natural, organic, cast, iron, Health, Industries, equipment, kitchen, accessories, containers, textiles, storage, wooden, dish, knives, tea, coffee, filter, mug, cup, utensil, graters, mortar, ceramic, logic, clean, sponge, brush, chopsticks, bowls, plate, glass, stemware, pitchers, recycled, bottle, jar, shakers, bath, soap, body, balm, wool, hat, mitten, sock, glove, bag, fragrance, incense, hippie, candle, beeswax, votive, scissor, baskets, posters, kid, toy, pet, catnip, pest, soil, compost, fertilizer, mycorrhiza, maxicrop, metanatural, juice, living, soil, pottery, black, gold, windbell, bird, bath, bird, feeder, furniture, hammock, iron, pesticide, mosquito, trap, watering, tool, can, shovel, rake, hoe, down, earth, distributor, eugene, oregon, dte

Petroleum-based Candles

Q) What type of wax is generally used in candles?

Paraffin is the predominant wax used in the candle industry. Paraffin is basically the "bottom of the barrel" even after asphalt is extracted. Paraffin is the final byproduct in the petroleum refining chain.

Q) When did paraffin candles first appear on the market?

About 120 years ago, candles began to be mass-produced for commercial use.

Q) What makes paraffin candles hazardous to our health?

David Krause, an air quality engineer and former employee of the Florida Department of Health, says that the soot given off from the burning of paraffin candles is the same as that given off by burning diesel fuel. Some of the air contaminants in paraffin fumes include toluene, benzene, methyl ethylketone (MEK), and naphthalene-substances found in paint, lacquer and varnish removers.

The Evironmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined that benzene and toluene are probable human carcinogens.

The state of California, under its Proposition 65 Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, has identified at least seven major toxins in paraffin wax including the carcinogen benzene.

Q) Are the candle wicks also toxic?

About 30 percent of the candles on the market have lead core wicks. Lead and zinc are metals commonly used in the core of the wicks. The metal makes the wicks stand up straight making candle manufacturing easier.

The University of Michigan recently conducted a study which showed that one-third of the candles tested from the United States and overseas released more lead into the air than is recommended as safe by the EPA. The study also showed the amounts of lead in the air increased the longer the candles burned.

Q) Didn't the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) know about the wicks as early as the 1970's?

Yes. In the early 1970's, the notice was made regarding the lead wicks and the candle industry said they would voluntarily stop using lead or other metals in the wicks. However, 26 years later the University of Michigan took random samples and found about 30 percent of candles tested still used the lead wicks.

Q) How do the fumes from burning paraffin affect us?

At this point medical information is inadequate. There is definitely a need for thorough medical studies to determine exactly the short-term and long-term effects of inhaling paraffin fumes.

Dr. Andrew Weil has made statements on his web page about paraffin fumes causing tumors in the kidneys and livers of lab animals. He does not, however, cite his sources.

Q) Are there safer materials for candles?

During colonial times limited use was made of Bayberry wax. The way substance was scraped of the Bayberry bush, a plant that grows in New England. However, this is not practical in modern times because it is such a rare and difficult-to-aquire material. Beeswax is also used on a very limited basis. It's an excellent, clean-burning wax but the problem is that it costs about nine times more than paraffin.

Vegetable materials such as soybean and palm are natural choices that burn clean. The information we have been acquiring has revealed that soybean wax burns the cleanest of all waxes and longer than paraffin.

By Vicki L. Elmore, Reprinted from Healthy and Natural Journal.

Down to Earth natural products for the home and garden