Could Incense Burned in Church Give You Cancer?

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incense

I am a Ukrainian Catholic altar server and I deal with the kadylo(censer) every Divine Liturgy & the incense doesnt bother me at all! So how can that bother me and cause cancer? I dont sneeze or cough or have and respiratory problems. I load a heaping spoonful of incense on the charcoal for each incensation! ESPECIALLY FOR A SPECIAL HOLY DAY OF OBLIGATION!!!! I PERSONALLY THINKS GOD HEARS MY PRAYERS A LOT FASTER

ADAM KACSUR of PA @ Sep 17, 2009 18:03:34 PM

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DRohErKsCaGLxCjVWl of @ Aug 10, 2009 10:42:01 AM

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.

MidwestIowa of IA @ Nov 05, 2008 18:18:01 PM

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!

Mark of NM @ Oct 20, 2008 11:55:52 AM

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!

Mark of CA @ Oct 20, 2008 11:54:55 AM

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

Ryan of PA @ Sep 18, 2008 03:35:22 AM

just living in big cities, can give you cancer, inhaling all the every day pollution,from the air, and the stress of the enviornment of every day living

harriett nelson of MS @ Aug 27, 2008 10:06:28 AM

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.

HC Ong @ Aug 25, 2008 23:00:50 PM

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.

edwards of AZ @ Aug 25, 2008 22:42:43 PM

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?

u gotta be kdding of IL @ Aug 25, 2008 22:08:02 PM

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This blog is the public workshop of U.S. News writer and editor Ben Harder. In articles published in the magazine, he has covered a range of sciences, including medicine, human behavior, prehistory, and evolution. Here, he can explore those and other scientific fields more fully and more informally than is possible in print. He'll share whatever seems noteworthy or potentially useful, and he invites readers to do the same.

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On Feb. 24, 2008, Ben discussed the link between artificial light and cancer on WTOP radio. Listen to the interview at WTOP News. He again talked about light pollution on WTOP on March 22, exploring its environmental effects.

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