There is the possibility that children are slowly being poisoned with lead from candles and this will put a stop to that. The government is concerned that children could inhale the lead or eat it after it settles onto surfaces. Children are particularly vulnerable to lead poisoning, which can cause a variety of ailments, ranging from lower intelligence and learning disabilities to seizures and death. Most candles with lead are sold by foreign companies, which are doing better business than ever because of a boom in the candle industry. American manufacturers produced about 700 million pounds of candles in 1999 and about 445 million pounds were imported, a third of which came from China.
China has no policy on lead in candles.
The U.S. candle industry is standing behind the ban, but opposes the suggestion that all candles with metal wicks should be thrown away or left unused. McDermott said consumers can identify lead wicks by rubbing them on paper and looking for a mark like a pencil. While the government studies didn't say precisely how many dangerous candles are in stores, it does support research by the consumer group Public Citizen that found about 3 percent of the candles purchased from retail stores in the Washington area contain lead. Following its study a year ago, Public Citizen and two national housing associations asked the safety commission to ban the candles. Walt Disney Internet Group, ABC call inc.