how long does it take for a body to decompose exposed to the elements?
178992
It really depends on the cause of the death. Typically placed 6ft down, without a coffin, in ordinary soil, eight to twelve years to completely decompose into a skeleton. Now if placed in a coffin, it may take many more years, depending on the type of wood used for the coffin.
1007307
They typically last for 120 days before they die. And that's the whole process! Although this seems like a lengthy process, the whole thing takes less than a minute from start to finish, depending on the individual's heart rate.
84904
24-72 hours postmortem: internal organs begin to decompose due to cell death; the body begins to emit pungent odors; rigor mortis subsides. 3-5 days postmortem: as organs continue to decompose, bodily fluids leak from orifices; the skin turns a greenish color.
432286
Bone and skin cells can stay alive for several days. It takes around 12 hours for a human body to be cool to the touch and 24 hours to cool to the core. Rigor mortis commences after three hours and lasts until 36 hours after death. Forensic scientists use clues such as these for estimating the time of death.
144050
It really depends on the cause of the death. Typically placed 6ft down, without a coffin, in ordinary soil, eight to twelve years to completely decompose into a skeleton.
937319
90 seconds after exposure, you'll die from asphyxiation. It's also very cold in space. You'll eventually freeze solid. Depending on where you are in space, this will take 12-26 hours, but if you're close to a star, you'll be burnt to a crisp instead.
1123305
How long can the body remain preserved? A body presents little threat to public health in the first day following the death. However, after 24 hours the body will need some level of embalming. A mortuary will be able to preserve the body for approximately a week.
378391
Unfortunately it may take three weeks or more to completely decompose. A professional may be contacted to break through and rebuild affected walls.
1147749
Originally Answered: How long does it take for every last cell in a dead body to die? When buried six feet down, without a coffin, in ordinary soil, an unembalmed adult normally takes eight to twelve years to decompose to a skeleton.
54391
"However we've found that in highly oxygenated deeper water, it can be expected that such a body would be skeletonised in less than four days, although bones could be recovered for six months or more." How quickly you decompose also depends on the time of year.
1152515
A body buried without a coffin is said to take eight to twelve years to decompose under the ground, placed in a coffin it takes longer.
299040
Sanitary napkins and children's diapers take 500 to 800 years for decomposition. Glass bottles decompose in 1,000,000 years. Plastic bottles and cans never decompose. About 90% of the contents of our bins could be reused or recycled.
34513
Plastic Waste Normally, plastic items take up to 1000 years to decompose in landfills. But plastic bags we use in our everyday life take 10-20 years to decompose, while plastic bottles take 450 years.
210884
Bodies left in hot, arid environments can typically mummify in about two weeks, while the process typically takes a couple of months in enclosed locations. Remains in mild environments take about three months.
1268875
An average human body takes from two to three hours to burn completely and will produce an average of 3 to 9 pounds (1.4 to 4.1 kilograms) of ash. The amount of ash depends usually on the bone structure of the person and not so much their weight [source: Ellenberg].
23354
When buried six feet down, without a coffin, in ordinary soil, an unembalmed adult normally takes eight to twelve years to decompose to a skeleton. However if placed in a coffin the body can take many years longer, depending on type of wood used. For example a solid oak coffin will highly slow down the process.
38609
24-72 hours after death — the internal organs decompose. 3-5 days after death — the body starts to bloat and blood-containing foam leaks from the mouth and nose.