What now… lead in candles?

Some candles have design flaws that increase the risk of fire. Others may contain materials that pose health hazards, especially for children. There are a number of precautions you can take to reduce health and safety risks when you burn candles.

Some candles may also have wicks with a metallic core that may contain lead. When these wicks burn, they produce lead vapors and dust, which can be harmful, especially for children and pregnant women. You can test candles you already own to see whether the wick contains lead by removing wax from the tip of the wick, separating the fibre strands from the wick to see if there is a metallic core, and rubbing this metallic core on a piece of white paper. If it leaves a gray mark on the paper, then the metallic core is probably lead.

Another example of a material that may be hazardous is the liquid fuel used in decorative oil lamps. These lamps are also called liquid paraffin candles. The fuel is usually a petroleum distillate, which is poisonous when swallowed. There have been at least eight incidents of Canadian children being poisoned by drinking this fuel directly from the lamps. In one case, the child died.

Information extracted from Health Canada. To read the full study, please go to http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/iyh-vsv/prod/candle-bougie_e.html