Incense Sticks Could Add Fuel to Cancer!
Scientists have declared, after a twelve year long research, that burning incense sticks in places with poor ventilation could increase the risk of cancer. Research has it, that the smoke from burning incense contains certain chemicals that can cause cancer.
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) are chemicals present in incense smoke. Experts opine that these chemicals can contribute to the growing chances of cancer. According to scientists, the presence of these carcinogenic chemicals, could cause lung, throat and mouth cancers.
Apart from these PAHs, these burning sticks give out chemicals such as carbonyls and benzene which could affect the DNA in the human cells.
In the research, air samples were collected from temples and roads by the team of China-based scientists. It has been found that smoke from burning incense sticks could create more pollution than that on a local road intersection. In fact, the incense smoke in a poorly ventilated room could be even more risky.
Benzopyrene, a PAH which is believed to cause lung cancer in smokers, was also found in these temples, by the researchers, in high quantity. The presence of this chemical was found to be up to 45 times higher than what is in a smoker’s house.
The team also interviewed middle-aged Chinese people in Singapore and found that the people who burn incense sticks regularly were more vulnerable to some types of cancer of lungs and upper respiratory tract.
Researchers believe that the smoke of incense could potentially increase the risk of cancer but the degree of its seriousness is not certain.