Shedding light on toxic candles

It won’t be long before hordes of humanity will again be trooping to the cemeteries (or memorial parks and columbaria) to honor their departed loved ones on All Saints’ Day/All Souls’ Day. And even as the light of their lives has been snuffed out forever, we will keep their memory burning bright  in our hearts as we light a candle on their graves.

Speaking of candles and with Undas upon us again, the public was recently warned against toxic candles with metal wicks that could cause lead poisoning. EcoWaste Coalition, a toxics watchdog campaigning to eliminate preventable sources of childhood lead exposure, issued this warning after buying 15 pairs of red, white, and yellow paraffin wax candles with metal wicks and pineapple-shaped clear glass containers.  The candles are sold at P150 a pair.

These candles were immediately sent to SGS, a global testing company, for lab analysis.  An alarming 207,350 parts per million (ppm) of lead were found in the composite wicks of the candles.

Thony Dizon, coordinator, EcoWaste Coalition’s Project Protect, discloses, “Most candles on the market, especially those made by local manufacturers, use cotton wicks and pose no risk of lead pollution.However, consumers should be wary of imported candles with lead core wicks as these products could discharge harmful lead fumes during burning.”

These candles are illegal to sell in Australia, which banned candles with leaded wicks in 1999, in Finland which banned these in 2001, in Denmark where these candles have been prohibited since 2002, and in the US where these have been banned since 2003.

In a health warning, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission said that “children may inhale the vaporized lead, placing them at risk.” The agency also warned that “children may also be exposed to lead by mouthing objects on which lead has settled or by handling such objects and then putting their hands in their mouths.”

To repeat for the nth time, “no safe blood lead has been ascertained. Dizon stresses, “While the ingestion or inhalation of lead-containing paint chips and dust is the common source of exposure for children, lead builds up in the body and even exposure to small doses of  lead can add to blood lead levels in children.”

Lead exposure in children and unborn babies has been linked to brain damage, learning disabilities and IQ deficits, delayed growth and development, and behavioral problems.

Pregnant women exposed to lead can transfer it to the fetus via the placenta and inflict serious harm to the developing fetal brain and central nervous system.

Thus, the toxics watchdog enjoins the public to watch out for these toxic candles even as it urges the Department of Health, particularly the Food and Drug Administration, which has jurisdiction over candle products, to ban the manufacture, importation, distribution, and sale of candles with lead-containing wicks.

Because we buy/use candles not just for All Saints’ Day (like for lighting up religious images at home or when there’s a brownout and suddenly, we’re having dinner by candle light), EcoWaste Coalition shares these bright ideas:

• Read and follow the manufacturer’s safety instructions on candle use.

• Do not light candles with lead metal in the wicks; choose candles with cotton and other non-metal wicks.

• Prune candlewicks to 1/4 inch before lighting the candle as long wicks can cause irregular burning and dripping.

• Use sturdy candle holders that will not turn over, catch fire or shatter when they get too hot, and are big enough to capture the wax drips; be sure to place the candle holder on a stable, heat-resistant, and uncluttered surface.

• Burn candles in a well-aerated space to lessen indoor air pollution, but keep them away from air currents to avoid fast burning and flare-ups.

• Always keep a burning candle in sight,  do not leave lighted candles unattended, snuff them out before you leave the room or go to sleep, and make sure they are completely out.

• Do not drop matchsticks and other objects into the wax pool.

• Keep burning candles away from flammable materials such as paper, books, beddings, curtains, decorations, fabrics, furniture, plastics, etc.

• If a candle must burn continuously, ensure that it is placed on a durable candle holder and put it on a ceramic, metal or plastic container filled with water.

• Keep burning candles out of reach of children and safe from pets; educate the kids that candles are not things to eat or play with.