Environmental Impact of Candles during Earth Hour
With Earth Hour approaching, many people have indicated that they will be burning candles throughout the hour. Unfortunately, this could result in replacing one environmental problem with another.
Burning candles isn’t exactly the healthiest or most environmentally friendly thing to do - especially if made from paraffin wax. There are some eco-friendly alternatives though, so all is not lost!
Candles that are Bad for the Environment
Most cheap candles (like the ones you can buy at the supermarkets) are made from paraffin wax. Paraffin wax is a byproduct of oil refining and releases a number of carcinogens when burned. These include Acetaldehyde, Acrolein, Benzene, Formaldehyde, Polychlorodibenzo-p-dioxins, Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons and Toulene.
Some cheap candles may even contain lead in their wicks. This in turn, releases toxic fumes when burned. Lead is particularly harmful to our bodies and other animals. Some countries such as US and Australia have recently banned lead wicks from candles.
Environmentally Friendly Candles
Burning any substance is always going to have its environmental downside. But, there are candles that are better for the environment than the cheap paraffin candles.
If you want to burn candles during Earth Hour (or any other time), use soy candles or 100% beeswax candles.
- 100% beeswax candles smoke free, non-toxic and non-allergenic. They are made of natural products (instead of petroleum based materials). Some say 100% beeswax candles are carbon neutral because the carbon dioxide they emit has already been taken from the atmosphere to produce the wax.
- Soy candles are made from soy wax - a vegetable wax made from the oil of soybeans. Again, by using soy candles, you’re avoiding petroleum based products. Also, soy candles are said to burn 40% cooler than paraffin based candles. This means your candle will burn longer - up to 8 hours per ounce of wax.
Tags: candles, Climate Change, earth hour, Global Warming, Sustainability
May 29th, 2009 at 6:14 am
Ordinary Candles are made from paraffin. Lightning a Paraffin candles can cause pollution, it’s like a smoke coming out from diesel engines. So why use Paraffin? instead, use an all natural candles..use Soy Candle as well. They are made from vegetable, preferably from soy beans.