A recent study found that scented wax melts emit aroma compounds that interact with indoor ozone, forming potentially harmful particles. This challenges the common belief that they are a safer alternative to combustion-based candles. ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology Letters published the research.
Nanoparticle Formation: Investigating the Hidden Risks of Scented Wax Melts
Previous research has shown that scented wax melts emit more airborne scent compounds than traditional candles. The new study explains that directly heating the wax maximizes its surface area, releasing more fragrance, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs) made of hydrocarbons, into the air. Researchers have found that these chemicals can react with other airborne compounds to form nanometer-wide particles, which have been linked to negative health effects when inhaled.
However, they were previously unaware of the potential for nanoparticle formation during wax-melt use. To investigate this process, Nusrat Jung, Brandon Boor, and their colleagues from Purdue University in the US conducted experiments using wax melts in a full-scale house model designed to mimic a typical residential home. They tested 15 commercially available melts both unscented and scented (lemon, papaya, tangerine, and peppermint) inside the model house.
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Airborne Nanoparticles: How Scent Melts Contribute to Indoor Pollution
First, the researchers established a baseline of indoor air pollutants. Then, they activated the wax warmer for about two hours. Throughout and after this period, they continuously sampled the air a few yards (meters) away from the wax melts. Their analysis revealed airborne nanoparticles, measuring between 1 and 100 nanometers wide, at levels comparable to those previously reported for traditional combustion-based candles.
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During the experiments, they identified the main VOCs emitted from wax melts as terpenes, including monoterpenes and monoterpenoids. They discovered that airborne terpenes reacted with ozone to form sticky compounds, which then aggregated into nanoscale particles. However, when they warmed an unscented melt, they observed no terpene emissions or nanoparticle formation. This finding suggests that aroma compounds play a key role in nanoparticle formation.