Sustainability

Northern Light  -  watching over the candles that you breathe

 

Northern light candles are free from paraffin, paints/decorations, palm oil, soy oil or any other hazardous ingredient.

 

Even the re usable tea light containers, produced by northern light in australia, are all made from re cycled australian tin, they are good for hundreds of burns and some of our clients have re used them for more than 15 years!

Aluminum  processing is a known impacter upon our environment, and may produce toxic fumes at relatively low temperatures, yet almost all tea lights, bees wax or either, come in aluminum cups that the manufacturer supplies so that you can throw them in the bin!   Good grief, economic vandalism in the name of cheap yet again.

There is no harm to bee, environment or person in the making of northern light candles.

 

Why would anyone paint a beeswax candle?

At least one or more candle manufacturers in australia are painting or adding petro chemical dyes to the outside of beeswax candles, in the name of decoration.

These candle fumes are potentially very toxic and dangerous, especially toward unborn children and toddlers.

There is no material safety data sheet in the world that supports the burning of any 'paint' in a confined space, this is because the fumes of paint can be very, very harmful.

The same manufacturer/manufacturers tout that their product is 'pure beeswax' which is nonsense if it contains paint, it is no longer pure beeswax, it is beeswax and petro chemicals.

The paint on one of a decorated beeswax candle range was tested in a Government Accredited Laboratory [ Southern Cross University } for the presence of heavy metals.

The laboratory tests ascertained that there were heavy metals in the paint and there was considerable concern over the presence of the heavy metal, cadmium.

Particular notice was drawn to the high levels of Cadmium because Cadmium by fume, is alarmingly dangerous toward pregnant mothers and unborn children and small children and may cause foetal abnormalities.

This finding, from a mother's point of view, is very serious indeed and a breech of trust..

Burning the paint on a painted candle will cause toxic fumes, in fact the fumes may be very dangerous to breathe and therefor these fumes should be strongly avoided.

It would be more informative and much safer for the consumer to have a fume rating warning on candles, but presently in australia there is no such regulation in place.

If you wish a safer environment for yourself and children, you could ask ' what is it that I am burning when I light this candle? Do I really want to burn paint in my living space?'

Common sense after that is all that is really required.

NL was instrumental in having lead core wicks banned in australia, back in 1993, because we felt that the average caring person would not want to breathe heavy metals or lead, via candle fumes.

It is northern light's opinion, that given the amount of paint on some of these decorated candles, that the fumes of the paint on these candles may be more harmful if burnt inside a confined space like your home, than a lead core wick.

Northern light since 1975, has been producing australia's finest, safest bees wax candle light, with simple, light steps, and with a watchful concern on the safety of what you are breathing when lighting a candle.

 

 

Northern light produces candles to ensure the safest possible fume rating by;

 

Starting with only australian organically certified bees wax and cotton wicks.

Melting the wax on pacific ocean rain water to ensure a quality product to begin with and then passing the wax through Swiss gold filters, many times.

Using bio wood heated water which makes for a much smoother wax, while the temperature is much more gentle in the process. Mostly if not all other candle manufacturers are using an electric element heating process and chlorinated water, and so miss those intricacies that make a safer master piece.

The ingredient counts, every step by step, if you are seeking the highest and safest quality.

You will see that your garden will enjoy every last bit of northern light packaging - no toxins, plastics, all recycled paper, soy ink print, gum arabic paper tape, all the whole way to the worm!

If you are observant with pricing you will see that you have not been charged for these services, it is a gift from northern light.

 

Northern Light searches over 1000's of kilometers for pure organic beeswax, within the australian beekeeping world. and nurturers the beeswax via well established organic beekeeper relations, and very high standards, parameters and prices for the beekeepers wax and for their further efforts.

Northern light is inspecting the quality of the beeswax, from before it enters the hive, to your living space.

We use only the best on every step, because we can.

It is a question of respect toward the product or ingredient which makes the finest and the safest candle light.

Simple

 

 

Workplace exposure limits to the fumes of burning paraffin wax

 

Paraffin oil (kerosene) and the solid form paraffin wax are petrochemical fuels, and the 'exhaust' from a paraffin candle has been examined by the Australian government's national occupational health and safety commission (NOHSC).

{*The NOHSC recommends workplace exposure limits of 2 milligrams of paraffin fume per cubic meter, over an eight-hour period.}

So, for each cubic meter of air space in the room, it is permissible to burn 2mg, to be safe, if you are working/sleeping/resting away an 8 hour day in a confined space.

Let's say for example your room is a 30 cubic meter room, [ 3 meters by 4 meters and 2.5 meters high}

Each 8 hour paraffin tea light will hold up to 20,000 mg – so, back inside the 30 cubic meter room of workspace, you are permitted only 60mg in this air space, to be safe, over an 8 hour period.

So, inside the 30 cubic meter room with the windows and doors shut, if you are burning 2 paraffin 8 hour tea light candles, according to almost all international standards on paraffin fume, you may well need to evacuate that room in under 3 minutes, to be safe.

Alarming? 

Under fire decomposition, paints and scents in fume can be by far more more dangerous to you and/or your children's health, especially where there are heavy metals involved in the ingredients, such as paints.

One should be very cautious if you choose to buy or burn a candle that has been decorated, or potentially worse, painted.

{* source: australian government national occupational health and safety}