# Cremation and implanted appliances

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cremation-and-implanted-appliances/849476>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 14, 2020, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cremation-and-implanted-appliances/849476 "2020-03-14T13:53:14Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Kanzan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bb73d2/32.png) [@Kanzan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kanzan)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2020, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cremation-and-implanted-appliances/849476/1 "2020-03-14T13:53:14Z")

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Hip replacements and other devices implanted into people are made out of a combination of metals and ceramics. These certainly survive cremation. What do crematoriums do with all the salvaged pieces? Not being ghoulish, just curious…

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**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2020, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cremation-and-implanted-appliances/849476/2 "2020-03-14T13:57:05Z")

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When we cremated my father-in-law we signed a form at the funeral home giving them permission to donate his pacemaker to a group that reuses them in poorer countries. So morticians do remove some stuff first.

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**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2020, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cremation-and-implanted-appliances/849476/3 "2020-03-14T15:45:26Z")

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[Here](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=872691) is a thread from (almost exactly) a year ago. Doesn’t fully address your question, but you might find it interesting.

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**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2020, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cremation-and-implanted-appliances/849476/4 "2020-03-14T18:54:10Z")

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this is a very good book from someone who worked at a crematory. [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J8R3MYW/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?\_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J8R3MYW/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1)

She also has a lot of good youtube videos