Burning Incense Releases Cancer-Causing Chemicals

http://drbenkim.com/burning-incense-cancer.html

Burning Incense Releases Cancer-Causing Chemicals


By Dr. Ben Kim on January 24, 2007 Health Warnings

News articles on newscientist.com and *********** indicate that burning incense can expose people to dangerous levels of cancer-causing chemicals.

Both articles are based on a study that was published in a September, 2001 issue of the Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology.

Researchers collected air samples from inside and outside of a temple in Taiwan, and found that the air inside the temple was highly concentrated with a group of cancer-causing chemicals called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).

One PAH called benzopyrene, which is linked to lung cancer in smokers, was found to be 45 times more concentrated in the temple than in homes where people smoked cigarettes.

The researchers also looked at total suspended particles (TSPs), a measurement that reflects the total weight of small and potentially harmful airborne pollutants that all of us are exposed to on an ongoing basis. They found that TSPs inside the temple was three times higher than it was at a local traffic intersection, and 11 times higher than just outside the temple. Put another way, they found that a steady volume of incense burning can create more harmful air pollution than that found at a typical traffic intersection.

Although the concentration of PAHs found in the temple in this study is almost certainly higher than it would be in a typical residence, this study serves as a good reminder about the potential dangers of burning incense and other scented products like candles in areas that are not well ventilated.

This study also serves as a good reminder to allow fresh air to circulate throughout one's living space. In the summer, windows should be kept open whenever possible. In the winter, if various factors make it difficult to keep one's windows open just a crack, it can be beneficial to one's health to simply open a few windows for a minute or two each day to allow some fresh air to enter the residence. All of this assumes that one's neighborhood is relatively pollution-free; if the residence in question is in a heavily polluted area, it may be best to look at investing in a high quality indoor air purifier.

Original study published in: Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology (vol 67, p 332)

 

wtf? everything causes cancer nowadays...so why worry??

 

all smoke is cancer-causing. no big surprise there

 

Life causes cancer.

I say... bring it on.

 

fookin' aye right

 

I read that while I burned em. Like previously mentioned, it seems everything causes cancer....

 

I agree, I love incense. Im not gonna stop burning it

 

I have never heard somethin more ridiculous. hgaha

 

Agreed 100%! I'm not going to stop using incense, cell phones, microwaves, ice cream...because there's a chance it could cause cancer. All technology, animal products, and walks in the city have been "known to cause" issues, but fuck it, I want to live happy while I'm here! At least I can die knowing I lived a full life!

 

i'll contemplate this article while i go inhale THC and damage my lungs with smoke from burning dried marijuana.

however not to be entirely sarcastic, thank you for your concern pressed rat.

 

All you whos like, who cares if i get cancer, probably will regret when they DO have cancer.. yeah.. *smokes a cig*

 

I've known this for years...I don't like incense anyways

"bring on cancer" is just the type of retarded statement I would expect in this particular forum

 

Come on man its just incense.. Why couldnt you have said like "good call its marlboro time" or somethin

 

Uhhum... or "Lets go walk around New York City".

Lots of cancer in the air these days.

Yep, yep.

Sure, no one wants cancer, but if it hits ya, it hits ya with a bang... and ya deal with it... yes yes.

 

walking around new york city is a hell of a lot cooler than lighting incense

 

what makes it so ridiculous?


and granted, ltos of things give you cancer, but that doesn't mean you should welcome cancer
how retarded can you be?
people stop smoking - a horrible addiction - for their health
and you won't do something as simple as stop burning incense?
and you don't even have to stop, the article just says to make sure you are in a well ventilated area, what's so hard abour that?

you idiots deserve cancer....

 

Anybody who lives long enough will eventually get cancer. Little insignificant diseases have morphed and mutated over the years. We've mutated...cancer's in our blood now. Bodies deteriorate, bodies get sick...we're all fleshy and stuff.

So..the people on here who aren't worried about it aren't idiots and they don't deserve cancer. They're just saying that its ridiculous to stop living life just because of the inevitable. Seriously, I know people who've smoked their whole lives and don't have cancer...but the person who's lived healthily is terminal.

Shit happens, yeah? Just because a certain factor may contribute to it doesn't mean we should avoid it. I'm not going to live in a plastic bubble.

 

In the nicest possible way...

Fuck you

 

Aaaggghhhhh, you just made my day. Seriously, the entire day...made.