Candles are widely used in home and religious use. However, they are also products that need special attention during their use
as they can be caused by:
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fires (eg in England it is reported that 4% of house fires are caused by candles).
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burns (from flame, incandescent container or waxing wax)
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toddlers drowning (from swallowing imitation food candles)
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Respiratory problems (due to their composition and use in poorly ventilated area create serious chronic health problems.
Common problems with commercial candles are:
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Candles - imitation food prohibited under Directive 87/357 / EEC
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Candles that contain decorative materials that can cause a large flame, explosion, etc.
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Their incorrect and / or non-existent labeling
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Poor quality candles which may form a strong smoke or secondary flame or be contained in unsuitable containers
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Poor quality candles, not stable at room temperatures (eg picture-1)
Figure 1Imitation food candle, candle with decorative sunflower seeds, where the sunflower seeds embedded in the candle were ignited with a strong flame that reached a height of 10cm and wax that has melted at the temperature that develops in the place of its placement.
Candles are divided into:
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Paraffin candles, where the burning mass consists of paraffin
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Stearin candles where the burning mass consists of stearin, at least 90%
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Beeswax candles where they consist exclusively of beeswax without additives.
Sometimes burning masses of other types of vegetable and animal fats are used, which, however, according to the current (!) Government Gazette 3B / 5-1-1959 are not characterized as candles in Greece.
The function of the candle depends on many factors, but mainly on the type of fuel and the wick. These two parameters are related to the creation of the flame. In the flame there are distinct zones the initial burning of the candle (in molten form) the inside of the flame where the cracking takes place in the absence of air, the bright yellow part where it is a continuation of the cracking and the outer zone which comes in contact with oxygen.
Candles made from bad or unsuitable raw materials or made without compliance can create dangerous pollutants during combustion together with tobacco such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), volatile organic substances, dioxins, heavy metals.
For this purpose, the candles must meet the specifications and have a successful test according to standard EN 15426 where the candle is examined for how much its "smokes" during its burning.
This test is supplemented by the tests referred to in standard EN 15493:
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Candle stability test
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Combustion control
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Flame height control
Candles must respond positively to the above laboratory tests, to be legally marketed.
Counterfeiting of beeswax is common and is in great demand by beekeepers to produce honeycomb leaves for bees but also for cosmetic products.
Qualitative characteristics of beeswax
|
Drοping point |
61-650C |
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Number of acids |
17-24 |
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No. saponification |
87-104 |
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Number of esters |
70-80 |
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Reason |
3.3-4.3 |
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Total hydrocarbons |
18% |
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Counterfeiting |
gas chromatography |
Consult HELLASCHEM for:
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Candle analyzes (quality control, counterfeiting, candle safety)
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ISO 9001: 2015 certification of candle production - marketing companies