Travel Urn Project Update

Press Release May 5, 2005—At the beginning of this year, sample cremation urns were sent from many of the industry’s leading urn manufacturers for testing at the Department of Homeland Security’s Transportation Security Laboratories. The goal of this testing was to try to establish standards for acceptance of these containers by TSA and begin an effort to create guidelines for the manufacturing of “travel friendly” urns.

In March, officials from the DHS/TSA met with a team from Travel Sentry, which includes Patricia Bondor of Cremation.com. The Travel Sentry team briefed the TSA group about the urn industry and cremated human remains. The group reviewed the expectations of both sides and the mission of the “travel friendly” urn. The objective is to allow the industry to market urns for travel that are assured of being able to pass easily through thru passenger security screening checkpoints.

Though testing is still ongoing, here are some of the proceedings and findings:

Updated information regarding TSA and Airline Policies relating to cremated remains:

• Many airlines will no longer allow remains to be in checked luggage due to concern if a checked urn should open, break, or get lost.
• TSA at the airport will not open urns or inspect the materials inside.
• The Standard Operating Procedure for testing and checking urns at checkpoints needs additional research before it can be written. Travel Sentry in cooperation with TSL will work on establishing and implementing these procedures.

Preliminary testing factors:

• A sample of simulated cremated human remains was created by TSA based on a scientific analysis achieved from actual cremated human remains. Simulation of density, molecular composition and texture was achieved for the purpose of testing.
• Urns were tested with both simulated cremated remains and prohibited items such as (simulated) explosives and weapons.
• Approximately 100 urns from various manufacturers were tested. These urns were made of organic material, inorganic materials and metal as follows:
• 36% of the urn containers consisted of organic material (wood, cardboard and plastic)
• 52% consisted of in organic materials (ceramic, marble, jade and porcelain)
• 12% consisted of metal materials

Preliminary testing results:

• 17 urns were representing the major groups were selected for more detailed testing
• Some materials were found to be obviously better than others in permitting clear images of the contents.

Results have been “very interesting”

• Important questions raised
• Analysis ongoing due to TSA Security Concerns

TSA Security Concerns:

• Visibility of the entire contents
• Identification of the contents
• Weapons
• Explosives
• Molecular makeup of the contents
• Need to establish standards for “security friendly” urns and develop a Standard Operating Procedure for testing and checking urns at checkpoints
• Industry statistics indicate that in 2002 alone, 2,443.387 people died and of those, almost 30% were cremated. If only 10% of those cremations resulted in someone traveling by air with cremated remains there was a need for 73,301 people in the United States alone that could have used a “travel friendly urn”

Travel Sentry Team objectives:

• Establish Urns “Recognized and Accepted” by TSA that are tested to assure acceptable image quality
• “Certified” as being able to do so
• Establish program which is open to ALL manufacturers and distributors
• Establish a program which has increased earning premiums for manufacturers, distributors and retailers
• Establish a program which is designed as a global solution
• Educate the industry to the problem and provide a viable solution that is beneficial to the traveling public as well as to the funeral industry

Return to Cremation and Cremation Urn Information