Obese weighing heavily on morgues

August 7th, 2007

EXTREMELY obese bodies are becoming a safety hazard in mortuaries, according to pathologists who are calling for new “heavy duty” autopsy facilities as Australians get fatter.

Forensic scientists say they are struggling to cope with a growing number of morbidly obese corpses that are difficult to move and dangerously heavy for standard-size trolleys and lifting hoists.

The bodies presented “major logistical problems” and “significant occupational health and safety issues”, the specialists have cautioned.

Mortuary workers are adding their voices to concerned calls from crematorium and hospital staff about infrastructure that is unsuitable for the growing number of very fat Australians.

Statistics show 3.2 million people are already obese, with the number predicted to climb to 7.2 million in less than 20 years.

The number of obese and morbidly obese bodies handled by a typical mortuary has doubled in the past 20 years.

In a recent study, a third of 255 bodies examined in South Australia were obese.

A further 6 per cent were in the extreme range. “This study demonstrates that forensic facilities are now dealing with individuals of considerable body mass,” University of Adelaide pathologist Roger Byard wrote in The Medical Journal of Australia.

Mortuary equipment was not designed to take such weights, and the faster putrefaction and “skin slippage” of bigger bodies made them even more difficult to handle, Professor Byard said.

He said specially designed mortuaries would soon be needed if the nation failed to curb the fat epidemic.

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