Dear Sisters,
Today I am giving you a LOT of information. So give yourself some time and get comfortable!
Before you read it all, I will give it to you in a nutshell and then I will follow it with some articles backing up these
statements:
~Burning candles are very danger for 2 reasons:
1.The dangerous possiblity of a home fire caused by unattended candles
burning down and then igniting their own pool of melted wax…or falling over and igniting nearby flammable objects.
2. The danger of inhaling the byproducts of paraffin candles.
Personally, I never even imagined that burning a regular paraffin candle was harmful to your health until my father-in-law, who is a scientist , visiting us at Christmas over 20 years ago, made me blow out the candles I had lit at the table, saying…”Don’t you know how dangerous that is? Open the door so we can get some fresh air in here.”
Now, I am always on the lookout for good beeswax or soywax candles that are much better, healthwise!
OK…..Now you can read some articles on these topics:
(I have given the source of each article so you can look them up yourself on the Internet)
MODERN LIFE
Playing with fire in décor
As decorative candles increase in popularity, so does the incidence of home fires. Industry experts stress safety.
By Bettijane Levine, LA Times Staff Writer
January 25, 2007 (article on page F7)
TO most of us, candles are simply a finishing touch — a bit of wax and a wick to create the kind of mood enhancement that, until recently, electric light could not hope to equal.
But to the candle industry, which sold about $2 billion worth of pillars, votives, tapers, floaters and other candle styles last year, the increased popularity of this ancient item raises safety issues. Consumers, eager to use candles as an integral part of their décor — a kind of jewelry for the home — sometimes forget that they are literally playing with fire.
This year, the big safety issue is the flammability of newly popular candle rings — those plastic garlands of flowers or leaves meant to sit at the base of the candle as a festive touch. New standards are being discussed by candle industry officials and independent safety experts.
Although candles have been around for about 5,000 years, it wasn’t until 2000 that safety standards were formulated in the United States. When sales of decorative candles surged in the mid-1990s, fire safety experts and the candle industry itself noted an accompanying rise in accidental fires resulting in damage, injuries and deaths. Voluntary standards were published in 2000 by ASTM International, a standards development organization.
Fire safety warning labels were suggested for all candles, telling consumers not to leave lighted candles unattended, to burn them away from combustibles, and to keep children and pets away. These might sound like common-sense rules. But most accidents occur because consumers ignore such basics, says Barbara Miller, spokeswoman for the National Candle Assn. in Washington, D.C. An adult leaves the room where a candle is burning, and another family member (often a child) tosses a towel or a T-shirt too close to the flame. Or the candle’s glass container shatters from the heat, and no one notices until too late.
Since 2000, candle design has become even more creative, luring new groups of consumers to their flame. In 2004, more standards were published. These related to the optimum height of the flame (no higher than 3 inches) and stability (candles should not tip over when placed on a 10-degree incline).
And then there’s the issue of what the industry calls “the end of useful life” — a euphemism for a near-dead candle, with little wax left to melt. When that stage is reached, the published standard calls for the wick to self-extinguish. But some candles, even today, don’t have that feature, Miller says.
“We don’t use the phrase ’self-extinguish’ in our talks or literature, because we don’t want consumers to get complacent and think they don’t have to worry about putting out the flame.” They should worry, she says.
None of the above manufacturing safety standards are mandatory, and there’s no enforcement mechanism against candle makers who don’t adhere to the guidelines. Reputable manufacturers test rigorously to make sure their products perform at the highest level, she says. But candles arrive here from around the world, many from places where manufacturers may not know of the guidelines, or simply don’t care.
James Becker, ASTM’s candle subcommittee chairman and president of Candle Solutions, a Kentucky technical consulting company for candle manufacturers, says there’s no way a consumer can know how safe a candle is simply by looking at it. “The proof is in how the candle performs during the burn.”
Miller says to make sure the printed safety warning label is on any candle you buy. “If the manufacturer hasn’t adhered to that primary standard, it’s a good bet they haven’t adhered to any of the other rules, either.”
bettijane.levine@latimes.com
Romantic alternative
Although candles will never disappear, there’s a new crop of simulated candles — portable, battery-powered lights with much of the charm and none of the dangers of the real thing.
Flame-free: Plow & Hearth offers battery-powered candles, four for $39.95; 10 flame-free tea lights for $24.95; and votives and outdoor candles for $2.99 to $24.95. http://www.plowandhearth.com .
High design: Candelas and Candeloos from Vessel — elegant portable, rechargeable candle-like lights in a variety of shapes and colors. Set of two, $49; set of four, $89. http://www.vessel.com .
Beyond the tabletop: Just HomeDecor has a variety of battery-powered candle lanterns and wall sconces. Prices vary. http://www.justhomedecor.com .
