Going to Church may be Hazardous to your Health
Chatting on a local Bayonne Bulletin Board, Joe C. and I were discussing the pros and cons of wax candles when he sadly reflected upon the removal of wax candles years ago in Bayonne churches and the switch to electronic ones. He hasn't lit a prayer candle since the change. "Its stupid. What's spiritual about turning on a light bulb?" he opined.
Sorry, Joe, the churches did the right thing. Half a decade ago Church air was found to be considerably higher in cancer-causing chemicals than the air on roads travelled by 45,000 vehicles daily. In addition, soot levels were up to 20 times the European limits (1).
As I wrote in my article There is nothing more insidious than candles, candle usage has exploded in the past two decades, especially the more dangerous candles, the ones with coloring and fragrances. Aside from the hundreds of millions of dollars in property damage each year, incidents of asthma and other respiratory ailments are increasing every year. There are now more than 22 million Americans with Asthma and rising quickly especially among children [WebMD]. Since fewer Americans are smoking I attribute the rise to the fact that 70% of American households use candles with the majority burning candles one to three times weekly.
Just as the danger of asbestos wasn't discovered until decades later, it might be another decade or so until we find that candle users are inflicting irreparable harm upon their children. Sad really.
ENDNOTES
(1):
BBC, 20 Nov 2004, Church air is 'threat to health'
Air inside churches may be a bigger health risk than that beside major roads, research suggests.
Church air was found to be considerably higher in carcinogenic polycyclic hydrocarbons than air beside roads travelled by 45,000 vehicles daily.
It also had levels of tiny solid pollutants (PM10s) up to 20 times the European limits.
The study, by Maastricht University, The Netherlands, is published in the European Respiratory Journal.
...
The Dutch team set out to examine the air quality in churches, as they are often poorly ventilated, with candles burning all day, and frequent use of incense. Both could, in principle, be expected to have some harmful effects.
Simulated service
The researchers analysed the particulate matter concentration found in the air of a small chapel and a large basilica in Maastricht following lengthy use of candles or a simulated service in which incense was burned.
Fine particulate matter is a major ingredient in air pollution. Consisting of solid particles with a diameter of 10 microns or less, it contains different types of toxic chemicals, including soot, metals and various carcinogenic molecules.
The particles can penetrate very deep into the lungs and trigger various lung and heart conditions.
The researchers found that, after nine hours of candle-burning, the church air had PM10 levels of 600 to 1000 micrograms per cubic metre - more than four times higher than before the start of the first morning mass.
This represents 12 to 20 times the European allowed average concentration over 24 hours.
The study also found very high concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, also known to be carcinogenic.
New free radicals
It also uncovered various types of free radicals, including some previously undocumented ones.
Free radicals are highly reactive molecules that damage lung tissue and can trigger or exacerbate inflammatory reactions, including those connected with major respiratory conditions such as asthma and chronic bronchitis.
