Tip 62: Not All Candles are Created Equal

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Healthy Child

Monday, November 27, 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 Staci on 09/10/2010 at 12:17 PM

Having a hard time finding Certified Organic Candle Wax or pure beeswax candles tarts? Anyone have any recommendations?

Posted by Organic Beeswax Candles on 06/26/2009 at 05:31 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 01/31/2007 at 02:45 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.

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