Paraffin Candle Making???

[lsbennis]

Does anyone have any links to articles discussing the issues with FOs? (Sorry, I couldn't read all of the paraffin bashing thread...it was just TOO long! :undecided)

Empress there are tons of articles and information on this subject out there ...just go to google and do a quick search and you will find more info then you care to read. HTH

[cybersix]

Farting around lit candles may pose a threat to your cat's fur so be careful cybersix!!

I have to put this on the warning labels.

Keep away from cats farts!

[cybersix]

I think it's great that Roma asked this question instead of just taking that man's word for it and hating paraffin forever.

yes. but if paraffin could be so dangerous do you think it would be still out there free to sell??

[Candle Makin Momma]

Cigarettes are, cybersix

[cybersix]

Cigarettes are, cybersix

yes but you know exactkly what you are buying. it's up to you ignoring the warnings or quit smoking.

[country creek]

Roma~ I am not getting into the whole soy vs. paraffin thing but I have been using a blend of paraffin and soy for many yrs and I do not have any health problems. I used 100% paraffin before that.

Believe what everyone is telling you about the FO's.....think about it, you are heating a liquid that is emitting a scent into the air, even though it smells good there are certain toxins in it that can cause harm if you are not in a well ventilated area. As with anything....cleaning solutions....do you clean with straight bleach in a closed room and does it burn your eyes? YEA! Is it good for you to breathe? NO.

As for cancer with out smoking......ya know there are millions of kids under the age of 4 who have cancer and I dont think they have ever smoked. Not to mention they are not candle makers either. People will tell you anything these days to make money. How do you know this man actually has cancer??? Was he on a respirator? What did he do to convince you that he had cancer other than just letting you know?

This is not sarcasm it is simply stating the obvious.

[Di_in_AZ]

The one thing that most people overlook is quite simply--moderation. Yes, OMG there are toxins in candles (present in all kinds, due to FOs!). Shall we all stop burning candles? No. There are more toxins coming out of your furnace. Do we freeze every winter, no. Why? Because the volume present is in very low quantities, not enough to impair our health.

Please research and read at the EPA, not just on candles, but on other topics. You will find out that most things we eat, breathe, drink, etc. have some toxins in them. You can analyze everything and go live in a hut in the middle of the woods if you like, growing your own food and good luck finding a "pure" water source, but the truth is, a few unscrupulous people deliberately overinflate the dangers to scare people into buying their products. Fact is, their candles have the same toxins present in the FO's.

Are they going to kill us? Probably not. If you can withstand 30 candles in one room for 3 hours, you still won't have a dangerous concentration. However, if you make a substantial amount of candles over a period of time, it would be wise to wear protective gear. We all know that FO's can irritate--there are enough posts on here to prove that. In large quantities, I do believe they can be dangerous, but as a candlemaker, you need to take care of yourself, one candle that your customer burns will not harm them unless they have a medical condition that it would aggravate.

I do not believe this man is a liar, maybe the candle making did make him sick. But I believe it was the FO's, not the wax that was the culprit. Think of the chemicals that are in FO's and then seriously think about paraffin, it is put on fruits and used in chocolates. What do you think caused it? :undecided

[Vicky_CO]

If the guy is telling the truth which I have no clue if he is or not. He is looking for something to blame. I do know from personal experience that when face with major illness we look for the reason why we are sick or why a loved one has this happen to them. When a scientific reason can not be found then we tend to blame what we think might be the cause without any real evidence. Since the propaganda has been being spread about paraffin that is what he is blaming.

[Janette]

If the guy is telling the truth which I have no clue if he is or not. He is looking for something to blame. I do know from personal experience that when face with major illness we look for the reason why we are sick or why a loved one has this happen to them. When a scientific reason can not be found then we tend to blame what we think might be the cause without any real evidence. Since the propaganda has been being spread about paraffin that is what he is blaming.

Well said Vicky....

Janette

[lsbennis]

I found this on Greenspace Candle website...may help explain more about the FO issues!

Essential Oil vs. Fragrance

Greenspace offers two lines of soy candles, one fragranced only with essential oils, called Pure Aromatherapy, and a second fragranced artificially with regular candle fragrance.

It may seem contradictory to offer artificially fragranced candles given the information that follows, but we do try to educate people as to the toxicity and let them make their own educated decision. .

In the mid 1970's, extremely powerful fragrant chemicals were synthesized, most likely to be able to attain aromas not naturally available in such a usable form, and to be able to duplicate, or copy the real aromas less expensively. These materials began being used at higher and higher levels over the last 20 years, and are the basis for the intense and long lasting characteristics of modern fragrance formulations. In the US, such fragrant chemicals do not have to be tested for safety before being used in fragrance formulas.

Since many lotions, candles, incense, potpourri and other body care items have been made with more and more fragrance over the years, many people have found that they have began to experience negative effects such as headaches, dizziness, or nausea from them. This awareness, along with the desire to naturally prevent illness or heal oneself without using drugs, has spawned a renewed interest in aromatherapy, or use of essential oils. However, essential oils can cause similar reactions in certain people if they are allergic to particular scents, or if they are exposed to too much at one time.

Sometimes candle manufactures will combine artificial fragrances with essential oils, often deceiving the consumer into thinking that there are ONLY essential oils in the candle. Many of the aromatherapy products common on the market, even if they are called "natural", are often diluted with synthetic chemicals to reduce manufacturing cost. Synthetic substances and artificial fragrances may be able to replicate the smell of a botanical fragrance, but it is the complex components of each essential oil, created by nature, that determines its therapeutic and true aromatic qualities. Many synthetic fragrance chemicals pose a wide range of immediate and long-term health hazards.

