Air Pollution Caused by Scented Candles

The effects of candles with respect to indoor air quality are more serious than most would first think. Candles can emit such toxins as soot and lead. The levels of soot present are very high when there are multiple carbon-carbon bonds. These levels can even be high enough to cause soot deposits throughout a house within four months. The levels of lead are high enough to cause major lead poisoning in children and can be between 10 and 36 times the allowable level permitted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Our recommendations would be for better labeling and a ban on metallic cores with greater than 0.01% lead present. Certainly when such products are exported overseas, or imported from abroad, candles with metallic cores containing more than 0.01% lead should not be allowed, and the labels should clearly state their contents. Management of technology means not importing or exporting environmental problems in the present context.