The health risks of incense use in the home: an underestimated source of indoor air pollution?

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ABSTRACT

The health impact of indoor air pollution is a growing area of interest for public health professionals. People typically spend up to 90 per cent of their time indoors, particularly women, young children and elders. Although the adverse health effects of second-hand tobacco smoke are well recognised, the impact of burning incense in the home has received little attention in Western literature. Incense burning in the home is common in a number of cultures (particularly Asian, North African or Arabic). Many health visitors (HVs) work with communities who use incense regularly for religious/cultural reasons and it is a neglected area of study and research. The literature suggests that home incense use can have significant adverse health effects, particularly on cardiopulmonary morbidity and mortality. Further research is needed to identify which individuals are most susceptible, which types of incense are most harmful, and whether any actions can be taken to minimise exposure.

KEYWORDS

Incense, indoor air pollution, asthma, particulate matter, children

INTRODUCTION

Clean air is a basic requirement of life and hazardous substances produced from human activities indoors, such as tobacco smoking, cooking or burning incense, can lead to a broad range of health problems (WHO, 2010). It is estimated that people spend up to 90 per cent of their time indoors, particularly young children, women and elders (Al-Rawas et al, 2009.) This makes indoor air pollution an important issue for public health workers.

Children's vulnerability to tobacco smoke in the home has been well documented, and the UK government continues to promote rigorous measures to protect children from second-hand smoke (NICE, 2013). Burning incense in the home is common among many cultures, but the health effects have received little attention in Western literature. Many UK families burn incense regularly for religious or cultural reasons, particularly those from Asian, North African or Arabic backgrounds. A number of studies link incense burning to a variety of health conditions, ranging from cardiopulmonary problems, headaches, forgetfulness and allergies, to neoplasms (Huang et al, 2014; Al-Rawas, 2009).

This paper explores the practice of incense burning in the UK among ethnic minority communities, the chemical composition of the smoke and its potential effects on human health. It focuses on the health visitor's role in promoting health and reducing health...