Could Incense Burned in Church Give You Cancer?

incence

Oh great, another article that has no big concern. I know there will be people telling people to resist breathing incence. Now it's something to avoid when you can be confused with Aisans breathing it everyday. I never heard of a priest suffering from upper respiratory cancer, just a prostate but that was from infections.

Chris caron of MN @ Aug 25, 2008 20:37:33 PM

common sense

Use your common sense! You are not going to be saved from cancer because you inhale the destructive substance in church! Bunch of dummies! If you hide inder the pew, and smoke heroin, do you think you will be saved 'cause you are in church? Fools, all!

Clippard of HI @ Aug 25, 2008 20:33:39 PM

Incense Burning As A Carcinogen

THIS IS MERELY ANOTHER ATTEMPT BY THE NERVOUS NELLIES WHO WANT TO OUTLAW SMOKING EVEN IN PRIVATE HOMES. USING INCENSE AS A 'POSSIBLE' CAUSE OF RESPIRATORY TRACT ILLNESS, THE NEXT STEP WILL BE TO TAKE ON THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY ONCE AGAIN. #IN THE MEANTIME, WHAT ABOUT THE AIR POLLUTION FROM THE 'CLEAN' ETHANOL PLANTS? WHAT ABOUT CONTAMINATION FROM NUCLEAR PLANTS? WHAT ABOUT OIL REFINERIES? TAKE NOTE THAT THIS POINT WAS BROUGHT UP NOT BY A GOVERNMENT AGENCY BUT BY A PRIVATE PARTY WITH HIS OWN AXE TO GRIND. THE WHOLE COUNTRY IS GOING TO HELL, AND HE'S WORRYING ABOUT A CHURCH BURNING INCENSE??? THIS MAN HAS A PROBLEM.

Lee Larson of MN @ Aug 25, 2008 20:33:03 PM

thinking too much

"too much learning doth make thee mad...

I guess there would have been noticed a real shortage of priests over the centuries eh?

A priest @ Aug 25, 2008 20:30:25 PM

Some people get cancer, but many get it without explanation

We aren't always certain how we get some illnesses like cancer, much less capable of curing them. When we are certain about how someone got cancer, we'll use concrete language when identifying materials and conditions: "Mellow Meditation Incense made by the Tibetan monks at the Orange Sun Monastery in Berkeley, CA contains a sunflower extract that, when its smoke is inhaled, can trigger a wild mutation in lung tissue for people with variant 34 of the 150th gene in chromosome 21. It interferes in the manufacture of the relevant RNA, defeats the redundant encoding for that gene, and causes anything it touches to turn into a specific type of malignant cancer if the wild mutation site is large enough to defeat the body's local defenses. Since a small sample of this incense is encountered by thousands and thousands of lung tissue sites, chances are pretty good after several uses of the product over several years a susceptible customer will encounter a problem."

Mike of WA @ Aug 25, 2008 20:27:59 PM

RE: cancer from incence from church

Come on now that is outrageous! Give you cancer? Find a better topic!

of NM @ Aug 25, 2008 20:10:29 PM

Just another round of prohibition!

I still think prohibition was the Prots way of trying to keep us Catholics from enjoying the blood of Christ. Now the prayers that should be going to heaven are being derailed in the search for ever-lasting life - at least as long as you don't get lung cancer - Oy!

I'm sorry to let you know this, but you WILL die of something anyway. I still can't believe all of the people who "want heaven; nobody want dead!" Steven Seagal fans will appreciate this last one...

Adios,

Tommy

Tommy Jalisco @ Aug 25, 2008 20:07:01 PM

"Life is a certain death trap."

If we overanalyze every health risk, we would never leave our homes. Waking up everyday is a dangerous business. The answer, I believe for you, would be never to attend an orthodox religious ritual. Even if rituals involving incense prove to be a risk to my health, it is a risk I am willing because it is an important part of my cultural background.

Life, at least for me, is not a race for longevity. Whether I die tomorrow at 35, or 50 years from now at 85, it's the quality that matters, not the duration. And, cultural rituals are part of that quality.

If someone truly does have a respiratory illness (like myself) there are plenty of congregations, within the same faith, that do not use the ancient practice of incense-burning. But, I am willing to exacerbate that respiratory illness to preserve my culture.

K.T. of NY @ Aug 25, 2008 20:02:31 PM