a legal way to dispose of human remains in Hawaii.
Pohai Ryan, an aide at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, said alkaline hydrolysis would appeal to both Native Hawaiians and non-Hawaiians.
“For me personally, it’s more of a consumer choice issue,” Ryan said, “especially with the multicultures here in Hawaii — not just Hawaiians, but those who are against flame cremation.”
The method is legal in
21 other states, said Dean Fisher, one of the pioneers of alkaline hydrolysis. It also offers a more eco-friendly
alternative to flame cremation, Fisher said.
“The other thing that’s amazing about this is it’s 100% recyclable,” Fisher said. “When we send that to our department of environmental services, they can completely recycle all of that water and put it right back into our aquifers, rivers, lakes and streams.”
Fisher is former director of the donated-body programs for the Mayo Clinic’s Department of Anatomy at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine, where he worked on
alkaline hydrolysis. He is also the retired owner of an alkaline hydrolysis consultant company.
Fisher called alkaline
hydrolysis “gentler. It’s more environmentally friendly than flame cremation.”
HB 1894 Opens in a new tab is scheduled to be heard Monday before the House
Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs Committee.
Last session, the state Department of Health had concerns regarding adequate wastewater monitoring and regulations regarding hydrolysis facilities, which have since been resolved, said state Rep. Ryan Yamane (D, Mililani-Waipio Gentry-Waikele).
Since then, “The stakeholders have met with the Department of Health,”
Yamane said, “and they have an understanding. And so that’s why this bill was modified and reintroduced.”
Lorren Kim, acting state registrar and policy director for the Department of Health, testified before the House Health, Human Services and Homelessness Committee on Friday that there is no need for regulation, as long as the facilities’ wastewater is discharged into a municipally regulated wastewater system.
Jay Morford, president and legislative chairman of the Hawaii Funeral and Cemetery Association Inc., told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that his organization supports people’s right to choose how their loved ones are buried, as long as they follow standards and regulations.
“This is different than anything that we’ve ever had implemented in the state before in regards to disposition, so it needs to be looked at differently,” Morford said. “But as long as there’s proper testing, oversight and regulation to ensure that what goes into the sewer system is safe, then I think we’re OK.”
Fisher stands behind the environmental safety of the alkaline hydrolysis method, and said the water cremation process destroys pathogens 60,000 times more than what is required in flame cremation. The process was also tested over
30 times in a three-year span when he and others studied it at UCLA.
Fifteen people submitted written support of HB 1894 Opens in a new tab, with many emphasizing the environmental benefits of alkaline hydrolysis and the cultural significance for the Hawaiian community.
Hawaiian activist Mililani Trask testified via Zoom during Friday’s hearing, “This legislation will address a historic problem that we faced in our Hawaiian community for three generations.”
Kawehi Correa, president of Aloha Mortuary, told the Star-Advertiser, “There’s a lot of opportunity here … but I really believe that this is a regenerative technology that we’re going to be introducing.”
Fisher called alkaline hydrolysis a “game-changer” that could benefit Hawaii’s funeral industry.
”I want to help everybody I possibly can understand it better and help them get it (HB 1894 Opens in a new tab) passed,” he said.
