They are sometimes essential part of religious and normal routine, but
experts says love of scented candles could be harmful to health as it
could make you to breathe in dangerous toxins.
Scented candles, along with household cleaning products, wood burning
stoves and bonfires, are being identified by scientists in a report,
which aims to reduce the estimated 36,000 deaths caused by toxic air
every year.
In Britain, Environment Secretary, Michael Gove has said that candle
manufacturers will be told to reduce emissions from scented candles.
They will also be asked to introduce a labelling scheme to warn
consumers about the harmful effects of the worst offending products.
It is believed that 81 per cent of people in the UK regularly use air
care products such as candles and reed diffusers to scent their homes.
However, most scented candles are made from paraffin wax – and
previous studies have found these can release cancer-causing chemicals
that can also be harmful in people with respiratory conditions such as
asthma.
Some candle brands also use a wick where the cotton is wrapped around
another material such as metal, producing toxic soot, which may also
lead to lung problems.
Natural wax candles that use soy are believed to be the cleanest,
producing an estimated tenth of the soot normally created by a
paraffin candle.
