Pioneering consumer advocate Debra Lynn Dadd -- author of Nontoxic, Natural & Earthwise, TheNontoxic Home & Office, and Home Safe Home -- gives advice for choosing products that are betterfor your health and the environment. She discloses health and environmental effects of commonproducts, reveals harmful ingredients that aren't on product labels, tells how to choose safer products,and offers tips for making products yourself.
Do you want to choose and use products that are better for your health and the environment, but don'tknow how to choose them or where to find them? Then this column is for you.
CHOOSING SAFE HOLIDAY CANDLES The burning of candles is a beautiful holiday tradition that carrieswithit the ancient symbolism of "keeping the light" of the sun through thedarkdays of winter. Yet not all candles are the same--some have safetyprecautions you should be aware of.
The problem is only with paraffin candles and some scented candles. Someparaffin candles still have lead core wicks which, according topreliminarytests, does volatilize during normal candle burning, resulting inparticulate matter lead in emissions. Children are particularlyvulnerable.Chronic low-level exposure to lead has been found to produce permanentneuro-psychological defects and behavior disorders in children,includinglow IQ, short attention span, hyperactive behavior, and motordifficulties.Early signs of lead poisoning in adults include gastro-intestinalproblems,muscle pains and weakness, irritability, excessive thirst, headache,insomnia, depression, and lethargy. Preliminary wipe test results show40mgof lead per sq. ft. in a home that burned a number of lead core wickcandles. 100% of lead that is inhaled is absorbed into the bloodstream.There is no safe level for lead exposure.
Simply breathing in small particulate matter, such as that released byleadcore wicks, can irritate and damage the lungs, causing breathingproblems.People with asthma or some type of lung or heart disease are directlyimpacted by this.
Fumes from the paraffin wax itself have been found to cause kidney andbladder tumors in laboratory animals.
With the recent rise in popularity of aromatherapy, many inexperienced &amateur candlemakers have jumped into the manufacturing of candles tocapitalize on their current popularity without the proper training orexpertise. Candlemakers are dumping increasing amounts of (oftenartificial) fragrance oils into their wax mixtures -- some of which arenoteven suitable for combustion. Toxic chemicals that have been found inthecombustion by-products of some scented candles include acetone, benzene,trichlorofluoromethane, carbon disulfide, 2- butanone, 1, 1,1-trichloroethane, carbon tetrachloride, trichloroethene,tetrachloroethene, toluene, chlorobenzene, ethylbenzene, styrene,xylene,phenol, cresol, cyclopentene, lead, carbon monoxide, soot, andparticulatematter. In addtion to producing toxic chemicals, these artificialfragrances do not offer the healing benefits found in the true essentialoils used by experienced aromatherapy practioners.
In addition to their health effects, burning candles can also createharmful soot that can damage electrical appliances and heating,ventilation, and air conditioning systems.
Candle manufacturers are not required to list or disclose hazardous,toxicor carcinogenic compounds used as ingredients in their products or evenplace warning labels on their products regarding lead content andemissions.
You can still enjoy candles, however, by purchasing beeswax candles withcotton wicks. These are available in some candle stores and most naturalfood stores, as well as from mail order sources. Also for the holidaystrybayberry candles, made from the wax of the bayberry plant, which you canorder from Vermont Country Store (802/362-4647).
If you want to burn scented candles, be sure they are authenticaromatherapy candles that are scented with real essential oils. If thelabel isn't clear about this, call the manufacturer before purchasing.
For more information on the problems with candles, visit the Candles andIndoor Air Quality site.
For more information on choosing nontoxic products, see Home Safe Home.
by Debra Lynn Dadd
Author, Home Safe Home
To contact Debra, e-mail debra@dld123.com .Copyright © Debra Lynn Dadd
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Written by: Debra Lynn Dadd.
To contact Debra, e-mail debra@dld123.com ."The queen of green" - New York Times
"The guru of nontoxic living" - KCBS-TV News
"One of the country's few authorities on natural and nontoxic consumer affairs"- Boston Globe
"The godmother of natural living" - New Age JournalDebra's work as a consumer advocate, author, and consultant has been a leadinginfluence on the natural products market-to consumers, marketers, andmanufacturers-for almost two decades. Many refer to her well-researched consumerguidebooks as their "bibles."
Back in 1980, when a "green" product was one the color of grass and "hazardouswaste" was something you found only in a factory, Debra was diagnosed with animmune system disorder commonly known now as "environmental illness" or"chemical sensitivity." Her widely varied symptoms were disabling, but she was toldthere was no cure-other than removing toxic chemicals from her home. As no bookson household toxics or nontoxic alternative products were then available, she set out towrite one, and in the process healed herself and countless others.
After self-publishing her first consumer manual for others with chemical sensitivities,the makers of nontoxic Bon Ami Polishing Cleanser sent her on a media tour topromote the concept of nontoxic cleaning products. By then it had become clear thatthe issue of chemicals in products was much larger than a few sensitive individuals; asshe researched toxic chemicals in products Debra found that many products containedchemicals that are harmful to the general public and that illness caused by thesehousehold toxics could be prevented. Nontoxic & Natural was published in 1984,followed by The Nontoxic Home in 1986. Both books not only alerted consumers totoxic dangers, but offered alternative products.
By 1987, Debra was living in a completely nontoxic home in an idyllic NorthernCalifornia forest. Having taken the idea of toxics within the home as far as it would go,she realized that our consumer choices also affected the larger environment as well asour own health. She began to research the environmental effects of consumer productsand in 1990 came out with Nontoxic, Natural & Earthwise, adding products that hadenvironmental benefits--such as being recycled, energy-efficient, biodegradable, ororganically-grown--to her lists of nontoxic and natural goods. In 1992, her other bookwas updated to The Nontoxic Home & Office.
As products with environmental claims flooded the market, Debra became concernedthat many of the products that made environmental claims were nothing more thangreen hype. Because there were no standards or guidelines for evaluating greenproducts, Debra set out to discover what it means to truly live in a way that isresponsible to the earth. Her book, Sustaining the Earth, called for sustainability to beused as the standard for evaluating consumer products, and told everything aconsumer needs to know to evaluate green products for themselves.
Debra's work came full circle in 1997 with the publication of Home Safe Home, anew, completely revised edition of her books on household toxics. With new scientificevidence showing the dangers of common household products to be even worse thanpreviously imagined, her work continues to be timely and valuable.
In addition to writing books, Debra published her own newsletter (1985-1991), andhas written occasional articles for Vegetarian Times, New Age Journal, Greenpeace,East West Journal (now Natural Health) and Self magazines as well as majornewspapers, including USA Weekend. She has written columns for Let's Live(1986-1990) and Environmental Action (1990-1991) magazines and is currently acolumnist for Natural Home magazine.
Debra is also a co-founder of WorldWise, Inc., a company that provides useful productsthat enhance sustainable living through mass market outlets. To contact Debra, e-mail debra@dld123.com .
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