Long-term use of incense linked to cancer risk

Long-term use of incense linked to cancer risk

www.cancerfacts.com

SINGAPORE – Aug. 25, 2008 – Long-term use of incense may pose an increased risk of a type of lung cancer affecting cells that line the respiratory tract, a first of its kind study shows.

Led by Dr. Jeppe Friborg of the Statens Serum Institut in Copenhagen, Denmark researchers in Singapore and the U.S. studied the associations between exposure to incense and the whole spectrum of respiratory tract cancers in 61,320 Singapore Chinese ages 45 to 74.

"To our knowledge, the current study is the first prospective study to address the use of incense and cancer risk," the authors wrote, "and the results indicate an association between long-term incense use and the development of squamous cell carcinomas of the respiratory tract."

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That loud groan you just heard was made by millions of old hippies who used to take delight in bragging about how the cigarette smokers were giving themselves cancer while they were just "atune with nature" enjoying the nug champa & cannibis aromas emanating from their old VW microbuses.

Seriously though, I wonder if this will end up gaining momentum and lead to incense bans in public places one day? I'd imagine the Catholic church, among others, would be quite active in fighting against such legislation.

www.cancerfacts.com
(visit the link for the full news article)