Could Incense Burned in Church Give You Cancer?
Reader Comments
And carb overload with too many communions!
Churches may be a health risk. Wow. And if you live in Singapore, I'm sure the fear of incense-over-exposure is right up there with getting run over in traffic.
I am Orthodox Christian. We use incense routinely, and I serve at the altar and am usually the one in charge of the censer, something I've been doing for the past twenty years
Have I thought about this? You bet! I'm with Tony. I figure I'm putting myself at risk because no matter what else might be found, I am breathing smoke all the time. This smoke may not have all the bad stuff cigarettes have, but it's still smoke. It's a choice I have made. On the other hand, MANY, MANY, MANY Orthodox clergy and monastics live very long lives, so I don't think I am automatically dooming myself to an early grave either. I simply accept it as a risk I take. Who knows what other things I've been exposed to!
I am Orthodox Christian. We use incense routinely, and I serve at the altar and am usually the one in charge of the censer, something I've been doing for the past twenty years
Have I thought about this? You bet! I'm with Tony. I figure I'm putting myself at risk because no matter what else might be found, I am breathing smoke all the time. This smoke may not have all the bad stuff cigarettes have, but it's still smoke. It's a choice I have made. On the other hand, MANY, MANY, MANY Orthodox clergy and monastics live very long lives, so I don't think I am automatically dooming myself to an early grave either. I simply accept it as a risk I take. Who knows what other things I've been exposed to!
Incense in moderation is very healthy for the mind and body. Breathing large amounts of incense smoke all day every day of course is not healthy. Just like drinking a glass of wine every day is healthy but drinking a bottle is not. Healers, spiritual leaders, monks, and many others have been using and advocating the use of incense for thousands of years because they are well aware of all its benefits. The benefits of using incense far outway the small risk of cancer and the cancer risk only applies if you are exposed to large amounts of smoke regularly over a very long period. To see the opposite side of this story and learn more about the many benefits of incense go to http://www.IncenseInformation.com
Common sense is not common
Whatever reasons given for and against incense burning, are all in the mind. No one can escape the fact that the by-products or compounds produced after combustion are harmful and not going to be helpful.Therefore, going by common sense will not stop people from using incense burning,until some happenings.Business wise,someone can make money with a device to remove the smoke.
Insensed
How ironic, if it's true, that incense, used forever as an intrinsic part of a wide range of physical and emotional healing practices, should itself be the cause of deadly disease. Someone should buy www.incensecancer.com and turn it into an information portal for the facts about incense. The new report seems to indicate that exposure in a dorm room, massage parlor or church is not enough to be dangerous, but all the facts should be laid out plainly at such a web site.
incense causes dementia
Did the priest park the incense pot in your lap and make you hold it for an hour? Lit??? Just how often does he do this to you?
Will a $250,000 study keep you happy?
Incense in Church
Read the article: "Exposure to burning incense over long periods of time raises the risk of developing cancers of the upper respiratory tract, a new study shows." Incense is, today, relatively rare in church services. I know of nobody, including clergy, who spend the kind of sustained time in an incense-filled environment to be at risk. Certainly, those with asthma and other respiratory problems should take the same care they would if it were a bad smoggy day in LA.
