How safe are candles?
I’m not sure if it’s the cold weather or the holiday season, but I am totally into candles right now. Give me a peppermint vanilla or an evergreen sent and I want to light it, curl up with a warm drink and cuddle on the couch. But now that I follow a lot of the blogs, sites, etc. on clean living I’ve heard that traditional candles are not good for us. So I decided to do a little research on why wax candles aren’t safe and what some healthier options are. And what I found is a little scary – as in some say that the chemicals put off may be as dangerous as second-hand smoke. WHAT?!? "
In fact, “’Candles are fast becoming one of the most common unrecognized causes of poor indoor air quality,’" says Diane Walsh Astry, Executive Director of the Health House Project, an American Lung Association education project in St. Paul, Minnesota.” Most traditional candles are made from a paraffin wax that sounds innocent enough but when burned cause known carcinogens to be released. See links below for even more scary facts about paraffin candles.
So I bought some soy candles. Great I thought, got rid of the paraffin, I’m good to light the candle and cuddle up. And then I read some more. And dang it all, I learned that soy isn’t great either. The main issue with soy is that 90% of soy is now genetically modified and most contain at least a small percentage of paraffin.
So the bottom line is beeswax for the win…according to EmpoweredSustenance.com: “Beeswax releases negative ions when it burns. Pollen, dust, dirt, pollutants, and any other junk in the air all carry a positive charge, and that is how they can be suspended in the air. The negative ions released from burning beeswax negate the positive charge of air contaminants, and the neutralized ions are sucked back into the burning candle or fall to the ground. Many air purifiers and water filters harness this effective negative ion technology.” But check the label. Since the U.S. standards on labels are weak at best, make sure if you are paying the extra for 100% Beeswax. Make sure they are 100% cotton wick with no added fragrances. And then sit back, light the candle and enjoy the holiday season!
Here’s a link to come more information from one of my favorite bloggers. https://wellnessmama.com/22656/dont-use-scented-candles/
And more information here:
http://www.anapsid.org/cnd/mcs/candles.html
I just switched out most of my candles with pure Beeswax and am loving them!
ReplyDelete