How can herbal incense kill you

The toxic pesticide which one inhales can trigger several health issues like asthma, bronchitis, reactive airways disease and other respiratory ailments. Yes, it is quite scary. A large cluster of these illegal incense sticks brands and manufacturers are based in these locations. The authorities when raid such institutions, the culprits dodge the law and mushroom someplace else, continuing with their dirty business.

The consumers should avoid or stop purchasing such illegal and unapproved, toxic mosquito repellent agarbattis for driving mosquitoes out. Industry bodies like Home Insect Control Association HICA , a non-profit making industry body promoting safe use of household insecticides,is waging war and supporting government against these illegal incense sticks manufacturers.

HICA is actively involved in consumer education and carrying out actions. It has recently unveiled a public interest campaign with an awareness film across India so that people shun or avoid buying cheap or illegal mosquito repellent incense sticks non-complaint to regulations. Jayant Deshpande, Secretary and Director, Home Insecticide Control Association HICA , said, "There is a need to create awareness amongst consumers about unregulated illegal mosquito repellent incense sticks in the market.

Products from unscrupulous players do not go through the regulated manufacturing processes and basic checks on safety parameters of skin, eye and respiratory system which are mandated for all home insecticide products.

All illegal mosquito repellent incense sticks flout norms and are not tested on the aforementioned parameters. K2 is an herbal mixture product that offers the same high as marijuana.

March 1, — — The sale of K2, a once-legal but potentially dangerous form of synthetic marijuana, is now banned nationwide. It is often likened to other cathinones such as MDVP. Black Mamba is a street drug which is Legal in much of the world.

It is an artificial cannabinoid. It can cause some very serious side effects, including mental health problems, psychosis and sometimes a deep zombie-like state which takes a long time to recover from. It has also been known to cause death. Long-term exposure to incense fumes was associated with an increased risk for most upper respiratory cancers, as well as squamous cell lung cancer, the study shows.

Squamous cell lung cancer is most common type of lung cancer in smokers. The groups did not differ in language and attention measures. Table 3 shows the results of the linear regression models. Functional connectivity of the DMN of the non-users and users are shown in Fig. Incense users had significantly decreased connectivity in the precuneus, medial frontal gyrus, left angular and right middle temporal gyrus Fig. Table 2 shows the numerical group comparison of the averaged functional connectivity values in the brain regions with significant group differences.

Two-sample t-test was used to evaluate the group differences. Compared to non-users, self-report incense users showed significantly decreased connectivity in the Precuneus, Medial Frontal Gyrus, left Angular and right Middle Temporal Gyrus. Interaction between incense burning with vascular risk factors and structural neuroimaging measures on MoCA Total score at baseline.

This study shows that regular indoor incense burning is associated with poorer performance across multiple cognitive domains over 3 years. However, indoor incense burning was not associated with a more rapid decline in cognitive functions as measured by the MoCA Total score. Furthermore, although participants who practised indoor incense burning did not have more structural brain changes in terms of SVD lesions measured as WMH or lacune or MTLA, which is an imaging biomarker for AD, a subtle impact of incense burning upon the brain was evident on the level of functional connectivity of the DMN.

The DMN is active at rest and during introspective, self-referential processing. The proper switching between the DMN and active brain networks is responsible for a variety of cognitive processes and its dysregulation is associated with a number of neurological and psychiatric conditions including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder 30 , autism spectrum disorder 31 , schizophrenia 32 , mild cognitive impairment 33 , AD as well as the progression of mild cognitive impairment into dementia This study suggests that indoor incense burning induces functional changes in the brain that may reduce cognitive resilience through functional connectivity alternation and thereby increases vulnerability for future cognitive decline, a hypothesis to be tested in future longitudinal studies.

Moreover, although incense users did not have a higher frequency of DM, hyperlipidemia or WMH, incense burning appeared to interact with these vascular diseases to predispose poor cognitive functioning, highlighting the potential role of incense burning as a risk factor for VCI. Given the high prevalence of vascular burden among older adults, indoor incense burning should be practised with caution in this vulnerable population. The precise mechanisms underlying the relationships between indoor incense burning with cognitive and brain changes need further investigations.

Previous studies have reported that a wide range of air pollutants including ultrafine particles, PM, and volatile organic compounds produced from incense burning are detrimental to the vascular health Studies have demonstrated the capacity of incense smoke to induce oxidative stress and inflammation 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , which may lead to significantly reduced vascular nitric oxide levels and increased levels of endothelin-1 and inflammatory mediators, such as granulocyte-macrophage-colony stimulating factor.

The unregulated levels of these mediators would destruct the vascular vasodilation and constriction 40 , 41 , thereby promoting vascular dysfunction. It was suggested the water-soluble factions in particulate matter such as the transition metals with redox potential can also accelerate the process in membrane lipid peroxidation, which trigger endothelial cell mutations Moreover, the greater surface-to-mass ratio of ultrafine particles and PM can further increase the contacts with cells and enhance the damages, which may eventually lead to hemorrhagic events in blood vessels To our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate the adverse effects of indoor household incense burning upon cognitive functions and brain health.

