It's one of the fastest-growing industries in America -- the manufacture and sale of scented candles.
People love to burn them in their homes. But they may not love what the soot from those candles could be doing to their homes, and possibly to their health.
News Specialist Stacey Butler continues her special report.
Last night we introduced you to three women who believe their homes were damaged by burning scented candles, which left deposits of soot on their walls and some burning questions still unanswered.
Candlemakers say if people keep wicks trimmed below a quarter of an inch, they can avoid the same black soot that invaded the homes of Mindy, Terry and Heather.
But each of these women says it didn't help.
Mindy Wright: "RIGHT AFTER I TRIM IT THERE WAS BLACK SMOKE. THEN I WOULD TRIM IT SOME MORE AND IT WOULD HAPPEN AGAIN."
Heather Peterson: "YOU COULD TRIM THE WICK DOWN REALLY, REALLY LOW, BUT THEY STILL-- YOU COULD STILL SEE THEM POOF BLACK SMOKE SOMETIMES."
As we told you in our report last night,
the Environmental Protection Agency has just released a study claiming for the first time that burning candles may cause
black soot deposition, or ghosting as it's sometimes called. The mysterious shadowing caused thousands of dollars in property damage to these womens' homes.
Before Terry and Heather suspected candles as the source of the problem, their insurance agents, confounded by the black stuff, paid to have their homes completely repainted inside.
Terry Allen: "INSURANCE PEOPLES ARE GOING TO GO BROKE PAINTING HOUSES OVER THE CANDLE PROBLEM."
Candles soot damage is not specifically covered in homeowner's policies, but companies like Farmer's Insurance are now slowly becoming aware of the problem.
Brian Braddock/Farmer's Insurance: "THIS IS AN EMERGING ISSUE, IT IS SOMETHING THAT IS BECOMING MORE PREVALENT IN THE MARKETPLACE WITH THE HIGHER UTILIZATION OF SUCH SCENTED CANDLES."
Beyond property damage, the EPA report also talks about health risks.
Researchers found when scented candles burn, they can emit trace amounts of organic compounds, including acetaldehyde and formaldehyde both known to cause cancer.
The report also states that the soot travels into deepest part of
the lungs.
Experts say it then expands and interferes with the body's immune system, making people susceptible to infection.
But, it's still unclear just how much is too much.
David Krause/Indoor Air Quality Expert: "I WOULD CAUTION ADULTS WHO HAVE CHILDREN LESS THAN SIX YEARS OLD TO AVOID BURNING CANDLES."
And few know more about the issue than Indoor Air Quality expert, David Krause, who began his candle research after more and more homeowners in Florida complained of the strange shadowing in their homes.
He says the tighter your home is sealed the worse the problem can be, even after you blow the candle out.
"TEN TO FIFTEEN HOURS AFTER YOU BURN THE CANDLE YOU CAN BE EXPOSED TO VERY HIGH LEVELS OF SOOT, AND SOOT IS CONSIDERED A CARCINOGEN AND A RESPIRATORY IRRITANT."
The new EPA report suggests that people who have long-term exposure to candle soot are most at risk for any health problems.
So how much is too much? The experts we talked with say if you burn a candle for several hours every day, you could end up with a soot problem.
We also talked to dozens of candlemakers who point out that all of their products are labled to make sure that wicks are trimmed -- and they say that's the main source of the problem. In other words, it's not the candle, but how it's burned.
