Burning incense solemnly has long been a tradition in many religious practices, including Zhongyuan Ghost Festival each year by the people of Taiwan. During this festival, which celebrates in general in Taiwan, to prepare and burn incense donations for victims of appeasement of the spirits. This year, however, the Environmental Protection Agency has again warned that these sticks of incense burning in the open air is illegal and is too big fines because of the adverse effects of the smoke of incense in the air.
With the implementation of the EPA, such a ban, it is clear that, like incense burning outdoors is a threat to the environment, incense inside burning is extremely dangerous to human health. While often marketed as a method to promote a sense of peace and air purification, incense, perfumes simple masks emission of large quantities of particles. And because these particles have a single diameter not exceeding two and a half-micron (one micron is one millionth of a meter), they are easy to avoid, filtration and make their way deep into the lungs.
As a result of the inclusion in the respiratory tract, the particles can lead to a variety of adverse health effects such as headaches, fatigue, dizziness, nausea and eye, nose and throat irritation. These symptoms, triggered by pollutants such as smoke of incense, it is often less severe and disappear when the source of contamination is eliminated. But with the continuing exposure studies have shown that inhaling the smoke of incense may cause serious diseases, including asthma, dermatitis and cancer.
Because if serious risk that the practice of burning incense has recently received increasing attention. But while researchers and regulatory groups warn against the dangers, they also know that many continue burning incense, if traditional practices or for personal pleasure. That is why, although Discontinuing the use of incense is highly recommended, researchers provide suggestions for preventing the inhalation of smoke particles, including the breakdown of tubes outside and use negative ion generators.
