Tom Buck on tue 20 apr 99
Carol Seidman asks about wax vapours from an electric kiln firing. Well,
CS, if you were to make a habit of this, it could be a hazard to health of
people in the house.
Wax (paraffin, petroleum micro-crystalline wax) is mostly strings
of CH2 units (1,-2,000 of them) and when heated to decomposition point,
given enough oxygen, they will combust to CO2 and H2O. But in an electric
kiln there usually is insufficient oxygen to burn all of the wax vapors.
So some of the CH2 clumps will break apart and change into some other
molecular forms when cooling occurs outside the kiln.
Unfortunately, some of the new molecules could be benzene or one
of its look-alikes, and these substances are known to induce cancer when
inhaled repeatedly. While it is difficult to predict this happening with
certainity, its occurrence is probable, enough to make me advise all
waxers to avoid the use of paraffin (molten or diluted with hydrocarbon)
in confined spaces. The emulsion type wax resist is better because much
less hydrocarbon/carbohydrate is laid down on the pot when it is waxed,
and so most of it burns within the kiln, especially a vented one.
til later. Tom.
Tom Buck ) tel: 905-389-2339
& snailmail: 373 East 43rd St. Hamilton ON L8T 3E1 Canada
(westend Lake Ontario, province of Ontario, Canada).
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