are scented candles really bad?
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Anonymous
| My 16 year old has an almost pathological need to have a candle lit in her workspace at all times. Right now she has a "Spiced Gingerbread Cookie" one lit. She gets them mostly from Target. I have heard these are bad for your health. Is it true? |
Anonymous
| Well you’re burning random chemicals right in front of your face and breathing them in. Does that sound healthy to you? |
Anonymous
| What? No, it’s fine. Just make sure the wick is trimmed and she doesn’t accidentally leave it burning when she’s done for the day - they’re a leading cause of accidental house fires. |
Anonymous
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Honestly, I won't google it because I don't want to know, but I've heard the same thing. For scented candles, I try to buy natural soy wax candles with cotton wicks. It's a pain because they're not always labeled, and I err on the side of not buying it if it doesn't specify. A nice scented candle every couple of days really helps my mental health, and hopefully my plants filter the air enough for me.
I also have beeswax votives and beeswax tapers because it's supposed to be the cleanest candle you can buy and purifies the air. It doesn't have a scent but gives you the nice ambiance. |
Anonymous
| It's perfectly fine, OP. Please don't get sucked in by the crazies on dcum. These are the same people that "off gas" rugs and believe that dryer sheets are dangerous. |
Anonymous
| I used to work with toxicologists and most of them wouldn't use anything like that - candles, air freshener, etc. I don't remember why, though (endocrine disruptors, cancer risk, etc). Everything is going to carry some kind of risk, even hippy dippy soy essential oil whatever, so do keep that in mind. If you're worried about lung cancer you're better off testing for radon and hoping she'll grow out of it. |
Anonymous
What? No, it is not fine. Horrible chemicals and also many candles have some stuff in them and can potentially just blow up out of nowhere setting on fire your entire house. Also, potentially kid is doing something they want to cover up the smell. |
Anonymous
No OP, not fine. The people who say it is fine have no skin in the game. It is not their kid who can get cancer, it is not their home that can get burned down. |
Anonymous
PP, I am sure you enjoy seeing other hurts.. how FINE is this to you????: From 2014-2018, U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated 7,610 home structure fires that were started by candles per year. These fires caused an annual average of 81 deaths, 677 injuries and $278 million in direct property damage. Candle fire facts During the five-year period of 2014-2018: Candles caused 2% of reported home fires, 3% of home fire deaths, 6% of home fire injuries, and 4% of the direct property damage in home fires. Roughly one-third (37%) of home candle fires started in bedrooms. These fires caused 40% of the associated deaths and 49% of the associated injuries. Falling asleep was a factor in 10% percent of the home candle fires and 15% of the associated deaths. On average, 21 home candle fires were reported per day. Three of every five (60%) of home candle fires occurred when some form of combustible material was left or came too close to the candle. December is the peak time of year for home candle fires. In December, 12% of home candle fires began with decorations compared to 4% the rest of the year. |
Anonymous
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Video: The moment a mother was left with severe facial burns after flames from a scented candle exploded into a fireball when she tried to blow it out
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/news/video-1509155/Scented-candle-blows-woman-s-face.html |
Anonymous
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NC woman warns: Bath & Body Works candle spewed flames
A North Carolina woman is warning others after she said a candle in her home spewed flames and sent scalding wax flying. |
Anonymous
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Exploding Candles: The Why, How, And What to Look Out For ...
https://www.everythingdawn.com/blogs/news/exploding-candles-the-why-how-and-what-to-look-out-for |
Anonymous
| Wow I’ve never seen someone so passionate about scented candles. |
Anonymous
| I wonder about this too because I've using candles a lot more while working at home this year. I've noticed the people yelling the loudest about it are the Young Living oil selling types. |
Anonymous
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Candle fires seem less dangerous than water. Keep your daughter away from boats, baths, and pools too.
"From 2005-2014, there were an average of 3,536 fatal unintentional drownings (non-boating related) annually in the United States — about ten deaths per day. An additional 332 people died each year from drowning in boating-related incidents." |