Is Incense Smoke Bad for You?

Yes. Burning incense indoors releases particulate matter and gases such as carbon monoxide, nitric oxide and sulfur dioxide into the air. How much you're exposed to depends on the type of incense, how much you burn, how long you burn it, and how well the room is ventilated. 

Burning incense occasionally with good airflow carries far less risk than daily use in a closed room. An air purifier with both a particle filter and a carbon filter addresses both the particulate matter and the gases that incense produces.

Key Takeaways

• Burning incense indoors releases particulate matter and gases including carbon monoxide, nitric oxide and sulfur dioxide, which can push indoor air past EPA air quality standards

• The risk depends on how much you burn, how often, what type, and how well ventilated the room is

• A 2008 cohort study found an association between long-term incense exposure and an increased risk of certain upper respiratory cancers and squamous cell lung cancer, though this is an association, not a demonstrated cause

• Incense and cigarette smoke share certain carcinogen classes, but the one study comparing their toxicity used only four incense sticks and one cigarette, too small a sample to draw broad conclusions

• Children, unborn babies, and people with existing heart or lung conditions are most vulnerable to the pollutants in incense smoke

• Opening windows, burning less, and avoiding charcoal briquettes are the most effective ways to reduce your exposure

• An air purifier with both a particle filter and a carbon filter reduces airborne particulate matter and gases from incense smoke, but no purifier eliminates incense smoke completely

Risks of Incense Smoke: At a Glance 

How is incense burned?

Incense is traditionally created with plant materials, such as different types of wood, herbs and resins, as well as essential oils.

Incense may be direct burning, which typically comes in the form of incense sticks or cones, or indirect burning. Indirect burning incense can be powdered or it may come in the form of a paste or collection of raw materials. This type of incense is burned by putting it on top of a combustible surface, such as lighted coals or glowing embers.

When you burn anything (tobacco, incense, firewood or even food) you are facilitating a process called combustion. In the case of burning incense, combustion is a chemical reaction between the fuel source (incense) and oxygen that results in a gaseous product (smoke).

Can incense smoke contain toxic pollutants?

When incense is burned inside, the smoke created during this process can be a major source of indoor pollutants as it produces harmful gas and particulate matter (Cheng, Bechtold & Hung, 1995). In fact, many types of incense smoke have been found to contain certain classes of carcinogen also found in cigarette smoke (Friborg et al., 2008).

The exact type of pollutants released into the air depends on the chemicals present in the incense being burned. However, a study a 2002 study that tested 23 different types of incense found that the concentrations of carbon monoxide (CO), nitric oxide (NO) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) gases found in incense smoke may be high enough to adversely affect your health (Jetter, et. al, 2002).

That same study found that incense smoke emits high quantities of fine particulate matter that could cause the air inside your home to exceed the US EPA’s National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). These standards were created by the EPA as a part of the Clean Air Act to protect against air pollutants deemed harmful to public health and to the environment.

Because incense is usually burned in enclosed spaces with little ventilation, the particulate matter may accumulate in your home over time. If you regularly burn incense, you may be exposed to more harmful indoor air pollutants than you think.

Is incense smoke bad for your lungs?

Yes, in excess it can be bad for your lungs. 

We know that burning incense can add high levels of particulate matter to the air in your home, but why is that particulate matter so bad for your health? These particles and chemical compounds are dangerous because they are small enough to inhale. They can travel deep into your respiratory tract, including your lungs, and even make it into your bloodstream.

According to the EPA, exposure to the particulate matter present in incense smoke has been linked to asthma, lung inflammation and even cancer. In fact, one prospective cohort study, published in 2008, found an association between long-term incense exposure and an increased risk of certain upper respiratory cancers as well as squamous cell lung cancer. That is an association rather than a demonstrated cause, and it comes from a single cohort.

Additionally, the levels of carbon monoxide, formaldehyde and nitrous oxide found in incense smoke can cause inflammation in lung cells, signaling asthma and other respiratory problems (Cohen, et. al, 2013). 

Children and unborn babies are especially susceptible to the effects of carbon monoxide and other pollutants in the air because their bodies are still growing and developing. Carbon monoxide may also cause adverse reactions in people with existing heart conditions.

Is incense smoke as bad as tobacco smoke?

While we cannot positively conclude that incense smoke is worse for your health than cigarette smoke, we do know that it can be a source of high levels of indoor air pollutants. This is especially true when incense is burned in small, enclosed spaces in which the particulate matter released in the smoke can accumulate over time, similar to the way that cigarette smoke can accumulate in the household of a habitual smoker.

A 2015 study found that incense smoke and tobacco smoke may have more similarities than you may think. The two types of smoke were found to have similar toxicities and produce similar mutagenic reactions in cells exposed to the smoke (Zhou, et. al, 2015). Under certain conditions, the incense smoke was even found to be toxic at lower concentrations than the cigarette smoke. 

