Incense may cause cancer

Reuters (and a lot of others) report on a study that suggests that "regularly inhaling the smoke could put people at risk of cancers of the respiratory tract." The findings are published in the medical journal Cancer for October 1, 2008 (not online yet).

The study examined incense use by 61,320 Singapore Chinese men and women for 12 years. Subjects reported on their incense use and the researchers followed their health.

The researchers found that incense use was associated with a statistically significant higher risk of cancers of the upper respiratory tract, with the exception of nasopharyngeal cancer. However, they observed no overall effect on lung cancer risk.

Without looking at the original study, it's hard to tell what the relationship might be with natural ingredients or species of the incense ingredients. It seems likely that it is the smoke particles that are the carcinogenic ingredient. If that is the case, the type of incense and the source may be irrelevant. However, the researchers note that further studies are needed to determine if these are factors.

A slightly different article was found  in HealthDay.

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