Smell of burning incense may serve as a great scent but its regular or frequent inhalation of the smoke can pose a danger to the people with respiratory tract cancer, according to a report by the researchers. In a test conducted on the Chinese who have been living in Singapore for around 12 years, the study reveals a common relation between different respiratory cancer cases and heavy incense usage.
Incense is being used since time immemorial in different spiritual and religious ceremonies. In Asia also, it has been found that people normally burn this incense inside their houses and this similar practice is becoming increasingly popular in the Western countries also. This harmful scent-link incense is basically derived from the fragrant plants such as the resins, necessary oils, roots, flowers and tree bark. Earlier researches have also revealed that burning these items can actually produce various cancer-related substances like polyaromatic hydrocarbons and benzene.
But no studies till now have related this act of burning incense to cancer risks over time as per the researchers that were led by Dr. Jeppe T. Friborg of Statens Serum Institute, Copenhagen. For the study, they followed about 61,320 Chinese between the age groups of 45 to 75. All the subjects faced no cancer risks at the beginning of the study. Participants later reported their incense usage as to how many times they burned incense in their homes and for what duration.
In the subsequent 12 years, about 325 people developed cancer of the respiratory tract like throat, oral or nasal while other 821 men and women developed risks of lung cancer. Those who utilized this incense on a very high scale developed a cancer known as the “Squamous cell carcinoma” that basically refers to the tumors which take place in the cells that line the internal as well as external body surfaces. This risk was also found in smokers as well as the non-smokers. In Singapore, researchers have noted that most people perform the act of burning incense coils or sticks that smolder slowly.
