Burning Incense May Increase Risk of Respiratory Tract Cancer

Posted: August 26, 2008

Long-term use of incense increases the risk of developing cancers of the respiratory tract, according to a new study. The new analysis, which the authors say is the first prospective investigation of incense and cancer risk, appears in the October 1, 2008 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.

Incense is an integral part of daily life in large parts of Asia. Researchers have shown that burning incense, which is made of plant materials mixed with oils, produces a mixture of possible carcinogens, including polyaromatic hydrocarbons, carbonyls and benzene.

Because incense smoke is inhaled, a number of studies have looked at the possible link between incense burning and lung cancer, but results have been inconsistent. In addition, the possible association of incense use and other respiratory tract cancers has not been analyzed.

To investigate this, Dr. Jeppe Friborg of the Statens Serum Institut in Copenhagen, Denmark and colleagues in Singapore and the United States studied the associations between exposure to incense and the whole spectrum of respiratory tract cancers in a large population in Singapore.

The study involved 61,320 Singapore Chinese who were free of cancer and aged 45-74 years in 1993-1998. At that time, they completed a comprehensive interview on living conditions and dietary and lifestyle factors. The investigators followed these individuals through 2005, noting which participants developed cancer during that time.