Toxic Incense In Religious Ceremonies

[Toxic Reverend]

(Is nothing Sacred ? Please forward and post - TR)

Excerpt from the attached fwd;

temple workers may face health risks from exposure to
incense.
https://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/...ws-roundup-76/

From the above link

Guardian (UK): A two-year study of temple workers in
Bangladesh suggests that exposure to joss sticks, a type of
incense often used in Buddhist worship, might have health risks
similar to cigarette-smoke exposure (via Enviroblog).

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https://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jul/30/health
Guardian (UK):
A two-year study of temple workers in
Bangladesh suggests that exposure to joss sticks, a type of
incense often used in Buddhist worship, might have health risks
similar to cigarette-smoke exposure

VIA
https://www.enviroblog.org/2008/08/i...for-cancer.htm
Enviroblog).

______________

Copy / paste from the https://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jul/30/health
Guardian (UK) link:


Burning joss sticks 'as deadly as traffic fumes or cigarette smoke'

# Ian MacKinnon in Bangkok
# guardian.co.uk,
# Wednesday July 30 2008 12:51 BST
Guardian UK https://www.guardian.co.uk/


Worship is generally not a life-threatening pursuit. But devotees across Asia
could be taking their life into their hands every time they go to a temple to pray,
according to a study by a Thai doctor.

Burning joss sticks lit as an offering in shrines and temples fill the air with
cancer-causing toxins that are every bit as deadly as traffic fumes and
cigarette smoke, says Dr Manoon Leechawengwong.

Dr Manoon, who has just completed a two-year study of temple workers tasked
with clearing the smouldering sticks, found the cocktail of chemicals in the
smoke put them at risk of leukaemia, lung, blood and bladder cancers.

"One joss stick creates the same amount of cancer-causing chemicals at one
cigarette," said Dr Manoon, who led the research. "I knew there would be some
carcinogens, but I was surprised by the levels."

Joss sticks are a type of incense used in worship in many Asian countries. In
Buddhism they are believed to aid spiritual communication and serve as an
offering.

Dr Manoon's study was conducted among 40 workers in three temples at
Ayutthaya, Chachoengsao and Samut Prakan, sites chosen deliberately far
from Bangkok's traffic pollution. The findings were compared with another 25
people living in a joss-stick free environment.

Temple workers were exposed to high levels of benzene, also known as
petroleum ether, related to leukaemia; butadiene involved in blood cancer; and
benzo[a]pyrene that can cause lung, bladder and skin cancers.

The level of benzene in the temple workers was four times higher than normal,
butadiene was 260 times higher, and benzo[a]pyrene - the most dangerous
carcinogen - 63 times greater.

Analysis of the temple workers blood and urine samples discovered damage to
their DNA, with a correspondingly lower capacity of their bodies to repair that
damage.

"We know from our study that there's DNA damage," said Dr Manoon. "But
what we don't know is if they will develop cancer. Certainly they have a greater
risk. It's like smoking. Not all smokers get cancer, it's about 20% ."

But Dr Manoon urges worshippers to reduce the risks by extinguishing the
scented joss stick immediately after use, rather than leaving it standing pots of
sand as it burns down. Manufacturers could also produce sticks that burn for a
minute or less.

"It's not necessary as part of the ritual for these traditional joss sticks to burn
down," he said. "By putting them out after a minute or so the air pollution would
be cut by 30 to 40 times."


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Copy / paste from the
https://www.enviroblog.org/2008/08/i...for-cancer.htm
Enviroblog link:

Praying for an end to cancer?

Most people don’t think of going to a place of religious worship as a time when
they're exposing themselves to the danger. However, it really depends where
you worship.

A recent study by a Thai doctor found that burning insence in shrines and
temples fills the air with cancer-causing toxic chemicals. Dr Manoon
Leechawengwong, who completed the study, found that those chemicals are
as bad as traffic fumes and cigarette smoke.

Joss sticks are a type of incense used in many East Asian countries, often
burned as an offering. It is believed that their smoke carries prayers to the
deceased through its journey upward into the sky.

The two year study of temple workers found that the workers are exposed to a
mix of chemicals from the smoke that put them on risk for numerous diseases,
including several different cancers. The study also found some DNA changes.

One way to reduce the chemical exposure would be to put the sticks out right
after use, instead of letting them burn down completely. This way, the ritual can
be preserved, and the pollution is reduced.

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FYI; I might be taking a road trip for the next ten days or so ...... TR

Copy / paste :>

I am thinking of
volunteering at Sofest and camping there all
week.
So I might be gone for ten days or so. That
depends on if I decide to go to Harbin for a couple
of days, after Solfest.

FYI: Copy / paste from the WACCOObb

Enjoy volunteering, interested in environmental
education, unhappy with the current state of the world,
SolFest is the place for you. We have workshops ranging
from everything from straw bale construction to electric
vehicles to solar panels to the economics of solar. To
volunteer and gain free entrance to the festival's many
attractions, call 707-263-1510 or go to
https://solarliving. org/display. asp?catid=17&pageid=19. or

check out our website at www. solfest. org

End of copy / paste

TR