DALTON, Mass. — The Board of Health approved wording for the green burial guidelines during its meeting on Wednesday. 

 

The guideline stipulates that "Ebola or any other diseases that the CDC or Massachusetts Department of Public Health deem unsuitable for green burials can not be approved by the town Board of Health." 

 

The board has been navigating how to include communicable diseases in its guidelines to prevent them from spreading.  

 

Town Health Agent Agnes Witkowski has been working to clarify the state's guidelines regarding infectious diseases and green burials. 

 

She attended a presentation on green burials and consulted with people from various organizations, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where it was determined that the state is behind in developing guidelines for green burials.

 

Currently, the only disease that would prevent someone from being able to have a green burial is ebola, board member Amanda Staples-Opperman said. Bugs would take care of anything else. 

 

The town running into situations surrounding an unknown disease would be a very rare occurrence, board members said.