Wicks, that is. Don't make the assumption that a candle doesn't include lead. Last week, the CPSC voted on the group's petition calling for a ban, but the results haven't been released yet. Recent studies, including Nriagu's and another cited in a letter to the Journal of the American Medical Association last year, suggest between 10 percent and 30 percent of candles sold in this country have wicks with lead. Public Citizen tests show emissions following three hours of burning that ranged from 15 micrograms to 54 micrograms.
Lead poisoning can harm the central nervous system, the kidney and blood cells.
Lead is not necessary in wicks of candles, and it is not necessary to consumers. No ban was enacted because U.S. candle makers agreed to stop using lead, which helps straighten wicks. But in the last five years, candles have exploded in popularity, says Marianne McDermott, executive vice president of the National Candle Association, a trade group representing 100 U.S. candle makers and suppliers. What that has meant, McDermott says, is that some of the new candle makers don't abide by the 1973 agreement. The candles emitting dangerous lead levels came from the United States and other countries, Nriagu says.