Study suggests paraffin-made candles cause cancer

A new study suggests a candlelit bath isn't that romantic as it looks like because paraffin, the widely used candle-making material based on petroleum, emits toxins when it burns.

Those toxic pollutants, including benzene,toluene and ketones, lead to diseases like cancer, asthma and birth defects, according to the research by the scientists from Orangeburg-based South Carolina State University. Amid Hamidi, one of the authors of the study, said occasionally burning paraffin candles doesn't affect people's health. Long-term frequent burning, especially in the unventilated bathroom, is the real killer, Hamidi told MSNBC. Though it sounds like a blow, people who like to enjoy their time in the tub surrounded by candlelight don't have to change their habits. Research shows candles made of vegetable-based wax and bee wax don't have the problem, though they are bit more expensive. The Environmental Protection Agency agrees that paraffin candles have long been considered a source of indoor air pollution, but Barbara Miller, spokesman of the National Candle Association, argued all candles are safe if they are burned properly. Rob Harrington, a scientist with Illinois-based candle-maker Blyth Inc, said the industry conducted a similar study in a German lab in 2007 that showed no practical difference between paraffin-based and vegetable wax-based candles. The new research is said to be funded by a Department of Agriculture grant under a title called "Soybean Candles for Healthy Life and Well-being."