Talk:Paraffin
From Academic Kids
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Is parafin digestible?
(question asked by anon user at Wikipedia:Reference desk)
Is the wax they sell for canning and for adding to some candy recipies digestible or is it like fiber in that it just passes?
- As long as it's food-grade paraffin wax, it's edible but not digestable. Which means it passes right through the body without being broken down. As long as you don't eat too much or swallow a large lump of it (might cause a blockage), it's safe to eat. As you say, it is used in some candies to make them look shiny. (Eating too much of it might cause olestra-like distress, though...) Note: non-food grade paraffin wax can contain oils and other impurities which may be toxic or harmful, so it should not be eaten. -- DrBob
- Actually, I asked myself the same question. In The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, somebody is caught in a cave and eats all candles he can find by feeling around. It seems that couldn't really help him... Or maybe 19th century candles contained something digestible? -- dnjansen 18:25, 24 Mar 2004 (UTC)
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Manufacture
The article should explain more about where we get paraffin. I'm guessing it's the very high-molecular-weight fraction of crude petroleum, but I don't know; maybe it's made by reducing lower-molecular-weight hydrocarbons? Somebody who knows ... please add this info to the article.
ACW 02:39, 7 Nov 2004 (UTC)
