Wicks with Lead?

[Regina Filange]

I just bought some zinc core wicks (62-52-18Z's) and wondered if all the zinc wicks contain lead???

I got these cuz I have probs with single wicking my 4 inch diameter apothacary jars. I've tried all of them with the exception of the zinc core. Are zinc core the ones that yankee uses? I know Yankees give a lot of soot and mushroom terriblely, but they DO melt the wax all the way across the top.

Any info on this?

TIA!

~RF~

[CandleScents]

Q: Does Yankee Candle Company use lead wicks?

A: There has been a good deal of recent coverage in the media regarding possible health issues relating to candles containing lead wicks, some of which has unfortunately been confusing or misleading. In order to eliminate any concern or confusion on the part of our guests and consumers in general, THE YANKEE CANDLE COMPANY WOULD LIKE TO ASSURE YOU THAT YANKEE CANDLE DOES NOT USE LEAD WICKS IN ANY OF OUR CANDLE PRODUCTS. Moreover, the National Candle Association, of which Yankee Candle is a long-standing member, strongly supports the Consumer Products Safety Commission's recent work toward banning the use of leaded wicks. All of our products are today manufactured with pure cotton wicks that are free from lead and completely safe. At Yankee Candle we care deeply about the health and well-being of our guests and customers. After all, many of them are our own families, friends and loved ones. We are therefore firmly committed to producing high quality candle products that can be enjoyed and enjoyed safely. This has been our mission for over 30 years and we will continue to strive to offer the very best candles available.

[CandleScents]

http://www.candlecauldron.com/leadfree.html

Claim:"All candle wicks with a wire in the middle contain lead"

Truth:Wrong! Lead core wicks were discontinued and have not been manufactured in the United States for several years. The wire cores used today are most commonly made of Zinc, and some are Tin, both of which are safe to burn and only contain trace elements of lead impurities. Zinc has a maximum Lead content is 0.004%.

Note: Any nonferrous metal will have similar trace elements of Lead.

Claim:"Any candle with metal in the wick is unsafe to burn"

Truth:Not true! Research shows that zinc and tin wicks are safe and pass the EPA's air quality tests. A person would have to burn over 3,000 candles with zinc wicks for four hours a day to exceed the EPA's air quality standard for lead.

Claim:"Candles with lead wicks have recently been found on store shelves"

Truth:Sad but true. Some imported candles that contain lead wicks manufactured in other countries are still being allowed into the U.S. and are being sold in our American stores. We support a full ban on any import candle products that contain lead, and we urge consumers to avoid any stores that carry these products. You as a consumer can help by letting store owners know how you feel about these low quality imports, and encourage them to carry only quality U.S. made candle products.

[BruceCarvesWax]

The old lead wicks are banned and have been for years now. If you look at the make up of "zinc", lead IS in zinc, but in amounts small enough that it would take thousand of zinc wicks to get the lead found in only one of the old "real" lead wicks. I figured the stats on it a long time ago and if a person burned one jar with a lead wick, they would have to burn 3400+ of the same size with a zinc wick to get the same amount of lead in the air. Bruce

[Regina Filange]

Thanks for all the info guys! I appreciate it!

I guess I'll go ahead and try my zinc core wicks and see if I'm happy with them.