Something however triggered me to google for the health hazard imposed by the fume from burning candles. The results are really shocking. I learnt that most of the candles we use today are made from mixture of certain ingredients with a large proportion of paraffin wax. I have no idea what paraffin wax is but later found that it's the by product from the process of crude oil refining. It is said that inhaling the fume from a burning candle is similar to inhaling the exhaust fume from a diesel engine. If what is said is true, I have been breathing in a lot of diesel fume last night while sleeping, especially in my small room.
To make things worse, reports say that most manufacturers, especially from PRC use cheap ingredients to make candles and some might even use lead wicks to ease the manufacturing of candles. Burning lead wicks will release the lead particles into the air. As the particles will be very micro, they are easily breathed into our respiratory system, sipping and settling down onto the deepest part of our lung, not being able to be cleansed easily. Lead poisoning is a very serious matter not only to children whose immunity is low but also to adults in the long run.
I have been searching the internet for any regulations about Malaysia banning any lead wicks used in candles or any posts about encouraging the use of lead free candles in the country. China, the notorious country has been freely exporting its cheap goods into our country (to help some greedy businessman to increase their profit margins). To make things worse, I have no confidence at all that our government is aware of anything such as lead free candles or candles with lead wicks (sorry government, that's what you make me feel).
On the other hand, there is another group of people who claimed that there is not scientific proof that paraffin wax is dangerous for health. It is said that some manufacturers even use paraffin in food processing. How true is that, I really do not know. It is claimed that the reports about the danger of paraffin candles are false and carries the motive of increasing the sales of rival products. It is also claimed that lead wicks have been banned in the manufacturing of candles and it is not possible for us to get candles with lead wicks in the market nowadays.
Who is right and who is wrong. How can I be sure that the candle that I am burning is safe for me and my family. How can I be sure that I am burning a good candle (bees wax, soy wax, etc) or a bad candle (paraffin wax, gel wax). How does a good candle look like and how does a bad candle look like. Although the usage of candle is not as popular here as in countries like the America, no one can deny that candle burning popularity is on the rise, especially in terms of aromatherapy. Can the government starts to look into this issue and ensure that while we are getting cheap goods from certain countries, we are also using safe products that will not harm our body in the long run.
Enough about MALAYSIA BOLEH, I can't even find the right candle to burn, damn it...
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