Specializing in Carpal Tunnel & Chronic Muscle Pain

Snyder Massage & Bodywork, LLC

Paraffin Candle Health Cautions

(The following was reported by ABMP, October/November 2004 article)

 

"The American Lung Association and the Environmental Illness Society of Canada both in recent years issued warnings that candles are among the most common unrecognized culprits of poor indoor air quality. Paraffin candle soot is similar to that released by diesel fuel, and since 1992 the rate of complaints received rose from two a year to two a week. BSD or "Black Soot Deposition" damages paint, curtains, wallpaper, upholstery, clothing, and the ventilation or H/VAC system, not to mention human skin and lungs. Microscopic soot particles, which penetrate deep into the lungs, are responsible for aggravating respiratory illnesses and pose significantly higher risks in children, who have faster respiration rates."

"Not all candles are toxic. The offending culprits are paraffin, colorants, synthetically scented oils, and lead wicks. The most common fuel used in the candle industry is paraffin, the final refining product extracted after asphalt. This "bottom of the barrel" grayish-black sludge is then decolorized with 100 percent strength bleach, creating toxic dioxins. It's further processed using more carcinogenic chemicals, tinted with synthetic colorants, and artificially scented with chemicals producing chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) -- the gases eroding the ozone layer and contributing to the greenhouse effect.”

 

The Solutions

"Other possible hazards are unsuspecting wicks. A study done by the University of Michigan School of Public Health found that a candle burning with a lead core wick for an hour raises lead poisoning inside a home to unsafe levels. Maryanne McDermott, executive vice president of the National Candle Association (NCA), says that even though U.S. candle makers voluntarily agreed 25 years ago to prohibit lead wicks, some candles -- primarily imports -- sold in the country have lead in them. (To determine if a wick has a lead core, rub a piece of paper on the tip of the wick to see if it leaves a mark.)"

 

"Fortunately safe alternatives do exist. Beeswax is nontoxic, naturally aromatic, and the only fuel that emits beneficial negative ions when burned, thereby removing positively-charged particles of dust, pollen, mold, mildew, and toxic emissions from rugs, paint, and construction materials from the air. But beeswax supplies are limited, making them expensive, a beeswax votive costs about $2, a paraffin votive about 50 cents.

Another renewable, nonpolluting, and moderately priced source of candle fuel is soya wax. High quality paraffin generates considerable soot, while beeswax and soya produces little measurable soot."

 

 

Contact Information

Lisa Snyder

Nationally Certified Massage Therapist

Phone:  763-531-1788

E-mail: SnyderMassage@yahoo.com

 

 

Lisa Snyder, NCTM

Phone:  763-531-1788