Candle Wax 1

Candles have lit up the globe for centuries, gracing our religious ceremonies as well as our social gatherings.

For more than 2,000 years, human beings have innovated the candle's shape, size, color, scent and raw materials to make a candle that burns better, brighter, and today after the invention of the electric light bulb, a candle that looks good on the mantelpiece.

The discoveries of different types of candle wax have played a huge part in how the candle has developed from merely being a source of light to enhancing romance, mood, décor and prayer.

Today, there are numerous wax options available for the hobbyist candle maker and for the manufacturers that seek to make a mark in the candle industry.

The emergence of new alternatives alongside old favorites has even given birth to a debate between each type of wax, highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of each and, most especially, whether they are good for the health and the environment.

The most notable angle to the debate is the natural vs. synthetic argument and all its accompanying implications such as suitability of a particular type of candle wax to one's health as well as the impact of sourcing the wax on the environment.

Socio-political factors also come into play, such as who or what groups truly benefit from an industry centered on a specific type of wax and how this effects the livelihood of communities and other groups.

However, if you really get down to it, what a majority of experts focus on are several key, simple factors which determine a candle wax's suitability or quality . These factors are:

- the wax used is easily available

- it's sourcing is sustainable

- it's economical to make candles out of

- and whether it burns longer, brighter, and better than candles made out of other waxes.

It was only in the late 1990s when research about candle toxicity came about.

In 1994, a comparative analysis of three popular candle waxes, paraffin, stearin and beeswax, the "Analysis and Risk Assessment of Raw Materials and Emissions from Paraffin, Beeswax and Stearin Candles" done in Germany, concluded that: "The bum emissions of the examined paraffin, stearin an beeswax candles show no significant differences with respect to the pollutant classes examined. Candles made from paraffin are toxicologically just as innocuous as beeswax or stearin candles."

To this day, the National Candle Association, based in the United States, and the European Candle Association maintain that no specific candle wax has been shown by research to have a harmful effect on human health.

In fact, one of the foremost researches on candle emissions, the EPA's "Candles and Incense as Potential Sources of Indoor Air Pollution" (2001), pinpoints not the harmful effects of candle wax per se but that of soot emitted by poorly burning candles and emissions produced by wicks with a lead core.

In the same report, it was also found that incense smoke can also have negative consequences on a persons' health.

While lead had already been banned from the market in the 70s, what this investigation also did was to increase government vigilance on imported candle materials that may prove harmful to the health of Americans.

Nonetheless, researches such as these propelled even further the development of candle technology to such a point that candles these days are known to burn better, safer and brighter than in the past, no matter what kind of wax they are made from.

However, what may be of prominent concern, especially in these days of sensitivity to environmental, social and economic issues, are not candle wax emissions. The natural vs. synthetic debate may actually be all about whether sourcing a particular wax is safer for the planet and for communities.

The soy wax vs. paraffin debate is at the forefront of this dispute being that paraffin wax is a heavy hydrocarbon that comes from petroleum and soy wax is vegetable-based.

Paraffin is made out of crude or fossil oil, something that we know is limited and not renewable. We also hear from the news how the globe is dependent on the rise and fall of crude oil prices and availability, how only a few nations and companies really control the crude oil market.

There have also been numerous studies about petroleum emissions and their impact on the health and the environment and a recent study (2009) by the South Carolina State University that frequently lighting paraffin wax candles in a space without proper ventilation emits certain levels of toxic substances which can create respiratory and allergy-like problems.

Soy wax is made from soybean oil which is, in turn, processed from soybeans. Soybeans are a renewable resource planted by farmers mostly in the United States. What this implies is that, even if soy wax may have emissions, they come from a natural product that will, in the end, be less toxic to humans.

Moreover, soy wax may be good for the local economy as farming soybeans provide jobs and trade for local farmers. There is a growing concern, though, about soybeans that are genetically modified and until there is enough research, we don't know what the impact of GMO soybeans are yet to our health and the environment.

In the end, the ongoing debate about candle wax is complicated and is governed by so many different factors.

In general, however, what is emphasized is that a person or company's choice of candle wax is really dependent on their priorities and intended use.

While beliefs about health and the environment will have an impact, ultimately, each maker (and consumer) will have to study the benefits and drawbacks of each, get into existing research, and try out the waxes for themselves to make an informed decision. The next article in this series will review the different types of candles and the characteristics of each.

References:

1.) Davies, Stephanie. "Soy vs. Paraffin Candles - The Great Debate." Article online at http://www.articlesbase.com/environment-articles/soy-vs-paraffin-candles-the-great-debate-39919.html#ixzz0qzYl892g

2.) National Candle Association, www.candles.org

3.) Matthäi, Michael and Petereit, Norbert. "The Quality Candle." (2004) Available from the National Candle Association at http://www.candles.org/pdf/MatthaeiPetereit2004TheQualityCandle.pdf