So what do paraffin candles and cigarettes have in common hmm... well they are long and thin, smoky and stinky - how else might they be the same? It turns out that paraffin candles and cigarettes have a few of the same lovely ingredients. Are you someone who doesn’t like people smoking in your house or apartment? Maybe you shouldn’t be burning paraffin candles either.
I was in a clinic recently that had a large poster listing the chemicals in cigarettes. Some of those chemicals looked familiar so when I got back to the office I checked out the ingredients in paraffin. I was right. Cigarettes have a least four chemicals in common with paraffin.
Based on our earlier research paraffin wax often contains the following chemicals:
- crolein
- benzene
- ethanol
- formaldehyde
- dibutyl phthalate
- diethyl phthalate
- toluene
- styrene
- ethyl benzene
- naphthalene
- benzaldehyde
- didecyl phthalate
- acetone
Information from the American Lung Association lists benezene, formaldehyde, toluene and acetone in a long list of toxic ingredients in cigarettes and we found that they are also in paraffin candles. Do you want noxious paraffin candles burning in your house any more than you want a burning cigarette?
If you love to burn candles and are interested in a non-toxic natural candle consider pure beeswax candles - no toxins; no additives; just pure natural beeswax. It has a sweet natural honey scent with a beautiful amber light. The art of making and using beeswax candles goes back hundreds of years. At one time beeswax candles were only for the wealthy. If you haven't already, treat yourself like royalty and try beeswax candles - you will wonder why you waited so long.
