• Question: how long does it take for your body to decompose?

    Asked by anon-347415 on 4 Feb 2023. This question was also asked by anon-347395, anon-347409.
    • Photo: Lorna Dawson

      Lorna Dawson answered on 4 Feb 2023:

      The answer is, it depends….. on both extrinsic and intrinsic factors…. Ie is the body wrapped, infected, fat, etc etc and is the temperature warm, wet, acid etc etc ….

    • Photo: Prof. W Meier-Augenstein

      Prof. W Meier-Augenstein answered on 5 Feb 2023:

      Decomposition of the body’s soft tissue may take 10 to 24 days (only the skeleton remains). The “exact” time it takes for all organic material to break down completely depends on / is influenced by factors such as body deposition (open ground; shallow grave; submerged in water; …), temperature, time of year to name but a few.
      This web page gives a good summary of the various stages of body decomposition:

      Decomposition Stages of Human Body

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