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Loading...Are Your Holiday Candles Toxic?
- Moms Clean Air Force
- December 20, 2012
- 1:05 pm
- 39 comments
Last weekend I spent a few hours holiday shopping, visiting both boutiques and big box stores. Every shop that I visited smelled more delicious than the next. Scents of lavender, vanilla, cinnamon and spice hit me like a ton of bricks as I walked through each doorway. Unlit candles were strategically placed throughout almost every store emitting scents intending to remind us ‘tis the season to shop.
Ever since I can remember, candles have been peppered throughout my living space providing me, and anyone who visits, with familiar and delightful scents. Since having children, my lighted candle craving has toned down a bit. Fire and children don’t mix well. However, candles continue to provide everyday enjoyment and represent the universal symbol of the holiday season for many of us.
For this reason retail shops tend to ramp up their candle inventory during the holiday season offering candles in varying scents, colors, shapes and sizes. Approximately 35% of candle sales occur during the holiday season.
Unfortunately, not all candles are created equal. According to a study presented at the American Chemical Society, candles can be responsible for adding nasty pollutants to your indoor air. It’s hard to imagine that something as small and simple as a candle can actually be a culprit in indoor air pollution, but it’s true.
Toxic chemicals
Most of the candles on the market are made with paraffin wax, derived from petroleum, and scented with synthetic fragrances, also derived from petroleum. In the study by the American Chemical Society, researchers found that the petroleum-based candles emitted varying levels of cancer-causing toluene and benzene, as well as other hydrocarbon chemicals called alkanes and alkenes, which are components of gasoline and can irritate respiratory tracts and trigger asthma. Not something you want to breathe in. The levels of these toxic chemicals can build up in a closed room without much ventilation.
Soot
Soot is the solid particle that results from incomplete combustion of carbon containing fuels, primarily petroleum-based fuels. Candles are known to produce soot and this microscopic airborne pollution can lodge itself deep in the lungs. An Environmental Protection Agency report on candles and indoor air quality found that one type of candle could emit 100 times more soot than another. Scented candles were more likely to produce soot than unscented.
Soot exposure can harm all of us, but soot specifically harms babies, as it can cause premature birth and low birth weight.
What you can do
- If a candle begins to smoke, place the candle in water. Keep in mind longer wicks and higher flames may produce soot.
- Make sure the room is properly ventilated when lighting candles.
- Look for candles made from soybean, palm, hemp, or beeswax. These aren’t petroleum-based and most likely won’t emit the same toxic chemicals as a paraffin wax candle.
TELL THE EPA TO SET STRONGER LIMITS ON SOOT POLLUTION
Read more: Christmas, Conscious Consumer, Green, Hanukkah, Health, Home, asthma, cancer, pollution, toxics
Moms Clean Air Force
Moms Clean Air Forceis a community of moms, dads and others fighting for clean air and the health of future generations. Follow them on Twitter @ MomsCAF.
Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may
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people are talking
Thank you.
Thanks for the info.
oranges, walnuts and tea sound great (are walnuts nuts that grow on the wall? ;) )
I wouldn't add sweetener to the pineapple. in the summer I love water melon and ginger - very refr…
Those pictures are stunning. Thank you.
39 comments
+ add your ownLe deuxième maillot NBA le plus populaire est Kobe Bryant. C'est un peu surprenant. Alors qu'il pourrait encore être le meilleur joueur dans le jeu, il est sur la queue de sa carrière, ce qui conduit généralement à la baisse des ventes de jersey. Un autre facteur important est que Kobe ne s'attaque pas à la jante plus. Il s'agit plus d'un jeu de tir de saut, qui la foule plus jeune ne pense pas que c'est cool.
http://www.maillotdefoot2014.org
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noted
love candles, have transitioned to soy
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I make my candles myself, so the answer is no. It's easy to make them
Try not to buy candles containing palm oil, although most won't tell you. Ikea are big sellers of palm oil candles and refuse to change, although they are a fairly ethical company n other ways. Protect the rainforest please, say no to palm oil and other mono crops planted in decimated rainforest
What a shame ....
I agree candles are maybe toxic because of their ingrediends, but there are too much kinds of air freshners and cleaning products all of them with toxicity. So, reading the content signs is a good way to know what we buy to protect ourselfs.
Love candles, don't burn them as much these days.
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