India, Sept. 24 -- Incense sticks, or agarbattis, are a staple in Indian households - no puja or festival feels complete without their fragrance filling the air. With Navratri season here, it's common to see homes lit up with diyas and infused with the scent of agarbattis in every corner as families perform rituals to honour the Goddess. But what's less known is that the very smoke considered so sacred in spiritual practices may be silently harming our health.

Dr. Sonia Goel, a pulmonologist specialising in asthma, tuberculosis, sleep apnea, and COPD, is starting a conversation around the harmful effects of inhaling agarbatti smoke every day. In an Instagram video posted on August 3, the lung specialist outlines the various risks associa...