www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Churches Dangerous to Your Health?

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=573&e=7&u=/nm/health_churches_dc

An interesting study done in Holland that says candles and incense may pose a danger to health. Don

I saw that. In older churches in our humid area, mold and mildew drive us allergy sufferers nuts. Of course, there have been crazies in charge of the censer who have driven several of us out into the vestibule, but we won't talk about that.

I used to get dizzy from the incense when I was pregnant. Had to sit through the service instead of standing.

Tammy

It would be interesting to know what kind of candles and incense they used in the "simulated mass ceremony" to which they refer. I can tell the difference between paraffin and beeswax candles in a closed space, the smell is very different one from the other. Paraffin is petroleum based as I understand it.

Amen; anyone interested in starting a campaign to outlaw petroleum-based candles? At the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in DC there is a shrine to Our Lady of Lourdes that is full of [petro] vigil lights; it smells like an oil refinery and I am sure it is bad for one's health. Beeswax, on the contrary, burns with a sweet floral smell and I find it hard to believe that it would harm you.
Does anyone know anything about the composition of modern incenses?
-Daniel

I don't know what's in incense, but the cheaper ones smoke badly. I understand that some incense is also synthetic, which may account for part of the problem. One of the churches in the area uses what is called a "smokeless" incense. There is a fragrance, but not the overpowering smoke that tears at your throat and eyes.

The smoke never bothered me; in fact as a young server in the Latin Mass I used to love carrying the censor; standing still at funerals with the smoke clouding around me was great!

I love the use of incense in worship and have liked it ever since I was first exposed to it.

I also enjoyed my visit to the local Coptic Orthodox Church, because if any of you have ever visited a Coptic Orthodox Church then you know that they definitely are not stingy with the incense. The church was so filled with the smoke of the incense you could barely see the ceiling - it was GREAT!!!!

In Christ,
Aaron

I, of course, have noticed that all the priests and monks have died young of lung diseases... :rolleyes:

Not to mention the fact that one never sees pious great-grandmothers in churches, becuase, of course, no one can live that long going to church... :p

Gaudior, who thinks this another smokescreen

I love the smell of incense, but the smoke doesn't agree with those of us who have allergies. After I leave Divine Liturgy my throat and eyes actually hurt. I have even gone into the vestibule during Liturgy to get away from it - and been joined by others doing the same. Some have told me that it would be less of a problem if we bought a better grade of incense.

But Gaudior- while I appreciate your humor, don't you think that synthetic candles and incenses might not be harmful to your health?
Think of it: the beeswax candle is composed of beeswax, gathered by God's little bees from flowers, aside from Woman His most beautiful creation. When burnt, the beeswax candle smells like honey, reminiscent of the fields of summer.
The parrafin candle, on the other hand, has its roots in the bowels of the earth, in the general vicinity of what our ancestors would have called "Hell".It is formed from dead, rotted matter, unlike the wax candle, formed from living beings at the peak of their existence. When burnt, the odor of the petro candle is reminiscent more of the New Jersey turnpike than of the sweet summer...
Daniel, who has a preference for the natural,[as opposed to the artificial]

Um, yeah Daniel...you might want to get some professional help.

I personally like playing in graveyards while smoking cigarettes. :rolleyes:

LOL

Logos Teen

Yes, that actually could be part of, or the whole problem.

In some cases it really is worth it to spring the extra dough to buy the upgraded and better thing and this applies to incense as well.

Have you brought this matter to the attention of your priest?

In Christ,
Aaron

Hey Garrett- Did I mention that if we served at funerals we also got out of school?
Furthermore, in the old Latin Rite, funerals were somber rituals, with the priests wearing black vestments and the most solemn chants and the long tolling of the bells...
Okay, maybe it was a pre-Goth thing, but I always appreciated the solemnity, so unlike modern funerals, with the chatty eulogies and upbeat, premature canonizations of the dearly departed...
-Daniel, not really so morbid

I may be the only one intereted in this, but Iconophile suggestions about the difference between beeswax and paraffin candles got me curious.

Paraffin
http://www.candlewic.com/candle-wax/wax-overview.asp

Beeswax
http://www.herbdatanz.com/beeswax_picture_monograph.htm
Paraffin is mostly hydrocarbons; beeswax (a secretion of the bees) is mostly an ester with only ~10% hydrocarbon. With smaller, volatile compounds, the hydrocarbons would smell like gasoline, while esters often have strong and sometimes pleasing fragrance. But the main compounds in the waxes are heavy, and the fragrance or smell probably comes from trace compounds or, when burning, from products of partial combustion.

The flame temperatures are about the same. So different composition would the key factor, and could have a big impact on particulates, free radicals, and aromatic compounds. I would guess that the synthetic product would burn cleaner. And while the levels might exceed workplace standards, the exposure is not prolonged, in contrast to workplace or home exposure. It is probably substantially less risky than an occasional cigar.