[Buddha-l] Can Buddhists quit smoking?

[Alberto Todeschini]

Richard Hayes wrote:

 >Having coped for decades with the unnecessary dukkha resulting from
sitting in Buddhist settings where people routinely burn incense as if
they assumed it to be impossible to practice Buddhism without clouds of
irritating smoke in the air, I admire the courageous good sense involved
in making this proposal. The woman who made the proposal predicted that
it might result in fairly strong emotional reactions. I wonder whether
she is right. So I ask: What reactions does the proposal of a smoke-free
Buddhist practice provoke among the imminently sensible and mindful
denizens of buddha-l? Does it incense you or does it seem sensible to
you?<

I have never bought or used incense in my life and I remember reading 
that incense smoke is more damaging to health than passive cigarette smoke.

A quick search turned up the following:

"Incense and candles release substantial quantities of pollutants that 
may harm health, a detailed new study of air quality in a Roman Catholic 
church suggests." See the rest at 
http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20060819/fob3.asp

See also the following:

  "Incense and Other Sources of Indoor Pollution
Along with candle wicks and certain types of candle wax, and aromatics 
used in fragranced household and aromatherapy products, there are other 
point-sources of pollution in the home that may cause health problems in 
those who are already suffering from neurocognitive, respiratory, 
cardiovascular and immune disorders, as well as put young children, the 
elderly, and pets at risk for health disorders.

Some abstracts of interest from PubMed:

Real-time monitoring of particles, PAH, and CO in an occupied townhouse.
Appl Occup Environ Hyg 2000 Jan;15(1):39-47

Investigations of the proximity effect for pollutants in the indoor 
environment.
Expo Anal Environ Epidemiol 1999 Nov-Dec;9(6):602-21

Effects of indoor environmental factors on respiratory health of 
children in a subtropical climate.
Environ Res 1997 Oct;75(1):49-55. Of possible concern to those with pets 
kept in humid rooms (or enclosures in rooms) in which incense is burned 
regularly.

Physical characterization of incense aerosols.
Sci Total Environ 1996 Dec 20;193(2):149-58

Indoor sources of mutagenic aerosol particulate matter: smoking, cooking 
and incense burning.
Mutat Res 1991 Sep;261(1):21-8"

 From from http://www.anapsid.org/cnd/mcs/candles.html

Best wishes,

Alberto Todeschini