FDA: Beware of toxic candles

As Filipinos prepare to pay their respects to their departed loved ones on All Saints’ Day, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has provided some tips on the use of safe candles.

In an advisory, FDA acting Director General Dr. Kenneth Go said that candles with cotton and hemp wicks as well as metal-free wicks burn cleanly and safely. Candles made from beeswax can also be used without fear of any harmful effects, he added.

Scented candles that use essential oils are also advisable, according to Go. “Smokes or scents emitted by candles are not known to trigger allergies in hypersensitive persons,” he said.

Well-made and reliable candles do not emit smoke but the FDA reminded the public to light candles only in well-ventilated areas. “Candles are a safe product but the public is reminded to exercise safety precautions when burning candles,” Go noted.

Saying that candles are considered health products and have been classified “household hazardous articles” under the FDA Act of 2009, the agency has announced that it is poised to register all candles being sold in the market.

Go said the FDA would eventually ask all candle manufacturers, importers and distributors to secure a license to operate and apply for market authorization of their products.

So far, only one brand of scented candles has been registered with the FDA, the official reported. Go stressed that when considering an application from a candlemaker, the agency would focus on the safety of the wax and wick used as well as the scents and colors.

“All Souls’ Day is just around the corner and the demand for candles, both scented and unscented ones, has increased,” noted the FDA, adding that some consumers also hoard candles not only for remembering their dead loved ones but as gifts for relatives and friends.

“These candles come in handy at home as well as in case of brownouts and emergencies,” it said.

Meanwhile, a waste and pollution watch group on Sunday advised the public against buying candles with lead-cored wicks after it found the toxic ingredient in 70 of the 115 samples it bought from Chinatown in Manila.

“Burning candles with leaded wicks may release toxic fumes into the surroundings and cause lead exposure via inhalation…,” said Thony Dizon, coordinator of EcoWaste Coalition’s Project Protect.

“Lead dust may accumulate on the ground and other surfaces where kids gather or play, causing exposure,” he added. The advisory was also issued in time for the commemoration of International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week of Action on Oct. 20 to 26.

Dizon said that exposure to lead might cause irreparable damage to children’s brains and result in learning disabilities, mental retardation and behavioral problems later in life.

Citing the World Health Organization, EcoWaste said that “children were particularly vulnerable to the neurotoxic effects of lead and even relatively low levels of exposure may cause serious and, in some cases, irreversible neurological damage.”

“For pregnant women, lead exposure can harm the developing brain of the fetus in the womb and even trigger a miscarriage,” Dizon said.

EcoWaste Coalition’s AlerToxic Patrol bought assorted candle products priced between P20 and P160 per set from 10 retailers in Binondo, Manila, on Oct. 18 and 19.

A test using the X-ray fluorescence spectrometer showed high levels of lead ranging from 1,178 to 14,900 parts per million (ppm) in the candlewicks compared to the US limit of only 600 ppm.

On the average, the 70 candles with lead-cored wicks had 3,671 ppm of lead, the group said. The other 45 candles that tested negative for lead and other toxic metals had wicks made mostly of cotton.

Lead-cored wicks can be identified by the fine metal strand in the center of the wick.