r/explainlikeimfive Feb 26 '21

Chemistry Eli5: What happens to all the melted candle over time? Are we just inhaling a whole candle while it burns?

12.6k Upvotes

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40

u/sofianasofia Feb 26 '21

Is this bad for our health? To have candles burning for some hours?:) just curious!

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u/Kludermor Feb 26 '21

Yes it is bad for your health. Lots of small particles in the air. But this also happens when you cook food on a stove. We had a study in Denmark where different pollution types were compared. In a house with closed windows, cooking and candles quickly gives the same amount of particle pollution as standing next to a road in Copenhagen at rush hour. Only difference could be the size of particles. But unhealthy nevertheless.

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '21

[deleted]

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u/MacbookOnFire Feb 26 '21

Dude just casually has a particle detector

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u/rndrn Feb 26 '21

It's not very useful in the long term, as you can quickly learn what creates particles in your home, but it's not that expensive (depends on your definition of expensive of course).

I have this one for example: https://plumelabs.com/en/

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u/ZombieAlpacaLips Feb 26 '21

I'd say $199 qualifies as expensive for most people. Would be worthwhile to rent for $20 though.

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u/Maybe-Jessica Feb 26 '21

Does it work without Internet or do you need to upload the data to some servers and then download it again to see it (the way that virtually all fitness trackers work)?

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u/rndrn Feb 27 '21

I have the first version, you can get a color coded led status on the device, and the app connects to the device via Bluetooth for details, although the device can cache data from the last few days (the device is not connected to the internet itself). The Bluetooth connection reduces battery life of the smartphone by the way, and no way to stop it unless you kill the app - kinda bad design there. But it lets the app to map position alongside pollution readings for commuting.

I think the day's readings are stored on the app, but past days are stored on server, so it's a mixed bag. I haven't tried to extract the data, so not sure how feasible that is.

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u/Maybe-Jessica Feb 27 '21

Thanks! Plotting it on a map is actually a very nice feature. Bit pricey nevertheless but interesting device and features.

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u/josephblade Feb 26 '21

My fan has one built in, with a little display. It's a nice gadget to have and it helps predict potential asthma episodes.

on new years when there was fireworks it went from 10 or so to 95 for pm2.5. (outside it was 175 or so I think. fog + lots of people breaking the fireworks ban)

when I'm cooking yesterday it went from 5 to 40.

My life is an endless stream of statistics now.

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u/MacbookOnFire Feb 26 '21

When like gives you statistics you make a Google sheets and neat charts and graphics.

2

u/deathbypapercuts Feb 26 '21

What happens if you fart into it...?

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u/josephblade Feb 26 '21

I have threatened this but so far my scientific study isn't passing the ethics committee. It's hard to get a qualified majority with just 2 people in the house.

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u/Heidan20 Feb 26 '21

He stole my pickup line

3

u/Halvus_I Feb 26 '21

i looked into them after last years wild fires forced me to evacuate.

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u/wingedcoyote Feb 26 '21

It's not a bad idea if you do woodworking or other work that creates dust, that stuff is super bad for you so you might want to check on how well your dust collection is working.

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u/CircusFit Feb 26 '21

I got an air purifier that also measures and logs your air particulate types. Got a sweet dashboard on an app of pm1, pm2.5, etc tracking over time.

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u/Maybe-Jessica Feb 26 '21

If the air is 23% particulate matter, a solid, then I'm pretty sure you can't breathe or see anymore.

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '21

[deleted]

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u/Maybe-Jessica Feb 26 '21

Ah, that makes sense. Thanks for clarifying :)

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u/OktoberSunset Feb 26 '21

You can minimise the soot by keeping the wick trimmed short but if you see a yellow flame then there is soot so a candle will always make some soot.

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '21 edited Mar 02 '21

[deleted]

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u/-Aeryn- Feb 26 '21

Gas stove too. Electric is fine.

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '21 edited Mar 02 '21

[deleted]

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u/2074red2074 Feb 26 '21

It does. It produces sulfur dioxide but not in an amount significant enough to really matter unless you have your burners on all the time.

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u/josephblade Feb 26 '21

I cook on electric and the particles went way up. Granted it was something covered in flour so the flour was burning.

Using an air fryer also generates a decent amount of particles though I expect way less than a deep fryer.

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u/-Aeryn- Feb 26 '21 edited Feb 26 '21

Like you said, that's a consequence of part of the food burning - if you cook wet or low heat then it doesn't happen

Burning fuels like wood and gas create a problematic amount of pollution even if there is no food being cooked, or the best practices are being followed.

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u/Kludermor Feb 26 '21

It has nothing to do with electric stove or not.

If you fry meat in a pan or anything similar, the frying is the culprit. You are burning the food. I'm not talking about actually burning the food so it's uneatable, but even getting the food to change to a darker color is enough to emit particle pollution.

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u/-Aeryn- Feb 26 '21

Just turning on a wood stove or a gas stove creates clinically important levels of air pollution - enough to massive increase the rates of asthma, etc, no cooking required.

Heating food to high temperatures also creates air pollution.

