One Mosquito coil equals 100 Cigarettes

 
Smoke emitted from one mosquito repellant coil is equivalent to those of 100 cigarettes, thus causing harm to a large number of people. Not many people know about it, but the damage done to your health, especially lungs by one mosquito coil is equivalent to the damage done by 100 cigarettes. This was according to a recent study conducted in Malaysia.

This is a fact that everyone needs to be aware of. As the picture shows, the story is from an article published in Times of India. The article talks about the impact of using mosquito coils on health, especially in India where it is widely used.

The article is quoted by the director of Chest Research Foundation, Mr. Sandeep Salvi, who spoke at the conference 'Air Pollution and Our Health', which was organized by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) along with the Indian Council for Medical Research and the Indian Medical Association. He talks about a recent Malaysian study which insists that the damage done to lungs by one mosquito coil is equivalent to the damage done by 100 cigarettes. He further adds that while using mosquito coils, people are completely unaware of healthy risks of indoor air pollution like this.

Burning mosquito coils indoors is a common way to control mosquitoes effectively in homes, and are widely used in countries of Asia, Africa, and South America. However, the smoke that is emitted by these mosquito coils may contain pollutants that can of be serious health concern. Studies that tested this smoke have found significant amounts of volatile organic compounds in it, including carcinogens (cancer causing chemicals). Burning one mosquito coil released the same amount of particulate matter as burning 75-137 cigarettes would emit. The amount of formaldehyde (an irritating carcinogen that effects many processes inside body) emission from one mosquito coil was as high as that emitted when 51 cigarettes are burnt. You can find the complete details of the research in the reference section.
Therefore, it is quite evident that mosquito coil smoke poses both acute and chronic health risks, in the short and long term usage. So, one should avoid usage of these. Instead, to avoid and kill mosquitoes indoors, one should maintain hygienic atmosphere in and around home place and use natural and safe mosquito killers whenever necessary. Read the reference section for dealing with mosquitoes effectively.