The particles eminating from burning scented wax melts indoors can create a “tremendous amount” of indoor air pollution — similar to pollution caused by diesel engines.
It’s all about how terpenes — the chemical compounds that give wax its scent — react with the existing ozone in the home to create new particles. A new study from Purdue University found that while wax melts may appear to be healthier than burning a scented candle, the terpenes released result in “significant” indoor particle pollution. The pollution is “comparable to those emitted by combustion-based scented candles, gas stoves, diesel engines, and natural gas engines,” according to the research, which was published in Environmental Science & Technology Letters.
“If you’re using cleaning and aromatherapy products full of chemically manufactured scents to recreate a forest in your home, you’re actually creating a tremendous amount of indoor air pollution that you shouldn’t be breathing in,” said study co-author, Nusrat Jung, an Assistant Professor in Purdue’s Lyles School of Civil and Construction Engineering, in a statement.
Stock image of scented wax melts.
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The study was conducted in Purdue’s “tiny house lab,” called zEDGE (zero-Energy Design Guidance for Engineers). It’s equipped with sensors that can measure how everyday activities impact indoor air quality.
Researchers note that the presence of the particles doesn’t necessarily mean they’re harmful, but there should be “further research on the toxicological properties of the newly formed nanoparticles to better understand their environmental health implications.”
Jung adds that since these “actively alter indoor air chemistry” they “could have significant health implications … These processes should be considered in the design and operation of buildings and their HVAC systems to reduce our exposures.”
Dr. Margery E. Hoffman, Purdue’s Associate Professor in Civil Engineering, Brandon Boor, who also co-authored the study, added: “Indoor air quality is often overlooked in the design and management of the buildings we live and work in, yet it has a direct impact on our health every day.”
