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Tip 62: Not All Candles are Created Equal
Healthy Child
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Posted by Anca Novacovici, President, Eco-Coach, Inc.
Candles can be a great way to help you relax or bring warmth to a room. However, candles are also one of the overlooked causes of poor indoor air quality and can especially affect your children’s health. Many candles have metal core wicks that are made of either pure lead or lead-containing alloys.
Though the US Consumer Product Safety Commission asked candle manufacturers to replace lead wicks with zinc, compliance is voluntary and imported candles are not checked; in addition, commercial-grade zinc and zinc alloys used in wicks contain lead.
Aside from the wick, the candle wax can also be a respiratory irritant. Wax can be made of petroleum paraffin, which emits toluene, benzene, formaldehyde and soot when burned (these are carcinogens, neurotoxins, and reproductive toxins).
Though soybean candle wax has been replacing many paraffin candles, soy waxes are made from conventionally grown soybeans, which are genetically modified and non-organic.
To ensure that the candles you buy are also good for your health, keep these guidelines in mind:
- Select candles with cotton wicks
- Buy Certified Organic Candle Wax candles or pure beeswax candles
- Choose organic candles with natural fragrances
- If you are not sure what type of candle you are buying:
- Avoid soft or gel candles, select hard wax candles
- Buy unscented candles
- Choose wicks that are thin or braided; steer clear of thick or wire-core wicks
- Buy tapered and votive candles; avoid candles in glass jars or ceramic containers
- Test candles you already own: separate the strands from the wick to see if there is a metallic core; if so, rub the core on white paper -- if it leaves a gray mark, then the core is probably lead.
Posted by Organic Beeswax Candles on 06/26 at 07:31 AM
I love to use organic candles…the ambiance makes me relax of my tired days. Thanks for sharing ideas, we will come back often.
Posted by Richard Roth on 01/31 at 04:45 AM
Finding candle wax made from organic soybean oil proved impossible for us. That is why we decided that we would have to buy certified organic oil and manufacture our own wax from it. It took us three years to get it right, but we feel it was worth the effort. We hope more candle makers will follow our lead.