August 2017

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Page A14 AUGUST 2017 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS S ec t i on A
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Gary Finch is a licensed funeral director and embalmer in Texas.
He founded Compliance Plus in 1992. Today, they represent over
700 funeral homes and cemeteries in 37 states. Compliance Plus
also serves as an advisory consultant for the International Order of
the Golden Rule. For more information on Compliance Plus visit
. Contact Gary by phone at (800) 950-
1101 or by e-mail at .
By Gary Finch
OSHA
Compliance
higher the threat. In some cases, formaldehyde might in-
crease the chance of getting cancer even at levels too low
to cause symptoms.
Respirators would eliminate most of these risks. Most
employers would prefer not to use them when making
an injection. Goggles would help, but they also fog up
and essentially blind you to the task you are doing. Most
employers would prefer not to provide respirators be-
cause of the red tape. The requirements of the respira-
tor standard are difficult. Most funeral homes screw it
up. N-95 particle masks really don’t offer much protec-
tion for formaldehyde either. Maybe that is why I haven’t
written about this much. You see, I don’t have the an-
swers. Be alert if you are showing symptoms. Inform
your employer. They should consult a safety professional.
Editor’s Note: Gary Finch and the OSHA Compliance
column will be on vacation next month. The column
will return in the October issue. See archived columns
from all of our contributors, as well as full issues of the
Note to Embalmers:
Formaldehyde Really is
Dangerous
One of the hazards I have focused on over the last 25
years is formaldehyde. Most of the time the subject is
about compliance threshold levels or personal protective
equipment you should wear whenever you are around it.
It’s about annual training and the best way to document
it in case you are inspected. But it occurs to me that I have
not written much about how formaldehyde makes you
sick.
What happens if you breathe too much of it?What hap-
pens if you spill it on you? And yes, what happens if you
drink it? I swear, an employee of a former customer in
Bryan, Texas did that. Maybe that is why OSHA says you
should not be drinking cokes in the preparation room. I
mean that to some, that cavity fluid bottle can resemble a
coke bottle. Really? Really.
Fortunately, OSHA and the CDC have the answers I
am seeking. This means I don’t have to personally per-
form any exposure tests. First, we should all note that
formaldehyde is a sensitizer. This means that 0.1 ppm ex-
posure may impact some people. At the same time, some
people can tolerate much higher exposures without any ad-
verse effects. Because the results vary so much, there isn’t a
lot written that one can really hang their hat on.
That 0.1 ppm is lower than the rate most embalmers ex-
perience on a regular basis. Is this exposure affecting you?
Do you have upper airway irritations? Do you have a dry or
sore throat? Does your nose itch or burn? Do you have nasal
congestion when you are around formaldehyde for an hour
or two? It is very possible that many embalmers have at least
some of the symptoms. In some respects, these are job asso-
ciated hazards. If your employer is operating within OSHA
thresholds, you may have to accept the hazards. You may
also be able to effectively cut your formaldehyde exposure.
One symptom most embalmers have experienced at one
time or another is itchy or scratch eyes. Others have experi-
enced nose bleeds. In general, someone that is more sensitive
to formaldehyde and who is exposed to it over time is more
likely to have symptoms. Someone who is exposed to higher
amounts but over a short period of time is less likely to have
symptoms.
There are reasons why you should not continue to work in
a situation where you constantly incur symptoms of over-ex-
posure. Mainly, cancer is a carcinogen. Over-exposure may
cause cancer. The primary areas of concern are the nose and
throat. Scientific research has not established an actual safe
level where everyone is safe. What they have established is
that the higher the exposure and the longer the exposure, the
Funeral Home & Cemetery News
Contributors share insights and
exchange ideas. B
McCall’s Marks 50 Years with $50,000 in Scholarships
tablished roots with churches, civic associations, social
clubs and local schools. This community now needed a
funeral home.
Young James Alston had the privilege, or the burden,
as a new law graduate, to be there for the laying of the
keel and launching of the ship that proudly continues
to sail these 50 years later. The founders were all about
relevance, and Alston emphasized that the funeral home
would be a unique member of the village from which
it draws its clients. The business advanced without the
safety net of a bank or any other financial institution.
McCall’s truly represents the blood, sweat and tears of
these families; and despite the passing of the originators,
James Alston has continued as the sole survivor and own-
er of the group. From a two room operation, McCall’s has
grown to be the pace-setter of the funeral industry in the
Bronx, Manhattan and Lower Westchester.
At the December fund raising celebration, platitudes
were exchanged, a page from the Congressional Record
commemorating the event was presented, Westchester
County Legislators presented proclamations and the
souvenir journal documented several letters of felici-
tations from as far away as the Governor General of
Jamaica, WI to prime ministers, ambassadors, assem-
blymen, District Attorneys, Governors, Congressmen,
and other local politicians. Salutations also came from
several members of the Clergy, other funeral homes,
local businesses as well as individuals, friends and fam-
ily members.
Patricia Myers, the event’s general chairperson, li-
censed funeral director and manager of McCall’s Bronx-
wood, put the celebratory events in motion in June
2016, culminating in the hosting of the awards dinner
in June 2017, exclusively for students and parents where
five $10,000.00 scholarships were proudly awarded to
deserving high school seniors.
It was a tough call to narrow down the list from over
twenty well-qualified and deserving students to the for-
tunate five, Brenda Alves, Da’Jour Brown, Danielle
Clayton, Sean Fairclough and William Phillips.
Jeffrey Alston, Chairman of the Scholarship Commit-
tee and son of James, accorded a warm welcome to all
present at the evening’s activities. James offered a few
wise words to the students and encouraged the parents
as the students prepared to leave for college.
The students had the opportunity to take pictures,
state their names as well as that of the school from
which they were graduating, the college to which they
were accepted and their intended major. Of course the
evening was filled with gratitude, good wishes and on-
going support.
Once again, the exceptional philanthropist and business-
man, James H. Alston, Esq. made history in Bronx, NY.
In 1966, three entrepreneurs who had come of age
during the Great Depression and who against all odds as
individuals had successfully started and operated busi-
nesses in the Bronx, came together to create McCall’s
Bronxwood Funeral Home. Herbert T. McCall owned
and operated Herbert T. McCall Funeral Home in the
Morrisania Section since 1952; Emma Brisbane owned
and operated Flowers by Emily next door to McCall’s
funeral home; and James Alston who owned and op-
erated Freddie’s Bar and Café in the Morrisania section
since the mid ’40s and 22 West Restaurant in Harlem
since the early ‘60s.
They realized that the pulse of the lower Bronx com-
munity that each of them had been serving had steadily
migrated north, had become homeowners and had es-
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