Indoor Air Quality Blurb
Burning Indoor Air
Quality
Most of us do not
allow smoking in our place of business or home and I think NONE
of us would allow anyone to light a quart of motor oil in our place
of business or home. Burning motor oil is not that much different
from burning candles from a health, soot, and indoor air quality
perspective. Of course burning motor oil doesn’t provide the
romantic atmosphere, stress release, and fragrances of candles.
Soot is a product
of incomplete combustion of carbon-containing fuels, usually
petroleum-based. The soot not only discolors walls and furniture,
it can also contaminate your home’s ventilation system. Although
the problems resulting from burning candles can be minimized, the
basic problem is that candle flames must contain soot or they will
not be bright. Soot is the source of the bright white/yellow light
that candles emit. A flame without soot will burn blue, like the
flame from a gas stove. If candles are not properly manufactured,
or contain too high quantities of fragranced oils that are not
suitable for combustion, the result could be an indoor air quality
problem. Some core wicks on imported candles have even been found
to be made of lead.
Experts report
that computers have been ruined, and in some instances there is so
much soot generated from burning candles that it is causing severe
damage to many homes and furnishings, and homeowners are mistakenly
suing their builders and HVAC companies for improper installation of
the systems.
Unfortunately,
soot from candles can also be toxic. Breathing soot is not
recommended at all. The soot particles can travel deep into the
lungs. Those with asthma, lung or heart disease are particularly
vulnerable. To make matters worse, many scented and aromatherapy
candles are made with paraffin and synthetic fragrance oils.
Paraffin is a petroleum product - a byproduct of oil refining - and
most fragrance oils used for candle making are petroleum-based
synthetics. The soot from these materials can contain carcinogens,
neurotoxins and reproductive toxins
While there are some steps you can
take to reduce the amount of soot produced by candles, soot buildup
is difficult to remove. Polar solvents provide the best remedy.
For hard plastic surfaces, rubbing alcohol can be used, although
"ghosting" may result. This ghosting effect, which is typical on
many plastic surfaces, is caused by the smallest particles that
can’t be removed.
Consult cleaning services
specializing in fire restoration for cleaning other surfaces and the
HVAC system.
Doug Long, ASCS
Power Vac
America, Inc.
Air Duct Cleaning and HVAC Systems Cleaning in Texas
