Agarbatti (incense sticks) can cause cancer
Think before you burn the agarbatti (incense sticks) as it may put the health of all at home at risk for cancer. The incense smoke contains certain particles that are more toxic than those found in cigarettes, warns a new study.
‘Clearly, there needs to be greater awareness and management of the health risks associated with burning incense in indoor environments,’ said the lead researcher.
Studies on animals have shown that incense smoke could potentially change genetic material such as DNA, and therefore cause mutations. It was also more cytotoxic and genotoxic than the cigarette used in the study .
This means that incense smoke is potentially more toxic to a cell, and especially to its genetic contents, the researchers noted.
Mutagenics, genotoxins and cytotoxins have all been linked to the development of cancers.
The incense smoke samples contained 64 compounds, some of which are irritants or are only slightly harmful (hypotoxic); while others are known to be highly toxic.
Written by: Dr. Ajay Sati.
