Candles Of Our Future

Infiniti Team For Nussentials: Candles Of Our Future: More Info About Nussentials

Candle Cautions

Healthy Alternatives to Paraffin
By Bill Strubbe

Originally published in Massage & Bodywork magazine.

Last year, while rearranging the paintings in her living room, Cathy Crystal noticed black smudges on the walls around the frames. Baffled, she looked around and discovered similar "ghostings" surrounding the electrical outlets and air conditioning vents. "We don't allow smoking in our house, and we have a vent over the stove," recalls the herbalist and nutritionist in Santa Cruz, Calif., "so it didn't make sense." It wasn't until a week later, while lighting a constellation of votive candles on the mantle for an evening soiree, that the source of the soot suddenly dawned on her. The American Lung Association and the Environmental Illness Society of Canada both in recent years issued warnings that candles are among the most common unrecognized culprits of poor indoor air quality.

David Kraus, an air quality engineer and former employee of the Florida Department of Health, says that paraffin candle soot is similar to that released by diesel fuel, and since 1992 the rate of complaints received rose from two a year to two a week. BSD or "Black Soot Deposition" damages paint, curtains, wallpaper, upholstery, clothing, and the ventilation or H/VAC system, not to mention human skin and lungs. Microscopic soot particles, which penetrate deep into the lungs, are responsible for aggravating respiratory illnesses and pose significantly higher risks in children, who have faster respiration rates.

The State of California, under its Proposition 65 Safe Drinking Water and Toxic
Enforcement Act of 1986, identified a toxic stew of ingredients released by candles: acetone, 2-butanone, carbon disulfide, carbon tetrachloride, cresol, chlorobenzene, carbon monoxide, cyclopentene, ethylbenzene, phenol, styrene, tetrachloroethene, trichloroethene, benzene and tolene, the last two determined by the EPA to be possible carcinogens. Due to lack of regulations, candle manufacturers and retailers are not required to list or disclose toxic compounds in their products, nor do they have to supply a list of ingredients upon consumer requests.

"We do know that there are irritants in the burning of paraffin and petrochemicals," explains Chris Molinari, vice president of global communication at Aveda, which uses only beeswax and essential oils in their candle products. "And from a sustainability perspective, as a brand, we do not use any materials that are not from renewable sources."

The health hazards of paraffin fumes are exacerbated by health spas and massage therapists who often, in order to create a tranquil ambiance, burn candles in what are typically small, confined, airtight studio spaces. While a therapist imparts the benefits of their training and healing skills, the air that both client and therapist breath is seriously compromised with toxins emitted by even a single candle. "My massage room is quite small," explains Bill Murphy, a San Francisco massage therapist. "When I would burn votive candles -- sometimes as many as four or five -- I would begin to feel uncomfortable, overcome, suffocated. And that was before I heard
about the hazards of paraffin.

Now, even though they're more expensive, I only burn beeswax and soya candles." As Murphy has discovered, not all candles are toxic. The offending culprits are paraffin, colorants, synthetically scented oils, and lead wicks. The most common fuel used in the candle industry is paraffin, the final refining product extracted after asphalt. This "bottom of the barrel" grayish-black sludge is then decolorized with 100 percent strength bleach, creating toxic dioxins. It's further processed using more carcinogenic chemicals, tinted with synthetic colorants, and artificially scented with chemicals producing chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) -- the gases eroding the ozone layer and contributing to the greenhouse effect.

The Solutions

The unprecedented growth in the last decade of the candle market has motivated many companies -- Nussentials, Body Shop, Gap, and Banana Republic -- to introduce candles into their product line. With research indicating that fragrance intensity influences sales, manufacturers have exploited the trend of aromatherapy by simply dumping synthetic oils -- much of which does not completely combust -- into paraffin candles and claiming dubious benefits to health and well-being.

"Very few candle manufacturers use pure, essential oils, largely because of the expense," explains Kelly Hollandazzaro, spokesperson for the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy (NAHA), a professional organization actively involved in educating the public and manufacturers about true aromatherapy.
"If a candle is scented of, say for example, coconut, watermelon, or cranberry, it is not natural because there is no essential oil for those scents. And massage therapists burning synthetic scented candles in their studio are more likely to cause allergic reactions. I use only unscented soy or beeswax candles."

NAHA recently developed quality standards for a "True Aromatherapy Product" seal -- look for a TAP sticker -- to help guide consumers. Other possible hazards are unsuspecting wicks. A study done by the University of Michigan School of Public Health found that a candle burning with a lead core wick for an hour raises lead poisoning inside a home to unsafe levels. Maryanne McDermott, executive vice president of the National Candle Association (NCA), says that even though U.S. candle makers voluntarily agreed 25 years ago to prohibit lead wicks, some
candles -- primarily imports -- sold in the country have lead in them. (To determine if a wick has a lead core, rub a piece of paper on the tip of the wick to see if it leaves a mark.) Fortunately for the romantics among us, safe alternatives do exist. Beeswax, derived from Mother Nature's flowers, is nontoxic, naturally aromatic, and the only fuel that emits beneficial negative ions when burned, thereby removing positively-charged particles of dust, pollen, mold, mildew, and toxic emissions from rugs, paint, and construction materials from the air. But beeswax supplies are limited, making them expensive, a beeswax votive costs about $2, a paraffin votive about 50 cents.

Another renewable, nonpolluting, and moderately priced source of candle fuel is soya wax. Fourteen years ago, when Michael Richards' client, The Body Shop, requested costcutting measures on their beeswax candles, the Iowa candle maker began experimenting with vegetable-based waxes. With the help of the Soy Bean Council of Iowa he eventually created a viable market for what had become a surplus item. Richards currently uses only about 2 million pounds of soy oil a year, but hopes the amount will increase as the health hazards of paraffin become better recognized.

