• The Environmental Protection Agency governs federal emission standards for crematory incinerators, but the states decide all other requirements. Laws vary slightly from state to state, but Oregon laws are representative of general requirements. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, or DEQ, follows Oregon Administrative Rule 340, Division 230 to provide regulatory requirements for crematory incinerators.
  
  

Emission Limitations

• Particulate matter emissions cannot exceed 0.080 grains per cubic foot of exhaust. Visible emissions are only allowed during a six-minute period for every hour of operation, and the opacity cannot exceed 20 percent in accordance with EPA measurement standards. If odors from a crematory incinerator bother its neighbors, filters or other measures are required to eliminate or prevent those odors.
  
  

Design and Operation

• Temperature and residence time for a crematory incinerator depends on the date of installation. The final combustion chamber of an incinerator installed before March 13, 1993, must reach at least 1400 degrees Fahrenheit before the primary burner is ignited and then reach at least 1800 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 0.5 seconds. Incinerators installed after March 13, 1993, are required to reach 1200 degrees Fahrenheit before igniting the primary burner and then reach at least 1600 degrees Fahrenheit for 0.5 seconds or more. All crematory incinerator operators are required to be supervised by properly trained and certified persons. Onsite documentation including an approved training plan and proof of operator training must be available for inspections.
  
  Crematory incinerators can only be used for human and animal remains. Infectious or medical waste is governed by different regulations.
  
  

Monitoring and Reporting

• A recording instrument, such as a chart recorder or other pyrometric recording device, must continuously monitor the final combustion chamber temperature. These temperature charts, as well as the calibration data and production records, must be filed for a minimum of two years and be available for inspections.