Doctors and researchers warned of the danger of incense, because of the resulting gases harmful to human health, noting that burning it increases the sensitivity of the chest, especially in children and the elderly.
They identified four dangerous diseases that contribute to the incidence of incense smoke, including cardiovascular diseases, lung diseases, allergies and oral diseases.
More than 90% of Emirati families use incense to perfume homes and clothing, and 90% of Emiratis are at risk of oral disease, according to a scientific study from the UAE's Healthy Future.
Incense burning is one of the old practices used as part of religious rituals, or for the purposes of perfuming houses and public places. It is also a traditional heritage in the Gulf region, and a key material in the rituals of religious and popular occasions of some nationalities residing in the UAE, which increases its spread locally, and many affected by its damage.
In detail, a scientific study carried out by researchers from New York University Abu Dhabi, within the project "a healthy future for the UAE", showed the association of burning incense with changes in the formation of oral microbes. Researchers at the University confirmed the link between the use of incense and organic changes related to oral microbes, which is a type of symbiotic and symbiotic living organisms found in the oral cavity, and cause several diseases.
The study, which was published and published in scientific journals last week, pointed to the contribution of burning incense to air pollution, and its association with the increased risk of cardiovascular and lung diseases, as smoke from burning incense contains high levels of pollutants, such as carbon monoxide and oxide Nitrogen, also found in tobacco smoke.
The study confirmed that the comparison between the incense users and those who do not use it, found that the incense burned correlated with changes in the diversity, structure and composition of oral microbes, even when exposed to a small proportion of incense. Like people who use it every now and then, because it would have harmful effects on health, is the inability of the body to maintain a stable internal environment, regardless of external circumstances, where imbalance of microbes lead to serious health damage.
Dr. Ragheb Ali, Director of the Center for Public Health Research at New York University Abu Dhabi, said the study is an important first step in understanding how incense affects human health and how it contributes to chronic diseases common to UAE nationals. .
"For the first time, we have shown the connection between the use of incense and changes in the composition of microorganisms in the mouth," said Yvonne Valles, professor of genetics and lead researcher in the study. "Although we are still in the preliminary analysis stage, we have an important result." Many potential effects on health ».
"We hope that the results of the study will help to reach a conclusion confirming the exposure of incense smoke to the changes we have observed, especially since there is a state of low public awareness on this issue, in the absence of policies governing the use of incense, especially in public places."
Smells and hidden diseases
Respiratory disease specialist, Mohamed Mandour, that «the smell of incense and smokers harm children who show signs of chest allergies, or susceptibility to breathing problems, as it adversely affects the child's ability to breathe clean air, free of odor, which is reflected on breathing, It causes difficulty in it, pointing out that «the closure of houses in general pushes the smoke of incense to condense, and may infect the young child congestion false, inflammation, and severe cough». The pediatrician, Dr. Hala Habib, warned of the inhalation of young children, infants and newborns incense heavily, pointing out that this causes many health problems for them. It advised good ventilation when fumigation, and careful not to have children, to avoid any possible harm.
She added: «Despite the smells of incense and smokers, but they cause health damage, as a result of the burning of essential oils and wood, as resulting in harmful gases negatively affect human health».
"Incense and smokers are inherited fragrances used by many mothers to perfume the air," said Habib. "Burning incense and smoke in homes causes air pollution with toxic substances that can cause health problems in the lungs and bronchitis." The damage could even lead to asthma, stressing that "burning incense in the presence of children carries health risks."
Bashar Ahmed, Wael Khalaf, Wafaa Khaled and Marwa Abdullah also warned that most families are unaware of the damages caused by excessive use of incense and smokers in homes, pointing out that "incense is smoke." Despite its beautiful scent, it leads to chest irritation and chronic coughing. "Most children with allergies show that their parents use incense or millet permanently." They said that "incense smoke is an irritant to the bronchial, and patients with asthma or allergies or other chest diseases, especially those with sinuses, to stay completely away from inhalation," warning of the consequences of using incense in indoor, which is not well ventilated. They called for limiting its use to open spaces, so as not to irritate the airways. Bakhour and Dakhoun sellers in Abu Dhabi, Salem Al-Balushi, Nasser Al-Assad, Ali Khudair and Manal Anwar malls said that the most dangerous fumigation issue is in the poor species promoted by some at low prices. Black or brown, impregnated with some synthetic oils, and when used a person feels suffocation or severe cough, indicating that the original components of incense and millet natural. They explained that millet are two types, colored and black, in the form of tablets or powder or liquid bottled. The incense «Oud», is in the form of firewood (raw), perfumed promises, added oil fragrances, in addition to oud evaporated.
300 citizens
The study "Effect of incense burning on health" to determine the composition of oral microbes in more than 300 UAE adults, through the use of a specific gene found in bacteria extracted from mouthwash samples used in the study.
A questionnaire was then conducted to assess the extent to which the participants used incense.
The study showed that 6.6% of UAE households never use incense, 24.1% tend to use it occasionally, 33.7% use it frequently, and 35.6% use it daily. The results of the study revealed a significant increase in the diversity of oral microbes in incense users daily, compared to those who do not use it at all.
A healthy future for the UAE
The UAE's Healthy Future is the first long-term study to examine the causes of chronic lifestyle-related diseases among citizens.It aims to understand and provide scientific evidence of environmental, lifestyle and genetic determinants that cause the most prevalent diseases in the UAE population, such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease.
The total number of UAE National Volunteers in the study was 7000, between the ages of 18 and 40.
The study is being conducted by 28 researchers from a variety of universities and institutions, including New York University Abu Dhabi, New York University, Cleveland Clinic in Abu Dhabi, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Zayed University, United Arab Emirates, Zayed Military Hospital and Sheikh Khalifa Center. Medical, the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company, and the University of the West Indies in Barbados.
6 Precautions
The General Directorate of Civil Defense in the Ministry of Interior broadcast a video
Awareness through the Ministry's social media accounts, finally,
The use of incense in many homes, she said, may have caused fires.
She advised to take six precautions when steaming the house:
- Do not leave incense burning without control.
- Make sure to turn it off before you leave home or go to sleep, and before throwing it in the trash.
- Do not put incense and candles burning near the curtains and clothing.
- Do not put it accessible to children.
- Ensure the use of good quality incense holders.
- Maintain proper ventilation.
90% of Emirati families use incense to perfume homes and clothes.
35% of citizens use incense to perfume their homes daily.