In 2000, after Richards learned about and then confirmed paraffin's toxicity through a controlled experiment -- even high quality paraffin generated considerable soot, while beeswax and soya produced little measurable soot -- British Petroleum sued to stop him from publicly speaking out about the results. (The NCA similarly threatened the American Lung Association with legal action.) Though the court ruled in Richards' favor, the National Candle Association sent letters to him and some of his wax customers threatening legal action claiming he lacked scientific basis for disparaging paraffin. Richards no longer manufactures candles, but now operates the Candle College to train cottage industry chandlers. The NCA's response comes as little surprise because the oil industry holds a dominant position in the candle business. (Three companies account for about 80 percent of the candle business.) Not only do they sell their byproducts to the candle industry, but business people from the petroleum industry sit on the board of the NCA.

"Soya candles comprise only about 1 percent of the market. They're a little more expensive (a soya votive runs about 75 cents) than paraffin, but as we educate consumers and manufacturers and capture more of the market, the price will even out," Richards says, explaining that about 8 to 10 billion pounds of paraffin are used annually in the United States: 33 percent for candles, the rest in milk cartons, food packaging, wax paper, etc. "About 18 billion pounds of soy oil are produced every year, so we have the capacity to replace petroleum wax without having to plant more soy beans. We're part of a much bigger revolution.

Many, if not most, of the products we now make from petroleum will be replaced within 15 years by plant-based products."

Bill Strubbe is a freelance writer and massage therapist from Oakland, Calif

Nussentials Releases Two New Products

Phil Mims and the folks over at Nussentials have been busy again. Nussentials released two new products which adds to an already excellent product line geared towards making people feel better, and for some, be healthy for the first time in a long time. CARIDO! and MULTI! are now available with your local Nussentials representative. Don't have one? Post a comment here and we will get you in touch with one today.

CARDIO!

A Proprietary antioxidant blend of Coenzyme Q10, Pomegranate Extract and their flagship ingredient, stablized rice bran, designed for cardiovascular health. CARDIO! helps maintain healthy blood pressure levels, helps protect against atherosclerosis and helps support normal cholesterol levels.

Stabilized rice bran is one of the highest natural sources of phytosterols in nature. Among other health benefits, phytosterols can help reduce cholesterol by decreasing lipids (fats) circulating in the bloodstream. Stabilized rice bran products are also a good source of tocotrienols which can help reduce total and LDL cholesterol.

Pomegranate Extract is a powerful antioxidant containing polyphenols, tannins and anthocyanins. Recent scientific studies suggest that pomegranate may have beneficial effects on cardiovascular disease including atherosclerosis. These studies showed that carotid artery thickness decreased and cardiac blood flow improved with use of pomegranate. Preliminary evidence also suggests that pomegranate may help reduce levels of cholesterol and systolic blood pressure.

Coenzyme Q10 (Co Q10) is a strong antioxidant and is an essential ingredient in the body's production of energy and in the normal metabolism of fat and energy. It participates in biochemical reactions in our bodies that provide energy. A growing body of research suggests that using Co Q10 supplements alone or in combination with other drug therapies and nutritional supplements may help prevent or treat a variety of heart diseases including high blood pressure. Researchers believe that the beneficial effect of CoQ10 in the prevention and treatment of heart disease is due to its ability to improve energy production in cells, inhibit blood clot formation, and its activity as a powerful antioxidant. A growing number of nutrition oriented doctors say that supplements of Co Q10 are absolutely essential for people with a variety of heart diseases, including cardiac failure.

MULTI!

MultiVitamin / MultiMineral With Amino Acids and herbs in great tasting liquid formula for maximum absorption by the body.

Most of us are unaware of this important concept. We need vitamins in balance and MULTI! has all the important vitamins we need; balanced the way nature intended. MULTI! provides these vitamins in a high absorption liquid for maximum assimilation in the body.

Minerals are depended on by every living cell for proper function. Minerals are needed in your body for:

• Proper composition of body fluids
• Formation of blood and bone
• Maintenance of healthy nerve function
• The regulation of muscle tone
• Proper functioning of the heart muscles.

Like vitamins, the body must maintain minerals in proper balance; we need minerals in the proper balance, the way nature intended. MULTI! provides a balanced blend of 70 minerals in a high absorption colloidal form for maximum absorption.

Amino Acids are the building blocks that make up proteins and it is protein that provides the structure for all living things. Every living organism is composed of protein. Next to water, protein makes up the greatest portion of your body.

Protein substances make up:

• Muscles
• Ligaments
• Tendons
• Organs
• Glands
• Nails
• Hair
• Many body fluids.

The enzymes and hormones that regulate the body are also proteins. the proteins that make up the human body are not obtained directly from the diet. Amino Acids are produced from the break down of the protein you eat. It is these Amino Acids that your body needs. Of the known Amino Acids, less than half are essential. But of the essential Amino Acids, all must be present in your diet to continue proper protein synthesis. MULTI! provides your diet with the essential Amino Acids.

Herbs help detoxify and cleanse the body, allowing the body to purify itself. Unlike chemically synthesized, highly concentrated pharmaceutical drugs that produce countless side effects, herbs can realign the body's natural defenses, balance the body and help the body to heal itself without any side effects. Herbal combinations are not addictive or habit forming supplements, but are powerful nutritional agents that assist the body naturally.

MULTI! is an all-natural liquid formula. Research has shown that micro-ionized particles suspended in liquid form are much more readily absorbed by the body, thus offering a significantly higher level of positive health benefits when compared to capsules or pills.