According to a Nature Communications published study, scientists have revealed health risks connected to scented candles that are relatively long left unheeded. Burning scented candles introduces pollutants associated with brain inflammation, reduced cognitive capacity, and other serious health risks.
Twenty-six adults were studied over candle emissions-exposed air, with both cognitive levels of selective attention and emotional recognition undergoing severe impairment.
![](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,<svg height="1080px" width="1920px" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" version="1.1"/>)
![](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,<svg height="566px" width="1006px" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" version="1.1"/>)
An alarming finding was that the candles produced pollution. These candles were mainly composed of aldehydes and VOCs that may worsen respiratory diseases and allergies and act as carcinogens.
Scented Candles Impact
Scented candles are now almost taken for granted in homes, virtually creating atmosphere and adding their scent. However, that pleasure may well come with a cost. The burning of these candles is suspected of introducing indoor air pollution, leading to inflammation of the brain, which in turn weakens certain cognitive capability functions, thus making it significantly harder to focus, reason, or recognize emotions.
The emission of burning candles has a strong effect on the cognitive function of selective attention, which is important for concentration and productivity. The findings suggest that long-term exposure to such pollutants can have cumulative effects on the nervous system.
Are Candles Toxic?
The more obvious cognitive dysfunction aspects are that scented candles emit toxic compounds, linking many of them to formaldehyde, benzene, PAHs, and others. These may irritate the skin, the eyes, and the lungs, bring on headaches, dizziness, and allergic reactions, and are, in fact, potentially carcinogenic.
Christian Pfrang, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Birmingham, stated that the burning of candles causes the release into the surrounding air of particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, and carbon monoxide. These pollutants have cumulative effects in conjunction with aspiration and other industrial respiratory diseases.
