O.T.-Jeff May Says No Romantic Candles

[Guest guest]

Beat Bad Air Days

By Bowers, Women's Health

Thu, Oct 14, 2010

 

All the major air pollutants (car exhaust, factory fumes, sidewalk smokers) are

outside, right? Not so much. Indoor air may be the grimiest stuff our lungs

filter each day. Studies show that things like candles, printers, and even shoes

can fill your rooms with harmful contaminants, says Ted Myatt, Sc.D., an

environmental scientist in Boston. But there's no need to live in a tent in your

backyard—just follow these easy steps to lighten the load on your respiratory

system.

The Pollutant: Candles

Sure, they make for a cozy ambience, but when you light one made from

paraffin—as most candles are—you're potentially harming your health.

Researchers at South Carolina State University found that paraffin candles emit

chemicals that are linked to liver damage, neurological problems, and leukemia.

They can also release a black soot that, over time, may damage your lung and

heart tissue, says May, an expert on indoor air quality and author of My

House Is Killing Me: The Home Guide for Families with Allergies and Asthma.

The Solution: Choose cleaner mood lighting in the form of electric votives, or

buy 100 percent soy candles, which can burn at a slower rate and emit less soot.

If you can't avoid burning paraffin, do so only occasionally and in a draft-free

area. And cut out the heavily fragranced jar-style versions, says May; they

produce more soot.

http://health..net/rodale/WH/beat-bad-air-days