During the Hallowe’en season—it is a known fact—people choose to use candles, torches, lanterns, and other open flames. An open flame can easily ignite anything that can burn.
DID YOU KNOW?
- Candles are responsible for more and more fires each year in Canada.
- In addition, there have been many fire deaths, hundreds of injuries, and millions of dollars in property damage due to fires caused by a lit candle.
- Meanwhile, for festive decor, choose CSA-approved, battery-powered candles.
- Use flashlights, not candles, if you have a power outage; have flashlights located in the bedrooms, kitchen, and attached garage etc.
- Health Canada bans the sale of lead wick candles in Canada. Beware of international websites that may not have to follow the same standard. Some candles from other countries may have wicks with a metallic core that may contain lead. When these wicks burn, they produce lead vapours and dust, which can be harmful, especially for infants/children, and pregnant women. You can test candles you already own to see whether the wick contains lead by removing the wax from the tip of the wick, separating the fibre strands from the wick to see if there is a metallic core, and rubbing this metal core on a piece of white paper. If it leaves a grey mark on the paper, then the metallic core is probably lead.
MINIMIZING YOUR RISKS IF YOU CHOOSE TO USE CANDLES :
- Trim candle wicks to one-quarter inch (6.4 mm) before lighting the candle; trim them again every 2 hours to prevent high flames.
- Keep the wax pool clear of wick trimmings, matches and debris at all times.
- Always stay in the room where candles are being used.
- Extinguish all candles when leaving the room or when going to sleep; WHEN YOU GO OUT, BLOW OUT!
- Ensure candles are not used in any bedrooms; never allow older children to use lit candles in their bedrooms; a forgotten candle or incident is all it takes to start a fire!
- Use candle holders that won’t tip or burn; place candles in sturdy, burn resistant containers that won’t tip over and are big enough to collect dripping wax; holders with glass shades, or chimneys are safest.
- Keep lit candles away from anything that can burn; don’t place lit candles near windows where blinds or curtains may close or blow over them.
- Keep candles, matches, and lighters out of reach of children; never leave children or pets alone in a room with lit candles.
Safety—it starts with you folks.