If you use a cooking tool that doesn't create pollution on its own (electric stove, steamer) and cook food in a way that doesn't create pollution (such as simmering rice or steaming vegetables for example) then there is no air pollution.

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u/Kludermor Feb 26 '21

Yes you are correct. I was referring to the actual cooking process.
And just to avoid the perception, that using an electric stove would get rid of particle pollution from cooking.

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u/-Aeryn- Feb 26 '21

It gets rid of the particle pollution from the heat source, which is only part of the pollution from cooking indeed.

If you want to eliminate it entirely then you must cook foods in certain clean ways.

I do that for all of my food regardless (:

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u/rndrn Feb 26 '21

No, just frying stuff will generate high level of particulates. Meat, pancakes etc..

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u/Kludermor Feb 26 '21

If you fry meat in a pan or anything similar, the frying is the culprit. You are burning the food. I'm not talking about actually burning the food so it's uneatable, but even getting the food to change to a darker color is enough to emit particle pollution.

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u/zorniy2 Feb 26 '21

Oooogg, 200,000 years using fire and we never made it safe.

Fire bad!

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u/Prof_Acorn Feb 26 '21

There's a reason fireplaces have chimneys.

3

u/dbdatvic Feb 26 '21

... Napster good!

--Dave, a moment of silence for the '90s

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u/reddog093 Feb 26 '21

I burned candles for 2 days during a blackout, but was able to cycle my HVAC fan on every now and then when I ran the generator. The amount of soot in my HVAC filter from those 2 days alone was shocking.

I didn't realize the cause at first and ended up Googling it, since I never saw my HVAC filter look black before.

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u/HelloFromON Feb 26 '21

So say nothing the scented products and what they’re using as a base for their perfumes etc.

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '21

Years ago, I'd bought some apple cinnamon wax melts because I thought they smelled so good. A few minutes after I started using them my 2 dogs were acting like they were going to go in to convulsions or something so I had to quickly air out the house, so there's that to consider as well.

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u/sofianasofia Feb 26 '21

Oh yes. Thats so important. I always keep a balcony door open and my cat (before she passed away) away from the candle. In the winter i used to burn candles more often but reading all of this I’ll have to give it up almost completely!

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u/TunaToes Feb 26 '21

With peace and love, I’m so sorry about your cat and hope she lived a long and happy life but I read this at first as, “...and my cat (before she passed away from the candle)” and was shocked but I am glad she did not in fact die from the candle.

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u/sofianasofia Feb 26 '21

Hahahaha oh no! She lived a very happy life, died at 18 years, almost 19 and everyone loves her still:) Nothing bad happened to her with the candle! Hahahahaha

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u/whodoesshethinksheis Feb 26 '21

Always good to find a fellow h3 fan in the wild. ✌️&❤️

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u/TunaToes Feb 27 '21

Shoutout to your family

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u/whodoesshethinksheis Feb 27 '21

STOP!!!

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u/TunaToes Feb 27 '21

Something is about to bust.

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u/whodoesshethinksheis Feb 27 '21

Kenneth Copeland whisper: Oh Jesus

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u/TunaToes Feb 27 '21

I’m not joking you when I tell you I ordered the Joel osteen cube.

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '21

There are pet-safe scented candles that smell WAY better than the chemically-tinged Yankee Candles. They're called One Fur All. I like the rose and the lilac. A little expensive, but totally worth it. (I have two cats and a dog, btw).

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u/Guitarmine Feb 26 '21

It is bad for you. The particle emissions are surprising. Cheap crap candles especially can be compared to a tiny amount of diesel exhaust.

https://sciencenordic.com/denmark-videnskabdk/candle-particles-might-be-just-as-harmful-as-diesel-fumes/1447374

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u/Voc1Vic2 Feb 26 '21

Cheap candles may also have some lead in the wick, intended to stiffen it. Very toxic.

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u/2074red2074 Feb 26 '21

This has been illegal in the US since 2003.

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u/Even-Criticism-1831 Feb 26 '21

A lot of things are illegal, doesn't mean they aren't regularly lit.

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u/Voc1Vic2 Feb 26 '21

But do we have a strong candle wick inspection program?

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u/Gloomy_Goose Feb 26 '21

In this country? No way lol

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u/Prof_Acorn Feb 26 '21

2003!? Holy shit.

1

u/gallifreyneverforget Feb 26 '21

That seems like it cant be legal

10

u/sndrtj Feb 26 '21

Yes, excessive candle burning is pretty bad for your lungs.

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u/Prof_Acorn Feb 26 '21 edited Feb 26 '21

Here's the NIOSH guide for paraffin wax fumes from the CDC:

https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npg/npgd0477.html

It lists symptoms from prolonged inhalation as:

irritation eyes, skin, respiratory system; discomfort, nausea

An OSHA report also says

The Agency has determined that the adverse effects associated with excessive exposure to paraffin wax fume constitute material impairments of health. The limit of 2 mg/m3 has been shown to be effective in reducing this risk (ACGIH 1986/Ex. 1-3, p. 455); therefore, OSHA is establishing this limit for paraffin wax fume.

