Does incense cause health problems

Answer 1

Most incense contains toxic ingredients that are not labelled. In addition, the smoke from the incense ingredients and the burning of any stick that they are attached to, create smoke that is a form of air pollution. This is most noticeable if you have an air purifier in the room; it will become coated with black soot. The best types of incense to use contain natural, non-toxic ingredents only. In this case, the incense purifies and blesses the space in which it is burned, according to Ayurveda. Burning incense is a form of aromatherapy. Incense is burned as an offering and purificatory substance in many world religious tradtions, such as the Roman Catholic Church and Hindu pujas and ceremonies. Good books about incense include The Book of Incense: Enjoying the Traditional Art of Japanese Scents by Kiyoko Morita (1992, Kodansha international) and The Complete Incense Book by Susanne Fischer-Rizzi (1996, Sterling). I sell natural, non-toxic Shoyeido incense in sticks and in coils on my Transcendence Design website. Sherri Silverman, Ph.D. _________________________________ someone else's experience, previously posted: I'm not really sure, but me and my friends burned incense in a tent and i think we got high off it. It was fun but then i couldn't breath the rest of the night cause we didn't vent the tent. So don't burn in an uncirculated room

Answer 2

Occasional low level exposure to incense smoke has not been shown to cause medical problems for most people. Many find that the sweet fragrance coming out of the burning incense relaxes the body and clears the mind. For this reason, it has been customary to light incense in temples, churches and mosques from time immemorial.

For some people, such as those with Asthma, the smoke can be irritating and trigger an attack.

Studies have shown that long term frequent exposure to incense is associated with an increased risk of upper respiratory cancers and so the American Lung Association does consider exposure to incense smoke to be a cancer risk factor.