The strengths of this study include a relatively large and well-defined community sample with a combination of cognitive, structural and functional imaging data and longitudinal follow-up. Also, the influence of regionally measured levels of a variety of outdoor air pollutants was taken into account as an important confounder.

This study has a number of limitations. First, as incense use habit was evaluated from self-report, its accuracy might have been subjected to reporting bias. Second, although the common practise is to burn incense one to three times a day, each time using one to three incense sticks, details of incense use habits and home environment pertinent to the amount of exposure, such as the frequency of incense burning, the type and number of incense sticks used, indoor airflow variables, the specific location at home where the incense was burned and concomitant sources of indoor air pollutions, were not recorded.

Third, past exposure to incense smoke was not assessed. However, it is safe to assume that these older participants have practised incense burning as religious rituals for many decades. Fourth, without real-time indoor air quality monitoring, the contributory roles of the various pollutants contained in incense smoke upon cognitive and neuroimaging outcomes could not be measured precisely. Last but not least, detailed neuropsychology and neuroimaging were not repeated at longitudinal follow up.

Despite these limitations, this study has identified indoor incense burning as a novel and easily modifiable risk factor for adverse cognitive and brain health. Indoor incense burning may be detrimental to cognitive and brain health in community older adults.

The present findings have potentially far-reaching public health implications for cultures with widespread home use of incense as worshipping rituals across cultures with a combined population size of 3. Such implications are particularly relevant for older adults given the potential links between indoor incense burning and VCI.

Results of this study call for safer practise of indoor incense burning, for example, by avoiding burning incense indoor or using safer incense alternatives. The dataset analysed during the current study is available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. Lin, T. Incense smoke: clinical, structural and molecular effects on airway disease. Mannix, R. Physical characterization of incense aerosols. Wang, I. Glutathione S-transferase, incense burning and asthma in children.

Pan, A. Health Perspect. Al-Rawas, O. Home exposure to Arabian incense bakhour and asthma symptoms in children: a community survey in two regions in Oman. BMC Pulm. Chen, H. Weuve, J. Exposure to particulate air pollution and cognitive decline in older women. Ailshire, J. Fine particulate matter air pollution and cognitive function among U.

B Psychol. Article PubMed Google Scholar. Calderon-Garciduenas, L. Exposure to severe urban air pollution influences cognitive outcomes, brain volume and systemic inflammation in clinically healthy children. Brain Cogn. Air pollution, cognitive deficits and brain abnormalities: a pilot study with children and dogs. Synthetic marijuana is also far more potent, containing THC analogs or synthetic cannabinoids that can be up to times more potent than THC found in marijuana.

Often, additives, toxic impurities, and other types of drugs are also found in fake weed products. If you regularly use synthetic cannabinoids, you can also become both physically and psychologically dependent. This means if you stop abruptly, you'll likely experience withdrawal symptoms.

Since the chemical composition of fake weed is unknown and can change from batch to batch, tolerance, dependence, and withdrawal may also vary. How long synthetic cannabinoids stay in your system depends on several factors, including the type, how it is administered i.

Since these synthetic drugs don't trigger a positive result on most standard urine drug tests, many people turn to these drugs in an attempt to avoid positive drug screens for employment, rehab, or legal reasons.

Long-term, regular use of synthetic cannabinoids can lead to addiction. If you have a history of mental illness or a substance use disorder, the risk of addiction is even greater. In addition to building up a tolerance and experiencing symptoms of withdrawal, other signs of synthetic cannabinoid addiction can include:. Symptoms of synthetic weed withdrawal can range from mild to severe, depending on how frequent and how long you have been using, and include the following:. If you suspect that someone you love is using synthetic marijuana, the most important thing you can do is spend time with them, communicate the dangers of fake weed, and watch for any signs of use.

While behavioral therapies and medications have yet to be specifically tested for the treatment of synthetic cannabinoid addiction, a healthcare professional can work with you and your loved one to safely detox from the drug as well as identify and treat any co-occurring mental illness. For more mental health resources, see our National Helpline Database. Learn the best ways to manage stress and negativity in your life. National Institutes of Health. Updated February US Senate.

Statement of Joseph T. September Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Synthetic cannabinoids: what are they? What are their effects? Updated April US Drug Enforcement Agency. Drugs of abuse. June Impaired driving associated with the synthetic cannabinoid 5f-Adb. J Forensic Sci Criminol.

Zawilska JB, Wojcieszak J. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol. Psychoyos D, Vinod KY. Marijuana, Spice 'herbal high', and early neural development: Implications for rescheduling and legalization. Drug Test Anal. Hadland SE, Levy S.