Candle

A candle is a light source usually consisting of an internal wick which rises through the center of a column of solid fuel. Typically the fuel is some form of wax with paraffin wax being the most common.

Hazards

Candles are a major cause of damaging fire in households.

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A former worry regarding the safety of candles was that a lead core is used in the wicks in order to keep the wicks upright in container candles. Without a stiff core, the wicks of container candles would sag and drown in the deep wax pool formed. The fear was that the lead in these wicks would vaporize during the burning process and release lead vapours - a known health and developmental hazard. While this was true at one time, lead-cored wicks have not been in common use since the 1970s. While some very small percentage of candles might still be found to have lead cored wicks, these are extremely rare. Most metal-cored wicks use zinc or a zinc alloy. Wicks made from specially-treated paper and cotton are also used to replace metal-cored wicks of any type. Still, caution should be used with candles fabricated overseas, since there is no regulation in the U.S. for the importation of foreign candles.

Related Topics:
Lead - 1970s - Zinc - Alloy

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