It really shouldn’t be a surprise that soy candles
are becoming extremely popular all over the world. For hundreds of years candles
have been used to provide light, decorate rooms and provide relaxation, stress
relief and even romance. More recently in history the addition of fragrance
has added even more advantages to the burning of candles. Today candles are
available in a wide variety of shapes sizes and seemingly an infinite variety
of fragrances.
More recently people have become more interested
in making sure that the things we put in our homes are not only safe for our
families but also for the environment. According to the American Lung Association
- "slow burning, scented, paraffin candles cause lead poisoning and using slow
burning paraffin candles cause poor indoor air quality, and a serious health
concern." The ALA also states that the carcinogens produced by paraffin candles
are equal to the damage cause by second hand smoke from tobacco smokers.
Common paraffin wax candles are produced from
petroleum distillation and release lampblack (soot) and 11 other known toxins
including formaldehyde, benzene, toluene, acetone, naphthalene and acetaldehyde
are released into the air. When burned these chemicals go into the air in your
home where they can be inhaled. These toxins are known to damage the lungs and
potentially lead to emphysema. According to the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA), some of the chemicals found in paraffin candles are not only toxic, but
are carcinogenic (cancer-causing) and neurotoxic (does damage to the nervous
system). For more information regarding soy wax and the hazards of paraffin,
see http://www.soywaxcandleinfo.org
Another potential hazard from common candles
is the wick itself. Some wicks have a metal core that when melted releases heavy
metals like lead and zinc into the air. The EPA is moving to ban this type of
wick. For more information from the EPA see their website
http://www.EPA.gov The EPA also has a report on Indoor Air Pollution which
includes a discussion about the dangers of paraffin candles and metal core wicks
at:
http://www.epa.gov/appcdwww/iemb/sources.htm
Obviously you do not inhale all of the toxins
that paraffin candles produce. The rest settles on your home interiors, slowly
damaging them. The small particles of black soot drop to the floor, walls, windows
and furniture leaving what is sometimes called “ghosting”. Over time, it combines
with humidity and grease in the air to create a film of grime that eats way
at fabrics damages glass.