Toxic Synthetic Fragrances

In 1986, the National Academy of Sciences targeted synthetic fragrances as one of the six categories of chemicals that should be given high priority for neurotoxicity testing. The report states that 95 percent of chemicals used in fragrances are synthetic compounds derived from petroleum. They include benzene derivatives, aldehydes, and many other known toxics and sensitizers, which are capable of causing cancer, birth defects, central nervous system disorders and allergic reactions. Neurotoxins: At Home and the Workplace (Report by the Committee on Science and Technology. US House of Representatives, Sept. 16, 1986) [Report 99-827]

Chemicals Known to Cause Cancer in Fragrance Products

Methylene chloride, a known carcinogen that also causes autoimmune disease, is listed as one of the 20 most common chemicals found in fragrance products in the 1991 EPA study, even though the FDA banned the chemical in all cosmetic and fragrance products in 1989. Limonene, also listed as one of the 20 most common chemicals, is a known carcinogen. Benzaldehyde, one of the 20 most common chemicals in the EPA's fragrance study, is a sensitizer. According to the Merck Index, it is also a narcotic.

[Di_in_AZ]

I still say the EPA is the best resource. Many companies claim to use information based on EPA studies. It has been shown they misconstrue the information. The best place hands down is the EPA. They do not twist facts, they have no bias. If you just do a search under home fragrance, you will see plenty of information on fragrances. They have archived numerous letters sent to the big FO guys regarding the chemicals they use and the hazards. Essential oils can be just as toxic, just because something is natural does not exclude it. Bottom line, I don't believe anything that is being put out there to sell a product.

[David Fields]

Roma, I have been pouring paraffin candles for ten years. Full time 10-16 hours a day, six days a week for the past five years. I personally pour 12-14 tons of paraffin wax a year. I am 60 years old and am in perfect health (just had a physical a couple of months ago). That should answer your question. Now, I have one. Why after the last thread on the same subject are you bringing it up again? And do you believe everything this total stranger said and hold to it as gospel? Ever consider a wonderful investment of beach front property just ten minutes from downtown Phoenix?

[Wildheart75]

Maybe he told you to steer clear from it because he is afraid of the competition. You told him you make soy candles so that right there tells him you are a candlemaker just as he is...some people will say anything if they feel threatened.

[sudsnwicks]

Erm ... so what wax should we be using?

paraffin - can't use because of health problems

soy - can't use because of allergies

beeswax - can't use because not suitable for vegetarians

Doesn't look like much choices left.

[Janette]

Erm ... so what wax should we be using?

paraffin - can't use because of health problems

soy - can't use because of allergies

beeswax - can't use because not suitable for vegetarians

Doesn't look like much choices left.

Looks like it's time to start testing ear wax....

Janette

[Candle Makin Momma]

EWwwww lmao

[Chinook203]

First off, let me start by saying, I make both type of candles. I love burning them and making them.

I've made candles for almost 7 years now. I started with IGI 1343, J223 and......forgot what the first Jwax was. I made those for years. A friend of mine has been amking candles professionally for about 20 years, the biggest thing she preached was have a ventilation system for making candles, or don't make them in the home. They were making 1000 per week and it croaked their heating/ac system in the house after several years.

When we make candles, some of us are making 100 / week, some are making a dozen a week. What I noticed was the black stuff I'd clean off the walls. At one point, I got into soy wax, I didn't get near the black stuff on the walls and hardly anything noticed on the windows. I now have a shed built for making my candles. I don't have any residue on the walls now.

I have noooo idea how this affects the lungs, to me anything over a period of time can affect the health, smoking, wax fumes, chemical fumes at work, etc. Anything you burn or heat puts off fumes. If you are doing it a lot, a lot of those fumes are going somewhere. If you make a few candles here and there, you will probably never notice anything, if you are melting wax daily, it will build up in the house. I can only suspect it could get in your lungs. You can wear the regular chemical fume masks that painters get and that does keep wax fumes out. Some of them even state for candlemakers.

I think some people are more prone to things in the air, whether its pollen, candle wax. and you always have teflon, those dang skillets put off a heck of a poisonous fumes that will kill a bird in a heart beat!

Keep researching, lots of information out there. Regular waxes come from petroleum companies, some of them even will show the results of what amount of fumes the wax puts out. Not talking burning candles, not a lot of wax fumes there, its the melting of the waxes. Imagine taking 10 candles and burning them in one place, a lot of fumes there (it would smell dang good though!!!). Thats how it wax explained to me by one of the petro companies.

I just want to add so noone tries to say I'm bashing anything......I make both, sell both and LOVE both types of candles. When I did some craft shows with only my soy candles, if someone bashed any other types, I'd smile and say I burn all kinds of candles. Right now I have about 10 candles burning in the house, only one is a soy candle.

Good luck and just keep researching!

[sudsnwicks]

When we make candles, some of us are making 100 / week, some are making a dozen a week. What I noticed was the black stuff I'd clean off the walls.

I've lived in my current home for over 2 years (before that I was making candles in another apartment). There isn't any black stuff on my walls. I guess I'm confused. Am I supposed to be having the black stuff? I didn't think I was making my candles incorrectly or anything like that.

[Candle Makin Momma]

I've lived in my current home for over 2 years (before that I was making candles in another apartment). There isn't any black stuff on my walls. I guess I'm confused. Am I supposed to be having the black stuff? I didn't think I was making my candles incorrectly or anything like that.

LMAO That cracked me up. No you aren't suppose to have black soot all over your walls. You are doing it right.

[Di_in_AZ]

No soot here, we just renovated last year and everything was emptied out and gutted, no soot after living here six years and doing candle for three at that point.