ACTSNYC@CS.COM on sat 3 mar 01
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> Date: Fri, 2 Mar 2001 19:08:10 EST
> From: Don Goodrich
> Reply-To: Ceramic Arts Discussion List
> To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
> Subject: wax fumes
>
> Tom Buck said:
> >...Monona Rossol has given
>
SNIP
> So my question is, is beeswax significantly different in terms of
> molecular structure or fume exposure hazard? <
The source of the wax really doesn't matter much. The problem with beeswax
is that it starts to emit hazardous decomposition products at lower
temperatures than some of the other waxes. But they all do it.
The reason is these are all organic chemicals (based on carbon). They all
break down with heat to release toxic stuff whose composition it is difficult
to predict. The composition of the emissions will be influenced by the
temperature and the amount of oxygen present at the moment of decomposition.
Some of the best data is now coming out of the candlemaking studies. I am on
the ASTM F15 committee that sets standards for candles. I am watching this
data with extreme interest. There is data coming out on both the great
variety of chemicals released when various candle waxes are burned and also
on the stuff released when the candle wax is kept molten for dipping.
The first real data that I saw in this later area came from a very famous
tourist area in which there is a big craft shop where people can dip their
own candles. Of course, it smelled like perfume and seemed very safe. But
air sampling showed both paraffin fume and acrolein were well over the OSHA
permissible exposure limits. Paraffin fume is tiny little inert respirable
particles of recondensed paraffin and acrolein is a highly toxic gas with a
TLV of 0.1ppm. Clearly there were flocks of other stuff in that air as well,
but these were all we sampled for.
> Since I'm a beekeeper, I get
> all the wax I want. No, I don't waste it all by waxing feet and burning it
in my
> kiln, but I do use the lower -quality scraps for that. Obviously, avoiding
> any smoke exposure is ideal, but have there been studies of carcinogenicity
> of various kinds? <
No matter what organic chemical you burn, some of the decomposition products
will be those associated with cancer. We even see benzene in tiny amounts in
the decomp products. But that's the same problem with the wood smoke from
the fire place, with coal tar, cigarette tar, or tar and smoke from any
other plant whose decomposition products you might want to inhale.
Monona Rossol
ACTS
181 Thompson St., #23
NYC NY 10012-2586 212/777-0062
ACTSNYC@cs.com
answering:
Don Goodrich in Zion, Illinois where the glacier in the driveway might
> finally melt this weekend!
> goodrichdn@aol.com
> http://members.aol.com/goodrichdn/
>
> ____
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