X-Message-Number: 20086 From: <> Subject: Date: Tue, 17 Sep 2002 13:13:36 -0400 This is old, but don't remember having seen it before... From the July 12, 2002 print edition Cryo-debate opens lid on freezing process Craig Anderson The Business Journal Charles Beresford says most people are surprised to learn that he does not keep dead bodies in his freezer. Beresford, president of Scottsdale-based Cryogenics International, has received a barrage of telephone calls from journalists and other inquisitors in the wake of news reports that baseball legend Ted Williams has been cryogenically frozen in Scottsdale. But Cryogenics International isn't responsible for freezing Williams -- or anyone else, for that matter. The company uses a patented cryogenic process to treat tools, engine parts and many other common items to make them perform better and last longer. It also sells the equipment used in the cryogenic process. "You can use cold temperatures for things other than turning people into Popsicles," Beresford said. One reason for the confusion is that many people don't know the difference between cryogenics and cryonics, he said. Cryogenics is a general term referring to the science of working with extremely cold temperatures. Cryonics refers specifically to the practice of freezing human bodies in the hope of someday thawing them out and reviving them once the necessary technology has been developed. Beresford said the methods used by cryonics firms are much cruder than the process he uses. He has developed a patented, computer-controlled system that monitors and adjusts temperatures to provide slow and controlled cooling. It takes eight to 12 hours to cool the materials, and they are kept at a temperature of minus 320 degrees Fahrenheit for 24 hours before being thawed out in an equally controlled manner. The cooling process slows down the individual molecules that make up all matter, thereby causing them to line up in more organized patterns. This increases strength and durability of the material and removes structural flaws. Even when thawed, the materials retain their more organized structure, Beresford said. "The pressure of being cold squeezes out imperfections." The primary function of cryonics, on the other hand, is to efficiently store bodies at extremely cold temperatures for long periods of time, Beresford said. One problem with the procedure is that it sucks moisture out of human tissues, often causing cracks in the frozen bodies, he said. Another is that freezing tends to rupture individual cells, causing essential chemicals to become displaced. Beresford said even if technology is developed that can repair each individual cell, the chemical displacement in the brain would effectively "erase" it like a reformatted hard drive. "You'd wake up as an (adult) child," he said. "You wouldn't even be able to speak. Your memory, personality, every essence of you would be gone." Alcor Life Extension Foundation, the nonprofit group in Scottsdale that has reportedly frozen and is storing Williams' body, explains on its Web site there is "no guarantee cryonic suspension ever will allow for future revival." Still the company asserts that the continuing development of nanotechnology and cloning techniques make revival a growing possibility, and that there is nothing to lose by being placed in cryonic suspension, since bodies already must be legally dead before they can undergo the process. Alcor officials are not talking to the media and could not be reached for comment. Beresford said unlike cryonics firms, his company can guarantee results -- in the form of tools and equipment lasting two to four times longer than normal. The process also improves the sound quality of stereo components, musical instruments and CDs or DVDs, he added. Anyone can have possessions cryogenically treated. Cryogenics International charges by the pound, anywhere from $1 to $9 per pound, depending on the size of the order. It also offers fixed rates for CDs ($2 each), rifle barrels ($45) and many other items. Beresford said the cryogenics industry has been growing steadily since the company was founded in 1986. Still, there are many misperceptions about what cryogenics is all about. "Nine out of 10 people are going to think we're freezing people," he says. "That's cryonics, not cryogenics." 2002 American City Business Journals Inc. --- Robin HL Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=20086