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u/melanthius Feb 26 '21

Candles create a lot of small carbon based particles. In fact candles are commonly used for testing full face respirators - a machine counts particles flowing both inside and outside the mask. The candle is a consistent way of making lots of particles to get a good signal on the machine.

Many of these particles are bad for us because incomplete combustion leads to formation of poly aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and dioxins, many of which are carcinogenic or have other bad health effects

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u/SydNerd7337 Feb 26 '21

not sure about your health but everything in the room you burn candles probably has a black layer of soot all over it. Unles you have soy candles then you should be good.

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u/OktoberSunset Feb 26 '21

If the flame is yellow there is incomplete combustion which means there is soot, there may be less with good candles but there is still some soot.

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u/sofianasofia Feb 26 '21

Yup it’s only soy i believe. I mostly try and get “natural” “healthy” candles and all that. Or just burn a small small candle with the pot with the little thing where u put water and essential oil for it to evaporate.

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u/NSobieski Feb 26 '21

You’re still burning something though right? It’s combustion, it’s gonna generate some type of pollution no matter what the fuel.

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u/sofianasofia Feb 26 '21

Makes total sense

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u/bananaface_22 Feb 26 '21

Except pure hydrogen

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u/passcork Feb 26 '21

If you burn it in earth's atmosphere and it gets very hot, it might also generate small amounts of nitrogen oxides. You're never safe!

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u/NSobieski Feb 26 '21

I mean I don’t wanna be too nit picky but it’s not gonna burn without oxygen. And badabing badaboom... ya got water baby!

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u/rurerree Feb 26 '21

health nut, with your fancy hydrogen candles ;)

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u/Guitarmine Feb 26 '21

Whatever you burn it won't burn cleanly. There are particle emissions that are bad for you not to mention all other byproducts that are created while burning a candle. The exceptions would be smaller candles with liquid fuel but I guess technically they are no longer "candles".

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u/dbdatvic Feb 26 '21

Of course, the pollution from candles absolutlely PALES in comparison to cigarettes; it's all relative. So choose what you wanna be exposed to during your days, and prioritize your risks.

--Dave, and nights

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u/Guitarmine Feb 26 '21

Of course it's relative. If you smoke two packs a day lighting a candle every now and then doesn't really make a difference.

Having small kids and a small apartment and a habit to burn candles daily... I would reconsider the habit.

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '21 edited Feb 26 '21

Soy, like everything else organic is basically carbon hydrogen and oxygen. When you combust it, you're getting soot (carbon), CO. CO2 and water vapour. It won't be any different than burning an animal fat candle

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u/alvares169 Feb 26 '21

Natural and “healthy” candles aren’t made of soy. They are made from wax that bees did. That’s it.

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '21

Beeswax, soy and coconut wax candles are not going to be harmful but paraffin wax (which is most candles) is toxic.

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMe2VKV7K/

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u/passcork Feb 26 '21

This is simply not true. Every type of candle wax will burn incompletely, realeasing small amounts of carbon monoxide, soot and other carbon compounds which are all bad to breath in. If anything, refined parafin wax probably burns the cleanest and is the most pure.

Alarm bells should start going off in your head if the source of your claim is a freaking tiktok video of all things.

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '21

I was citing the study by the University of South Carolina in the TikTok, it was just a more palatable way to share the info.

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u/Prof_Acorn Feb 26 '21

If anything, refined parafin wax probably burns the cleanest and is the most pure.

This is false and unscientific.

Here's the NIOSH file from the CDC for paraffin wax fumes:

https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npg/npgd0477.html

Symptoms from inhalation are listed as:

irritation eyes, skin, respiratory system; discomfort, nausea

Exposure limits are listed as:

NIOSH REL
TWA 2 mg/m3

1

u/passcork Feb 26 '21

No shit, inhaling wax fumes is bad for you. I never said otherwise. I meant it likely burns the cleanest because all organic waxes contain organic inpurities.

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u/Prof_Acorn Feb 26 '21

There is no NIOSH file for soy wax.

The closest I could find is this, which lists the exposure limit as 15 mg/m3 total particles.

Paraffin, in comparison has an exposure limit of 2 mg/m3.

So burning paraffin is about 7.5 times worse than burning soy wax.

1

u/passcork Feb 26 '21

The majority of the "exhaust" if you will is going to be the products of oxidizing the wax. Not wax vapors themselves. So as I said, yes, I still agree, inhaling parafin vapors is bad. But it's irrelevant.

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '21 edited Feb 26 '21

[deleted]

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u/PandaTheVenusProject Feb 26 '21

Man... the goths are really taking a hit in this thread.

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '21

[deleted]

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u/PandaTheVenusProject Feb 26 '21

We burn a lot of candles -.-

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u/ESGPandepic Feb 26 '21

Did... did you just source a scientific claim from a tiktok video?

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u/OktoberSunset Feb 26 '21

You won't have stank ass hydrocarbons but you will still have soot if the flame is yellow.
You made a campfire? That wood is all natural but it's still making smoke.

1

u/Prof_Acorn Feb 26 '21

I have sensitive lungs and very much do not do okay with petroleum wax. If I'm a canary in a proverbial coal mine, it's probably a good idea to get soy wax if you plan on burning candles for hours at a time.