Dear EarthTalk: I just read an article that said air fresheners contain
chemicals that can cause health problems when inhaled. Are scented candles any
better? -- Leanne Chacksfield, Cincinnati, OH
Like most air fresheners, many scented candles contain and release
phthalates, potentially harmful chemicals that have been linked to the
disruption of hormonal systems and other health problems in people exposed to
them. Burning candles can also emit small amounts of acetaldehyde, formaldehyde
and naphthalene, organic chemicals that are also potentially harmful and that
can leave nasty black soot deposits on floors and other surfaces.
According to Pamela Lundquist of the nonprofit Childrens Health
Environmental Coalition (CHEC), this black soot deposit is primarily made up of
elemental carbon, but may also contain phthalates and volatile organic compounds
like benzene and toluene, which can cause cancer and neurological damage.
Children can easily ingest these chemicals if their hands have been wandering
and end up in their mouths. The chemicals can lodge deep in the lungs,
disrupting the lower respiratory tract, exacerbating existing problems like
asthma, and potentially causing other longer term breathing problems.
Despite laws against it, many candlewicks still contain lead, long linked to
impaired learning and brain damage in children. Lead dispersed from burning
candles can be breathed in and also constitute part of the dreaded black soot
deposit. Candles with lead-containing wicks are on the U.S. Consumer Product
Safety Commission ban/recall list now (thanks to efforts by nonprofits like U.S.
Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), but many are still out there on store
shelves. Consumers can avoid them by sticking to candles with soft cotton wicks,
not stiff, metal ones.
Eco-conscious candle burners should also avoid paraffin-based candles, which
are made from waxes derived in the process of refining crude oil and literally
consist of fossil-fuel generating hydrocarbons. Unfortunately, the vast majority
of commercially available candles are made from paraffin, though many
alternatives are now available.
Soy-based candles are a popular choice, as they are made from plant waste and
emit less soot than the paraffin variety. Beeswax candles are another nice
alternative, as well, especially if you can pick them up at a local farmers
market. For scented or aromatherapy candles, look for varieties that use only
pure plant essential oils instead of synthetic chemicals with unintelligible
names. Some leader makers of Earth- and people-friendly candles include Blue
Corn Naturals, Honeyflow Farm, Vermont Soy Candles and Aveda.
CONTACTS: Childrens Health Environmental Coalition (CHEC),
www.checnet.org; Blue Corn Naturals,
www.bluecornnaturals.com;
Honeyflow Farm, www.honeyflowfarm.com;
Vermont Soy Candles,
www.vermontsoycandles.com; Aveda,
www.aveda.com.
Dear EarthTalk: I notice occasional solar panels on roadsides, powering
individual streetlamps or signs. Is any research being done to expand on this
idea and implant solar collectors in roads, parking lots or sidewalks to
generate power in a similar but bigger way? -- Emily Eidenier, via e-mail
The concept of using road surfaces to generate clean solar power is actually
already moving beyond the idea stage. Roads absorb heat from the sun every day
and are usually free of sightline obstructions that could otherwise block the
transmission of light rays. And if the roads built for cars and driving are
partly to blame for global warming, why not make them part of the solution too?
Idaho-based company Solar Roadways is one of the trailblazers. Electrical
engineer Scott Brusaw was inspired to start the company when he heard Caltech
solar energy expert Nate Lewis suggest that covering just 1.7 percent of
continental U.S. land surface with photovoltaic solar collectors could produce
enough power to meet the nations total energy demand.
Brusaw put two and two together when he realized that the interstate highway
system already covers about that much of the nations land surface, so he got to
work designing a system that combines a durable and translucent glass road
surface with photovoltaic solar collectors that could be wired directly into the
electricity grid. Brusaws innovative design would also heat the roads in
winter, thus providing a important safety benefit.
With improvements in the efficiency of solar collectors in recent years,
Brusaw believes his system, if implemented from coast-to-coast in place of the
tarmac on existing highways, could produce enough energy to meet the entire
worlds electricity needs.
But skeptics wonder whether such an expensive high-tech road surface can
stand up to the rigors of everyday usefrom overloaded 18-wheelers putting extra
stress on the highway to oil spills seeping into expensive electronic
circuitrywithout having to be replaced or repaired often. Brusaw acknowledges
that his system still needs fine-tuning, but in the meantime is developing a
working prototype along a 45-mile stretch of road between the Idaho cities of
Coeur DAlene and Sandpoint.
Europeans are also pioneering ways to use the suns rays to work as they beat
down on roadways. The British firm Astucia has developed a road stud that
contains small solar panels and emits LED light to illuminate dark roadways. On
the 120 U.K. roads where the new studs have been installed, night-time accidents
are down some 70 percent.
And the Dutch firm Ooms Avenhorn Holding BV has developed a way to siphon
solar heat from asphalt road surfaces and use it to de-ice roads and help power
nearby buildings. A latticework of pipes under the road surface allows water to
heat up during warm weather. The water is then pumped deep under ground where it
maintains its higher temperatures and can be retrieved months later to keep road
surfaces ice-free during winter months. Apartment buildings, industrial parks
and an air force base have benefited from the innovation, and the firm is
working on exporting its system to other countries in the coming years.
CONTACTS: Solar Roadways,
www.solarroadways.com; Astucia,
www.astucia.co.uk; Ooms Avenhorn Holding BV,
www.ooms.nl/english.
GOT AN ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTION? Send it to: EarthTalk, c/o E/The Environmental
Magazine, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881; submit it at:
www.emagazine.com/earthtalk/thisweek, or e-mail:
earthtalk@emagazine.com. Read past
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