However, it is important to note a few things while interpreting these findings:

• When you burn incense, you are not exposing your respiratory tract to the same concentration of smoke as when you smoke a cigarette. This may play a role in how the different types of smoke affect your lung cells.

• Only four incense sticks and one cigarette were tested in this study. This sample size is too small to be able to apply the findings to incense and cigarette smoke as a whole.

• The study’s lead researcher worked for a tobacco company. When looking at scientific studies, it’s always important to note any potential sources of bias.

For more on how dangerous incense smoke is when compared to tobacco smoke, read this article from the UK National Health Service

Note: Your pets breathe the same air that you do, so any pollutants released by incense smoke can affect both human and animal members of your household.

What are some alternatives to burning incense?

If you use incense to make your home smell nicer, there are a variety of ways to achieve the same effect. The first step is to take extra care with keeping your house clean. Search for and eliminate any sources of bad odors. When you are not trying to mask a bad smell, it does not take as much effort to make your house smell good.

After that, consider using fragrant plants, essential oils or dried flower potpourri to give your home a fresher scent without adding harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to the air that you breathe. However, you should consider avoiding aerosol air freshener sprays. Some indoor air fresheners can contain high levels of VOCs that can increase indoor air pollution and cause a variety of health effects.

Are there ways to reduce the indoor air pollution caused by burning incense?

For some people, incense plays an important role in religious beliefs and practices. Avoiding incense altogether may not be an option. Here are some steps that you can take to help protect yourself from the side effects of habitual incense smoke inhalation:

• Increase your ventilation: Consider opening windows and doors to improve the airflow in the room in which you are burning incense.

• Burn less, and burn it more efficiently: Not all incense produces the same amount of smoke. Switching to smokeless or low-smoke incense reduces the particulate matter released, since less material is being combusted. If you burn resin incense, avoid doing so on a charcoal briquette where possible. Burning charcoal is itself a combustion source and adds carbon monoxide and extra particulate matter on top of the resin’s own smoke (Cohen, et. al, 2013). There isn’t good evidence that "natural" or plant-based ingredients alone make incense smoke less harmful; how much you burn and how you burn it matter more than the ingredient list.

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  Keep your incense in one room: Avoid regular incense use in high-traffic areas of your house, especially if any members of your household have existing lung conditions. Having a specific area that is used for incense burning and little else may help decrease your exposure to the air pollutants present in incense smoke.

If you cannot avoid burning incense regularly, using an indoor air purifier for smoke may be another way to reduce the amount of pollutants that accumulate in your home. However, no air purifier can completely eliminate smoke or the particulate matter found in incense smoke. For the fuller explanation, see how air purifiers handle smoke particles.

How Air Purifiers Help With Incense Smoke

If you cannot avoid burning incense regularly, an indoor air purifier for smoke can reduce how much of it you end up breathing.

• Reduces fine particulate matter: Particle filtration pulls smoke particles out of the air before they settle or reach your lungs. This is the part a purifier handles best.

• Absorbs odors and gaseous compounds: A carbon filter adsorbs the volatile compounds that carry the smell. Molekule's PECO technology breaks down the organic volatile compounds at the molecular level rather than holding them on the filter.

• Does not capture carbon monoxide: Incense smoke contains CO, and no filter removes it. This is one reason ventilation matters even with a purifier running.

• Works best when running during burning: A purifier cleans air as it passes through, so run it while incense is burning and for a while afterward rather than switching it on once the room has already filled with smoke.

• Reduces airborne particles but does not stop the source: Burning less incense and doing so in a ventilated room still does most of the work. A purifier reduces what is already in the air.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is incense smoke bad for your health?

Yes, burning incense indoors releases particulate matter and gases including carbon monoxide, nitric oxide and sulfur dioxide, which can push indoor air past EPA air quality standards.

Is incense smoke as bad as cigarette smoke?

Not proven. The one study comparing the two used only four incense sticks and one cigarette, which is too small a sample to draw broad conclusions, and its lead researcher worked for a tobacco company.

Is incense smoke bad for your lungs?

Yes, in excess. The particles and gases in incense smoke can travel deep into your respiratory tract and bloodstream, and a 2008 cohort study found an association between long-term incense exposure and an increased risk of certain upper respiratory cancers.

Does ventilation help with incense smoke?

Yes. Opening windows and doors reduces how much particulate matter accumulates indoors, and good airflow is one of the most effective ways to lower your exposure.

Can an air purifier help with incense smoke?

Partially. A purifier with a particle filter reduces fine particulate matter and a carbon filter addresses odor and volatile compounds, but no purifier eliminates incense smoke completely or captures carbon monoxide.

Is incense smoke dangerous for pets?

Yes. Pets breathe the same air you do, so any pollutants released by incense smoke affect them too, particularly animals with smaller respiratory systems.

How can you reduce the health risks of burning incense?

Open windows, burn less and less often, avoid charcoal briquettes, keep incense to one room, and run an air purifier with both particle and carbon filtration during and after burning.