Does burning candles add to indoor air pollution?
The concern with the effects of burning candles on indoor air quality is more prevalent now than ever. This is only natural as 7 out of 10 U.S. households now burn candles regularly. Most of the concern with candles is the ever present by-product of combustion, soot. Certain varieties of candles have been shown to produce indoor concentrations of soot that exceed levels allowed in outdoor air by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Candles with improper trimmed wicks or lead centered wicks can indeed add to problems of indoor air pollution, they can add large amounts of soot, or even worse, lead into our indoor environments. You should make sure you purchase only candles made with lead free wicks, also keep the wick trimmed to 1/4 inch in length and never burn candles in a draft.
