What are the effects of burning incense?
Incense burning emits smoke containing particulate matter, gas products and other organic compounds and causes air pollution, airway disease and health problems. When incense smoke pollutants are inhaled, they cause airway dysfunction.
Is burning incense unhealthy?
Some studies have found that burning incense indoors increases the levels of chemicals called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which have been linked to cancer. This makes sense – burning any sort of organic material, whether tobacco leaves, coal or an incense stick – produces PAHs.
How does incense affect you?
According to the EPA, exposure to the particulate matter present in incense smoke has been linked to asthma, lung inflammation and even cancer. In fact, long-term exposure to incense smoke was found to be related to an increased risk for upper respiratory cancers as well as squamous cell lung cancer.
What are the benefits of burning incense?
Benefits of Burning Incense
- Increase calm and focus. …
- Reduce stress and anxiety. …
- Aid sleep. …
- Complement a yoga or meditation practice. …
- Stimulate creativity. …
- Purify your space. …
- The simple pleasure of enjoying a lovely scent.
Is burning incense worse than smoking?
Another study found inhalation of incense could be more cancerous than smoking a cigarette. This study was performed only on animal cells in vitro, however. Many toxic and irritant compounds were detected in the smoke alongside its aromatic compounds, meaning that it could create other health effects, too.
How much incense should I burn a day?
If you have a larger space now, perhaps a house then two or three sticks daily should be enough but if you're running a large studio perhaps a yoga studio then you'll need to burn 4 or 5 sticks to keep the room submerged in the essence of incense.
Can incense affect breathing?
Particulate matter in incense smoke not only contains carcinogens but also irritants. This means it could lead to a number of respiratory diseases, such as asthma. One study evaluated over 3,000 schoolchildren for asthma, symptoms of asthma, and burning incense.
How often should you burn incense?
If you're burning incense sticks daily then we recommend burning the same scent for a week then letting the air clear for two to three days before changing the scent. This will reduce the chance of two incompatible scents mixing. To burn an incense stick all you need is an incense holder and theincense stick.