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by Diane MacEachern
Care2
Candles make everything special – unless their wicks are made from lead and the candle itself is full of chemicals that could cause cancer. Sound too dramatic? It’s not. Candles with lead-core wicks release five times the amount of lead considered to be dangerous for children (see note at end about lead-core wicks). Candles made from paraffin, a petroleum by-product, release carcinogenic soot when burned. Safer alternatives are those that use a cotton or paper wick, and are either unscented or scented with essential oils.
The candles themselves should be made with 100 percent soy, beeswax, coconut wax, hemp oil, or some combination that doesn’t contain any paraffin.
Here are 7 candles to look for when you shop:
1) Way Out Wax – This Morrisville, Vermont company makes candles both out of one hundred percent beeswax and from a combination of vegetable wax and hemp oil wax. The wick is cotton or hemp, and any fragrance is derived by essential plant oils. By the way, to minimize soot, trim wicks to 1/4 inch, and do not burn candles near a draft.
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Every Day is Earth Day