Paraffin wax is a popular material used in many everyday products, including scented candles, cosmetics, and food packaging. But with growing concerns about health and safety, many people are asking: Is paraffin wax harmful? This article aims to provide clear and straightforward answers to this question.
What is Paraffin Wax?
Paraffin wax is a white or colorless soft solid derived from petroleum, coal, or shale oil. It is commonly used in candle-making, cosmetics, and various other applications due to its smooth texture and burning properties.
Potential Health Risks
According to research by NSU Florida, paraffin wax is hazardous, and candles made with that wax contribute to a massive decrease in indoor air quality when lit for a prolonged period. Here are a few reasons why this is the case:
- Inhalation of Fumes: When paraffin wax candles burn, they can release harmful chemicals like toluene and benzene. These chemicals are known to cause respiratory issues and other health problems if inhaled in large amounts over time.
- Skin Contact: Some people might experience skin irritation or allergic reactions when using paraffin wax-based products, especially those with sensitive skin.
- Environmental Concerns: Paraffin wax is derived from non-renewable petroleum resources. Burning paraffin wax candles contribute to indoor air pollution and can negatively impact the environment.
Benefits of Paraffin Wax
Even though paraffin wax is frowned upon, it does have some benefits, whether it was for the consumer, or the candle maker:
- Affordability: Paraffin wax is widely available and inexpensive, making it a popular choice for many consumers and manufacturers.
- Versatility: It is used in a variety of products, from candles and cosmetics to food packaging and industrial applications.
- Performance: Paraffin wax burns cleanly and evenly, making it ideal for candles and other applications where a smooth, consistent burn is desired.
Safer Alternatives
If you prefer to stay clear from paraffin wax entirely, here are some other alternatives that you can consider:
- Soy Wax: Made from soybean oil, soy wax is a renewable resource that burns cleaner than paraffin wax, releasing fewer pollutants.
- Beeswax: Natural and biodegradable, beeswax burns longer and cleaner than paraffin wax, though it is typically more expensive, but also acts as an air purifier.
- Coconut Wax: Derived from coconut oil, this wax is also a cleaner-burning alternative and has a pleasant natural scent.
Conclusion
While paraffin wax is not extremely harmful in small amounts, prolonged exposure to its fumes and the use of products containing it can pose health risks. Opting for safer alternatives like soy, beeswax, or coconut wax can reduce these risks and provide a more environmentally friendly option.
3 Replies to “Is Paraffin Wax Harmful?”
john-20
This is false information you are reporting. Paraffin Wax is no more hazardous than Soy Wax and it has been proven with scientific studies. Not just those two waxes, all the popular waxes were tested. Do you not know the industry that you are in? Many Candle Making Suppliers have been releasing information about the lies from the Soy Industry. You don’t have to believe me or them. Ever heard of the National Candle Association? Ever Been to one of the Conferences? NCA has all the Data so they can back up what they are saying. Can You?
Abed Chatila[ Post Author ]
John, I hope you read the whole article, we cited NSU Florida, and I didn’t even say it’s not to be used, and we can’t lie about the fact that there are safer alternatives to paraffin wax. At the end of the day, vaseline, which is something we use in our skin, is also made from the same raw material as paraffin wax, but it is too refined to a point where it becomes skin-safe. So same thing applies to paraffin wax, it depends on how refined it is.
john-20
I will remind you of the false information in your conclusion. You said, “While paraffin wax is not extremely harmful in small amounts, prolonged exposure to its fumes and the use of products containing it can pose health risks. Opting for safer alternatives like soy, beeswax, or coconut wax can reduce these risks and provide a more environmentally friendly option.” You said prolonged exposure can pose health risk and then you said opting for safer alternatives. So where is your facts? I stated where you can get facts in my original comment. So I guess I have to state facts now. I will be quoting the Environment International from their Scientific Study, Measurement and evaluation of gaseous and particulate emissions from burning scented and unscented candles. In their conclusions, “The results of the 24 experiments provide insights into the burning behavior of various combinations of fuel and fragrance. For the unscented candles it can be determined that the fuels palm, paraffin, soy and stearin behave very similarly in terms of emissions (see Tables 4 and 5). No individual wax was shown to have a consistently better emission profile than the others. This group also forms a cluster in the statistical analysis (see dashed box in Fig. 4). Fundamentally, it can be stated that candles without fragrance additives produce lower emissions of combustion by-products than candles with fragrance. This can be attributed to the fact that many fragrance constituents exhibit a considerably more
complex combustion chemistry than the fuels. Consequently, scented candles generate more VOCs than unscented candles. The individual
VOCs measured during the course of this study like benzaldehyde, limonene, etc. are mostly fragrance ingredients that evaporate from the
molten wax pool of the burning candle. Fragrance molecules that are drawn up into the wick and exposed to the flame are decomposed by the combustion process, which leads to the production of carbon dioxide as well as combustion by-products and particles.”
Paraffin wax is a petroleum (or crude oil) byproduct. First produced in 1830 by Carl Reichenbach in Germany, it was seen as an important advancement in candle making because its burn was cleaner and more consistent than tallow-based candles.
Production of paraffin wax starts with a multi-step process known as fractional distillation. Petroleum is first separated into components called fractions. What ultimately becomes paraffin wax belongs to the residue fraction. The residue fraction is then refined to remove impurities like oil, colorants, and aromatic compounds. The final step involves chilling the wax to filter out certain hydrocarbons, which results in the soft-solid consistency characteristic of paraffin candle wax.
There are various types of petroleum wax byproducts, but the paraffin wax used in candle making is known as fully refined paraffin. Sometimes also called petroleum wax or fully-crystalline wax, fully refined paraffin contains less than 0.5% oil.
Fully refined paraffin undergoes a stringent purification process, including steps like hydrofinishing (treating it with hydrogen under high temperature and pressure to further remove impurities and improve its color, odor, and stability) and clay filtration.
Less refined types of petroleum-derived waxes include slack wax, which contains 3-50% oil, and scale wax, which contains up to 3% oil. While it’s true that less refined paraffin waxes contain impurities and undesirable compounds, reputable candle suppliers only offer fully refined paraffin wax.
A summary of the Ökometric study states that “…well-made candles of all major wax types exhibit the same clean burning behavior, and pose no discernible risks to human health or indoor air quality.”
Another notable takeaway that many are surprised to learn is that “the combustion byproducts of the waxes studied were virtually identical in composition and quantity, with all emissions levels registering far below the most restrictive of any applicable indoor-air standards.”
So, while claims of paraffin wax being toxic might apply to less refined petroleum waxes, they don’t apply to fully refined paraffin candle wax.
All candles produce combustion byproducts as they burn, but as the Ökometric study confirms, the emissions don’t differ significantly from wax to wax.
Soot is another topic of concern when it comes to paraffin wax candles. You may have heard that paraffin candles don’t burn as “cleanly” as candles made with soy or other plant-based waxes.
The Ökometric study also investigated the soot produced by soy and paraffin wax candles. To compare the amount of soot produced by soy candles with paraffin candles, investigators over-wicked identically sized container candles and then analyzed their emissions. They found that the overwicked candles produced greater levels of the emission compounds studied (though they were still far below applicable air-quality standards). This finding is important because it confirms that no matter the wax you use, wicking your candles appropriately is one of the best ways you can avoid excess levels of emissions.
Simply put, paraffin candles aren’t bad for our health or indoor air quality, but overwicked candles—made with any wax—can produce an excess of combustion compounds.
The idea that paraffin candles burn less cleanly than others is a myth. Candles made with any wax can burn cleanly if they’re properly wicked.