EDCS: ARE CANDLES SAFE TO BURN AROUND CHILDREN & PETS?

If you live in California, chances are you have probably spotted a white sign displayed on the wall of every establishment stating, “Entering this area can expose you to chemicals knows to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm”? Well this is due to California Proposition 65 Warning labels that require all businesses to put warning labels on the goods being sold. Want to guess how many chemicals are on the CA P65 warning list? Over 900 chemicals! California law requires businesses to have these warning labels on all the goods being sold. This law is intended to make consumers aware that the product they are buying contains carcinogens and harmful chemicals. You know what is even scarier?  Not all states in the U.S. require this law. Actually businesses are only required to warn you, but they are not required  to remove these harmful chemicals from their products. 

Until the 1930s, fragrances and perfumes were strictly made from natural things created by Mother Nature. However, clever people figured out a way to make synthetic perfumes and fragrances that lasted longer on the skin.  One can say that these syntactic fragrance are imitation of natural scents. Although these fragrances were more “convenient” because they were more affordable, they came at a deadly cost. 

What are EDCs?

Did you know that hormones affect everything from blood pressure, growth, hair, skin, nails, infertility, sex drive, temperament, metabolism, sleep, etc. In other words, hormones call the shots by telling our bodies what to do and when to do it. Unfortunately, our bodies cannot tell the difference between natural fragrances and synthetic ones. And, since your skin is the largest organ in your body, when you spray synthetic chemicals on, they go straight into your bloodstream. This causes total chaos in our endocrine system. The endocrine system is responsible for regulating your thyroid, your adrenal glands, sex organs, to name a few. All of these are heavily affected by EDCs (Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals). Trust me, you do not want your endocrine system disrupted. 

Scientific studies have found that even the smallest amounts of EDCs in our bodies can have lasting harmful impacts in our endocrine system. In fact, Dr. Louis Guillete (reproductive endocrinologist) conducted a study on reproductive rates of alligators at Lake Apopka in Florida. As the study progressed, Dr. Guillette found that only 10% of alligator’s eggs were hatched. Very unusual for healthy alligators. It was then that Dr. Guillette found the cause of this. It turns out that there was a nearby fragrance factory, and ofcourse, they were dumping  their chemical waste into the lake. Over time, this affected the reproductive ability of these alligators. Thus, Dr. Guillete came to the realization that these toxic EDCs being dumped into the lake were causing these harmful effects in the alligators. For this reason, Dr. Guillete asked himself, “If this is happening to the alligators, I wonder if these EDCs are also affecting people?” Well, let me tell ya. From the years 1973-2011, the average male sperm count had fallen by more than 50%! This study made evident the serious threat of human exposure to EDCs. 

Moreover, there are two big EDCs that affect human bodies the most: phthalates and BPAs (Bisphenol A). These last ones are linked to diabetes, liver disease, early miscarriages, brain development in children, among many other harmful side effects. Some researchers believe that early exposure to these EDCs can cause severe diseases that would manifest later in life. No surprise to find out that phthalate is the chemical responsible for making perfume last all day on your skin. Does this mean that people working at Bath & Body Works are at risk? 

Furthermore, there are more than 17, 000 different perfumes made out of 4, 000 synthetic chemicals, and no surprise, they are heavily loaded with phthalates. What is truly shocking is that because companies are not required to list phthalates on the ingredient labels, most people are not even aware of the harm they are causing their loved ones, including loyal companions. There are no requirements on any level, state or federal, that mandate companies disclose their fragrance ingredients. Why is nobody regulating the fragrance industry? This is terrifying if you ask me. 

La REYna smells devine (Bergamot + Lily of the Valley + Dark Musk + Ylang Ylang)

I know we all love candles. Especially in the fall and holiday season. But, the majority of candles being sold in the market are extremely bad for us. I don’t mean to be a Debbie downer, but I just want to make you aware of the situation. For instance, have you ever experienced a headache or migraines when burning a candle? Do you ever wonder why? Yes, EDCs. When you burn a candle, you are creating something called indoor air pollution. This is common on candle wax made out of petroleum, like paraffin waxes.These bad chemicals you end up inhaling can cause allergies, asthma attacks, skin problems, cancer, etc. Needless to say these are extremely toxic to all living organisms. 

A really brilliant doctor, Andrew Sledd, who specializes in environmental toxicology, stated that, “burning a candle for one hour is like smoking a single cigarette”. Consequently, when you burn paraffin candles, you are harming your children and pets. Side effects include coughing, stomach problems, skin problems, and overall, health problems. 

For all the reasons stated above, I created Nancy Dianne luxury eco-conscious wood wick candles because I believe the world deserves to elevate their candle experience. Now, everybody can enjoy burning a sustainable candle that is non-toxic, phthalates-free. As a matter of fact, ND candles are vegan, gluten-free, paraben-free, skin-safe wax, clean burning, biodegradable and natural with an excellent hot and cold throw. 

I hope this information was eye opening to you.

-NANCY DIANNE/FOUNDER
P.S. Check out these organizations for more info:

Earth Justice: https://earthjustice.org/

Black Women For Wellness: https://bwwla.org/

Breast Cancer Prevention Partners: https://www.bcpp.org/