— Bettijane Levine
(Note: I went to www.vessel.com and saw how pretty these items were. They are rechargeable pillars of soft glowing light in different colors..very expensive though. You do need electric current coming into your home to use the rechargoing unit. SO…the thing to do is get products that are charged by the sun.
www.sundancesolarcorp.com will get you started on you adventure of learning more about solar alternatives!
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The Dangers of Paraffin - By Davin Nelson
http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Nelson19.html
The candle has long been a thing of peacefulness and relaxation, capable of filling a room with both soft, appealing lighting and the chosen aroma. It is little known, however, that most candles fill the room with something else as well…toxic, carcinogenic smoke and soot. In fact, burning paraffin candles releases many of the same toxins as diesel fuel.
This is not surprising when one considers the process of making paraffin wax. It begins at the bottom of the oil barrel, the worst 5% or so rejected by the gasoline industry. This by-product of crude oil refinement is then mixed with another less-than-enticing substance; industrial strength bleach. This is what gives wax its familiar pleasant whiteness. Now add stearic acid and a few other minor ingredients, and you have the very wax burning in your homes.
Most who become aware of the harmful toxins released by paraffin do not want to expose their families to it anymore, but know little or nothing about alternative waxes. If they know anything at all about other waxes, it is probably that most, such as beeswax, are quite expensive by comparison. There is, however, another alternative which is both non-toxic and inexpensive; Soywax.
A soywax candle is entirely non-toxic and non-carcinogenic. Anyone who has burned one has probably already noticed this in one way – the absence of black soot on the inside of the candle-holder. When it is considered that this soot is the same substance being breathed when paraffin is burned, the clean glass of a true soywax candle as it burns is comforting.
It should be noted that the last sentence was qualified, speaking only of ‘true’ soywax candles. This is because many soywaxes are not what they seem to be. The law only mandates a small percentage of the wax to be soy-based in order to be called soywax. Therefore many soywaxes are still made mostly of paraffin. Be wary of any company that does not specify what percentage of the wax is soy-based. The wax I prefer is called NV Soywax, and is 85% soy. The remaining 15% is entirely composed of natural vegetable oils, and is added to make a smoother, more attractive candle.
There are also many other benefits of using soywax. Apart from being a healthy alternative to paraffin, soywax also burns at a much cooler temperature. The benefit of this is two-fold: 1) soy candles tend to burn about twice as long as their paraffin counterparts, and 2) soy candles retain their fragrance stronger and longer. Furthermore, using soywax supports a renewable U.S. resource rather than an imported, limited oil supply. It is the easily-renewable nature of the soybean industry that makes soywax so affordable!
Prometheus’ Candles provides hand-poured, non-toxic soy candles to those who seek to preserve their health. visit us at www.soywax.biz products and information.
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Speaking About Petroleum-based Candles
Healthy & Natural Journal, Oct, 2000 by Vicki L. Elmore
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0HKL/is_5_7/ai_66918312
A retired chemical engineer who worked with the largest refiner of mineral oils and petrolatums in the United States, explains that one barrel of crude oil when refined gives the following percentages:
LP gas - 2.3
Refinery gas - 3.7
AV gas - 0.2
Motor gasoline - 45.7
Jet fuels - 6.8
Kerosene - 1.2
Diesel and heating oils - 21.1
Residual fuel oils - 11.3
Petrochemical feedstock - 4.6
Lubricants - 1.3
Asphalt, road oil, coke and paraffin wax - total 5.3
Q: When did paraffin candles first appear on the market?
About 120 years ago, candles began to be mass-produced for commercial use. This parallels the emergence of the petroleum refinery industry. Paraffin is the byproduct or leftover residue of refined petroleum. Because paraffin is produced in such huge quantities (The United States produces about 10 billion pounds each year), it became the logical choice for the candle and food packaging industries.
: 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 ethyl ketone (MEK), and naphthalene–substances found in paint, lacquer and varnish removers.
The Environmental 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 1970s?
Yes. In the early 1970s, 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 samplings and found about 30 percent of the 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 more thorough medical studies to determine exactly the short-term and long-term effects of inhaling paraffin fumes. The state of California, with its Proposition 65, seems to be where a lot of investigation is taking place.
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Beeswax
If you want to read a great description of the finest healthiest candles you could buy, go to this site
www.candlebeefarm.com and “click” on “Beeswax facts”….!!!!!
Soy Wax
One good site is www.lumia.us “Click” on “Organic Wax”. This is the ultimate in soy wax candles because the soy beans are grown organically and if you purchase them, this supports Organic farmers…which is better for the environment and us.
Well, I hope I haven’t overloaded you too much, but I truly believe it is very improtant to educate yourself about
candles, and candle alternatives!!!! ~
Happy Sunday! Fearlessly yours, Joan Hulihan
