By Stephen Beech via SWNS
Incense can pose health risks for people with asthma or allergies, warns new research.
Doctors in the United States found that an 87-year-old woman’s previously unexplained shortness of breath was down to the fragrant fumes from daily incense burning.
The patient had a history of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
When doctors advised her to use electric incense devices instead, her symptoms improved.
Incense – in the form of coils, cones, powders or sticks – is widely used in religious and cultural practices.
But researchers say that incense can give off 4.5 times more particulate matter than cigarettes.
Study author Gomeo Lam, of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (ACAAI), said: “Our patient was an 87-year-old woman with a history of asthma and COPD, on oxygen therapy, who presented with unexplained shortness of breath.
“A detailed history revealed daily incense burning.
“We recommended she stop burning incense, which the patient did not want to do as burning joss stick incense daily allowed her to express homage and veneration for ancestors.
“We then advised she use electric incense devices, which resulted in improvement of her symptoms.”
Researchers say that burning incense can pose health risks – including headaches, respiratory dysfunction, dermatologic sensitivity and allergic reactions.
Incense fumes contain carbon, sulfur, nitrogen oxides as well as formaldehyde, and other polycyclic aromatic volatile compounds which are carcinogenic.
Doctors say that, per gram burned, particulate matter generated from incense is 45 mg compared to 10 mg from cigarettes.
Study senior author Dr. Mary Lee-Wong, an allergist and ACAAI member, said: “People who burn incense may not realize that family members, including children, who are exposed to second-hand smoke, face health consequences.”
She added: “Similar to tobacco smoke, third-hand incense smoke may linger in furniture, clothing, and other articles, dissipating for months afterward.”
The research team say that, besides health implications, incense burning contributes to air pollution and can also be a fire hazard.
They recommend that when counseling patients who burn incense, health practitioners consider the sacred significance of incense burning, but also recognize that health risks from the practice cannot be overlooked.
After screening patients for incense use, they say doctors can recommend replacement with electric or aromatic vapors; simulated visuals; improved ventilation; and limiting burn time as ways to mitigate harm and improve symptoms.
The findings, published by the journal Annals of Allergy Asthma & Immunology, are due to be presented at the ACAAI annual meeting in Boston, Massachusetts, next month.
