In many Taiwanese homes, offerings of incense to gods and ancestors are part of ordinary life. Some may even light incense twice a day. Doctors warn that without proper ventilation, this practice can have serious consequences for the health.
A 50-year-old woman with no history of smoking or respiratory disease may not seem like the most obvious candidate for a lung obstruction.
But recently, a Kaohsiung woman matching this exact description was taken to a hospital with just this problem. Doctors were puzzled. Until they went to her house.
There, they found elevated levels of pm2.5, microscopic particulate matter in the air. The source or all these microscopic particles? Incense. Like many in Taiwan, this woman made regular religious offerings of incense in her home.
A simple test with a meter suffices to show just how dangerous this can be without proper ventilation. Concentrations of particulate matter can reach levels that the government says are unhealthy for all people.
Doctors say that those accustomed to offering incense to gods and ancestors should cut down on the amount they use, and at the very least, make sure that doors and windows are open whenever incense is burning indoors.