There is an opinion that scented candles have such a detrimental effect on the lungs and cardiovascular system that they surpass even tobacco in terms of negative effects on the body. We decided to check if this is true.
About the dangers of scented candles and sticks federal And regional Media and blogs have been reported with enviable regularity for at least 14 years, and comparison with smoking is an almost obligatory attribute such publications. Back in 2011, citing a British tabloid Daily Mail about the dangers of aroma candles reported RIA Novosti agency. "RBC Life" writesthat the main danger is posed by polluting particles smaller than 2.5 microns (they are called PM2.5), the concentration of which in a room when burning aromatic candles can be 15 times higher than WHO standards. Men Today Magazine reportsthat sticks and candles release four times more toxins than cigarettes. Endocrinologist Zuhra Pavlova notes harm from substances formed during the combustion process: carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, benzene, phthalates, formaldehyde and ozone oxide (although oxide is a compound of a chemical with oxygen, and ozone is a modified form of oxygen). I agree with the doctor and Rospotrebnadzor.
According to WHO, smoking is one of the main factors the risk of developing cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, more than 20 types or subtypes of cancer and many other diseases. Every year from the consequences of active tobacco use in the world dies more than 7 million people, another 1.3 million deaths are a consequence of passive smoking. During the burning of a cigarette, data American Lung Association, more than 7,000 chemicals are released, including at least 69 carcinogens and 250 highly toxic connections.
Manufacturers in the US and EU countries reveal the exact composition of scented candles not obliged. Research showWhat's in the packaging reflected less than 10% of the ingredients, although they definitely include wax (beeswax, soy, rapeseed, coconut, etc.) and fragrance agents (natural essential oils or artificial flavors). Some of them have been well studied - for example, the three components of papaya essential oil (allyl, benzyl and phenylethyl), as scientists have found, can cause bladder cancer in rats—but little is known about many others. When burning, candles release carbon monoxide, formaldehyde and aromatic hydrocarbons such as toluene and benzopyrene, which in high concentrations also have a carcinogenic effect.
Thus, in 2009, specialists from the University of South Carolina in a report for the American Chemical Society notedthat paraffin candles can pollute the air in unventilated areas, including with carcinogenic substances. However, candles made from beeswax or soy most likely do not pose such a danger. At the same time, scientists noted that we are not talking about occasional, but about regular use: “lighting many paraffin candles every day for many years” or “constantly lighting them in an unventilated room such as a bathroom.”
In 2017, the same researchers studied products of combustion of paraffin candles in a sealed cube (a kind of analogue of an unventilated room). During this process, a number of chemical reactions occurred, including the release of benzene, toluene and various acyclic unsaturated hydrocarbons. These substances provoke cancer and impair the functioning of the heart and lungs. To minimize harmful effects, specialists advise ventilate rooms where paraffin candles are often lit.
In 2014, a Belgian-American team of researchers analyzed concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and particulate matter produced in the air from burning scented candles. They recorded increased levels of benzene and formaldehyde, but the final concentration did not exceed acceptable safety limits. Experts noted that the use of scented candles in everyday life does not pose a significant risk to consumer health.
In 2015, South Korean scientists experienced six candles with different scents. In an experimental sealed chamber, they increased the concentration of VOCs even before ignition, and after this this indicator exceeded the permissible safe values.
In 2021, a group of researchers from Germany and the USA compared emissions from candles made from various waxes (palm, paraffin, soy, stearin), with and without fragrances. Unscented candles produced significantly lower emissions when burned compared to scented candles, and burning candles with floral, fresh, and fruit scents resulted in greater increases in VOC concentrations than spicy candles. Experts explained this difference by the different persistence of flavors. However, regardless of the aroma of the candle, the levels of toxic gases and formaldehyde remained within safe limits for indoor air.
In 2015, scientists from South China University of Technology compared the harmful effects of cigarettes and traditional oriental incense in the form of sticks or cones on the human body. Cytotoxicity (the ability of a substance to have a destructive effect on the cells of an organism exposed to the influence) and genotoxicity (the ability to cause negative phenomena in the descendants of this organism) of incense turned out to be higher than that of the same dose of cigarette smoke. Although the experiment was carried out on hamsters, scientists consider it possible to extrapolate these data to humans. At the same time, experts note that they tested only some types of incense (agarwood and sandalwood), and recognize the need for further research in order, in particular, to find out how many harmful substances are consumed by the average smoker, and how many are consumed by an aromatherapy fan.
Belgian consumer organization Test Aankoop notes, which conducted research on several popular home incense products. It turned out that when burned, they all released carcinogenic benzene and formaldehyde, as well as acrolein and carbon monoxide. The organization does not disclose the details of the experiments, but in the material for the Belgian Journal of Medical Oncology indicatesthat burning such sticks indoors is as harmful to health as smoking cigarettes.
In 2008, a team of researchers from Taiwan came concluded that when burning the same weight of cigarettes and traditional oriental incense (scientists compared powdered incense pressed into cones or spirals and incense sticks), the latter produced approximately four and a half times more PM2.5 particulate matter. Observations showthat people who frequently inhale them are more susceptible to cardiovascular disease and asthma. PM2.5 air pollution mainly comes from exhaust fumes, forest fires, wood and coal burning, industrial fried food production and cigarette smoking. The permissible safe level for health of such particles is 12 μg/m, and according to the results of air samples in one of the temples in Taiwan, where the use of incense is part of a religious ritual, it rose to 73 μg/m.
On the other hand, experts compared only emissions into the environment, and not the amount of particulate matter entering the lungs. Cigarette smoke, unlike the smoke of aromatic incense, is one that smokers purposefully inhale. At the same time, staying in a room with a burning aroma stick is similar in mechanism to passive smoking.
Thus, when burning, candles actually emit some substances hazardous to health, but scientists differ in their assessment of their effect on humans. Most likely, short-term exposure is not too dangerous, but you should not overuse aromatic candles. Incense, when burned, does indeed release toxic substances, the inhalation of which is comparable to passive smoking, but it is difficult to reliably make a numerical comparison.
Cover image: Image by Eva Michalkova from Pixabay
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