Beware of candles
Friday HCFI 21st August 2009 New Delhi: Paraffin wax candles, used for romantic ambiance, fragrance and light, can contribute to air pollution inside home. The candles, which are made from petroleum, are a source of known human carcinogens and indoor pollution, said Dr KK Aggarwal President, Heart Care Foundation of India, BSNL Dil Ka Darbar, MTNL Perfect Health Mela and Director, IMA AKN Sinha Institute.
Quoting a study from American Chemical Society's national meeting in Washington by R. Massoudi and Amid Hamidi, Dr Aggarwal said that candles made from beeswax or soy, although more expensive, apparently are safer because they do not release potentially harmful pollutants.
An occasional paraffin candle and its emissions does not harm but lighting many paraffin candles every day for years or lighting them frequently in an unventilated bathroom around a tub, may cause problems. Ventilation can help reduce the level of pollutants in closed rooms. Pollutants from burning candles can also cause respiratory irritation and allergy.
. |
...Back