Weird confession: I’ve been reluctant to recommend candles on Sway because the simple fact is: burning any candle indoors impacts air quality to some extent. LINKING CANDLES IS WRONG, my brain echoed for a year. But the reality is: You love candles. I love candles. In the words of my wise friend who inspired this long overdue write-up: “We're all going to buy candles anyway, Jennifer!” So we might as well talk about the best materials and options out there. It’s time. 🕯️ |
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TL;DR: How to choose (and burn) a better candle 🐝 Beeswax or soy wax—avoid paraffin wax 👃 Unscented (or phthalate-free fragrance) 💨 Ventilate / run your air purifier The bad news: Despite what many opinionated bloggers, brands and even reputable lifestyle pubs would have you believe, much of the health research re: the effects of burning candles indoors is conflicting and inconclusive. The good news: There’s enough info out there to make an educated decision on the “best” types of candles to burn—and there are plenty of delightful options. We’ve outlined our analysis for you below, and fall back on the precautionary principle, a tenet of environmental health and science, articulated ~beautifully~ by the University of Michigan: The precautionary principle suggests that, when we do not know for certain that there will not be damaging effects of substances, especially those that are persistent and toxic in the environment, it is best to err on the side of precaution—that is to prevent exposure, rather than try to clean up or cure the negative health effects of an environmental exposure after it has occurred.
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Skip paraffin wax: There’s conflicting information about the potentially negative health effects of paraffin wax, a substance created from petroleum byproducts and commonly used in candles. We prefer to forego it in accordance with the precautionary principle (almost made a “where there’s smoke, there’s fire” joke, but that’s not very scientific, is it?): Our preference is soy wax—a journal article found that it burned cleaner than paraffin wax—or beeswax, particularly when sourced from sustainable and ethical beekeeping operations. A quick summary of some of the conflicting research surrounding paraffin wax—putting this in smaller text because I imagine not all of you are down for a diatribe on this fine summer Friday. Now imagine me reading this out loud, sped up, in an Alvin & the Chipmunks voice: A 2009 study conducted at South Carolina State University found that burning paraffin wax candles releases toluene, a known carcinogen. This study is referenced all over the internet, though Healthline notes that it was never published in a peer-reviewed journal, and the link to the study in various 2009 media coverage has expired (if you can find an active link to the study, LMK). Regardless, an important concept in materials health is that the dose makes the poison, meaning that the presence of toluene becomes concerning only when it's in amounts that can actually cause harm in humans. A 2014 study found that after four hours of burning a scented paraffin candle, potentially cancer-causing chemicals were released, but at amounts far lower than the thresholds set by the World Health Organization. Note that this study has a disclosed conflict of interest: it was organized by the Research Institute for Fragrance Materials. (Is your head spinning yet?) A more recent journal article in Cancer Prevention Research explored the connection between scented paraffin candles and bladder cancer, finding that candle emissions of chemicals of concern are below levels recognized to be carcinogenic, while simultaneously advising against the use of paraffin wax candles. 😵💫 Moving on… You can stress less about wicks. Lots of candle brands tout their “lead-free wicks”—which makes it sound like *other* candles out there have lead in them. But the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission banned the manufacture and sale of lead-cored wicks in 2003. So unless you’ve been hoarding candles since pre-Y2K (I’m not here to judge), you’re good. If metal-free is your preference, wicks made of cotton, hemp, paper and wood are pretty ubiquitous these days. Go for unscented: A 2015 study found that a range of scented candles emitted VOCs, both “pleasant aromas and toxic components”—even before they were lit. But again, the dose makes the poison, and a different 2014 study (linked in the grey section) states that the levels of emissions from scented candles after hours of burning were within an acceptable range. Using the precautionary principle again here, we’ll stick with unscented where possible. If candles that smell nice bring you joy, we recommend seeking out phthalate-free fragrances: Phthalates fall within the Green Science Policy Institute’s Six Classes of Harmful Chemicals. Three more musings on candles: It's a good idea to ventilate and run your air purifier to counteract candle-related emissions, but really, no need to stress if you don't. Give up the glass: If you love candles, then you know how quickly empty candle jars pile up, which can be pretty wasteful. I’m a big fan of burning beeswax pillars on a cute dish that I can reuse ad infinitum. Put a sweet box of matches, a snuffer & wick trimmer nearby and it makes for a beauuuutiful scene. Fake it ‘til ya make it: I received a flameless, battery powered candle as part of a gift a few years ago. Wasn’t into it at first. But now? I turn her on every single night. She has a permanent place in my bookshelf. She even lives inside her own hurricane. Seeing her glow is calming, which makes sense: a 2014 study from the University of Alabama found that watching a video of a hearth or campfire decreased blood pressure. So it’s not a stretch to say that a fake candle can do some good! |
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Five summer things, with Addie |
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Say hey to Sway's newest team member! Addie's a recent grad from High Point University who studied Strategic Comms & Environmental Studies, is democratizing clean water in the startup space, and interned for EARTHDAY.ORG. ✨ Here are her musings on summer: 🏖️ The perfect beach read: This is How You Lose the Time War, a 200-page sci-fi meets Shakespearean tragedy-romance novella told through letters written back and forth by protagonists Blue and Red (written by authors Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone). Filled with gorgeous sapphic lines like, “I want to meet you in every place I have ever loved.” 🌝 Song of the summer: Anything with a banjo, like this Harvest Moon cover. 🟢 Recently, I’ve been saying yes to almost anything that would make my summer more epic. One of those was my mom sharing she found Tears for Fears tickets for $20— something I totally took her up on. Despite knowing only the classics, I took a chance and had a totally awesome time! 🌱 I moved into a place that has a thriving community garden, and being able to see the things I am eating grow from sapling to fruit is so satisfying and rewarding for my brain. This domesticity is new for me, but doesn’t feel as daunting as before! |
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