Welcome to the new series, Truth or Scare, where I dive into the latest research and give you my take on the scariest, most viral health claims making news today.

歡迎來到新系列《真相或恐慌》，在這裡，我將深入研究最新研究成果，並向你介紹我對當今最可怕、最具病毒性的健康聲明的看法。

This episode's claim that burning candles indoors can emit toxic chemicals that cause all sorts of serious health problems and the type of candle could make it worse?

這期節目，有人宣稱在室內燃燒蠟燭會釋放出有毒化學物質，導致各種嚴重的健康問題，而蠟燭的種類可能會讓情況變得更糟？

Burning a candle for one hour has the same negative effects as smoking a whole cigarette.

蠟燭燃燒一小時所產生的負面影響與吸一整根香菸是一樣的。

Let's get into it.

讓我們開始吧。

Whenever you burn anything, you will have chemicals released into the air that can be harmful for you.

無論何時燃燒任何東西，都會有化學物質釋放到空氣中，對人體有害。

This will change drastically based on what's being burned, where it's being burned, and how long you're exposed to it.

這將根據焚燒的物品、焚燒的位置以及接觸的時間長短而發生巨大變化。

One group of chemicals detected in those emissions are called volatile organic compounds, or VOCs for short.

在這些排放物中檢測到的一類化學物質被稱為揮發性有機化合物，簡稱 VOC。

Some VOCs, like benzene and formaldehyde, are well-known carcinogens, meaning they can cause cancer.

有些揮發性有機化合物，如苯和甲醛，是眾所周知的致癌物質，也就是說，它們會致癌。

Then you have particulate matter, a mix of solid and liquid particles small enough to get deep into your lungs and enter your bloodstream.

然後是顆粒物，這是一種固體和液體顆粒的混合物，小到足以深入肺部並進入血液。

These particles are a component of soot, that dark, powdery residue you might see on the floor of a fireplace or inside of a glass candle jar.

這些微粒是煤煙的一種成分，也就是你可能在壁爐地板上或玻璃燭臺內看到的深色粉末狀殘留物。

Inhaling them can increase your risk of lung and other cancers and respiratory diseases like asthma and COPD.

吸入它們會增加罹患肺癌和其他癌症以及哮喘和慢性阻塞性肺病等呼吸道疾病的風險。

Soot is mainly caused by incomplete combustion.

煙塵主要是由不完全燃燒造成的。

This happens when the wax doesn't fully burn because there isn't enough oxygen available.

這種情況發生在蠟沒有完全燃燒的時候，因為沒有足夠的氧氣。

Visible smoke is the most obvious sign of this incomplete combustion.

可見煙霧是不完全燃燒的最明顯標誌。

Candles tend to give off this smoke right after they're lit or when the flame is dying out.

蠟燭在點燃後或火焰即將熄滅時往往會冒出這種煙霧。

One older EPA study actually found that a few seconds of smoldering produced more particle emissions than several hours of normal candle burning did.

美國環保局的一項較早的研究實際上發現，幾秒鐘的燃燒產生的微粒排放量比正常蠟燭燃燒幾個小時產生的微粒排放量還要多。

Third are phthalates, or endocrine disruptors.

第三種是鄰苯二甲酸鹽，即內分泌干擾物。

They're chemicals that truly can impact hormone levels, as well as aggravate allergy and asthma symptoms.

這些化學物質確實會影響荷爾蒙水準，並加重過敏和哮喘症狀。

Technically, phthalates are considered like semi-VOCs.

從技術上講，鄰苯二甲酸鹽被視為半揮發性有機化合物。

Phthalates are actually specific to scented candles.

鄰苯二甲酸鹽實際上是香味蠟燭所特有的。

They're used in synthetic fragrances, which give most scented candles their aromas.

它們被用於合成香料中，而合成香料賦予了大多數香味蠟燭香氣。

Burning a candle creates a very low level of exposure to all of these chemicals.

燃燒蠟燭接觸這些化學物質的程度很低。

This is the case for both scented and unscented candles, and candles really made from all different types of wax.

有香味和無香味的蠟燭都是如此，而真正用各種不同類型的蠟製成的蠟燭也是如此。

However, there is some evidence showing the type of candle wax might play a role in worse emissions.

不過，有證據表明，蠟燭蠟的類型可能會導致排放更少。

In addition to containing phthalates, scented candles are said to give off more soot.

除了含有鄰苯二甲酸鹽，據說香味蠟燭還會釋放出更多煙塵。

And there's some evidence that paraffin wax, which is made from petroleum, produces more VOCs and more soot than natural waxes like beeswax and soy wax.

有證據表明，與蜂蠟和大豆蠟等天然蠟相比，由石油製成的石蠟會產生更多的揮發性有機化合物和煙塵。

But these differences are likely too small to make candles a true health hazard.

但這些差異可能太小，不足以使蠟燭真正危害健康。

Also, at least one study found that I looked at showed that all types of wax basically release the same mix of chemicals into the air.

此外，至少我看過的一項研究表明，所有類型的蠟基本上都會向空氣中釋放相同的化學物質。

Those worried about allergies should be on alert when it comes to scented candles.

擔心過敏的人在使用香味蠟燭時要提高警惕。

In that case, you'd wanna avoid all products with added fragrance, not just candles.

在這種情況下，你應該避免使用所有添加香料的產品，而不僅僅是蠟燭。

But if you use candles a typical amount, should you panic?

但是，如果你使用的蠟燭只是正常數量，你是否應該感到恐慌？

While "typical candle usage" doesn't have a truly defined meaning, the National Candle Association does recommend four hours as a limit.

雖然「正常的蠟燭使用時間」並沒有一個真正明確的定義，但美國國家蠟燭協會建議以 4 小時為限。

They also say to follow a candle manufacturer's instructions on ideal burn time, using a well-ventilated space, and limiting how many candles are burning at the same time.

他們還說，要遵循蠟燭製造商關於理想燃燒時間的說明，使用通風良好的空間，並限制同時燃燒的蠟燭數量。

There's actually been some research done to address the concerns surrounding scented candles.

實際上，針對香味蠟燭的問題已經做了一些研究。

In one 2014 study, researchers burned candles for four hours in indoor spaces, ranging from the size of a small bathroom to an average-sized living room.

在 2014 年的一項研究中，研究人員在從小型浴室到普通大小的客廳等室內空間中燃燒蠟燭四小時。

They measured airborne emissions of VOCs, semi-VOCs, and particulate matter throughout the entire burn session.

在整個燃燒過程中，他們測量了揮發性有機化合物、半揮發性有機化合物和顆粒物在空氣中的排放量。

Even in the smallest space, the highest VOC levels were less than half of the limit for safe indoor air quality as recommended by the WHO.

即使在最小的空間裡，揮發性有機化合物的最高含量也不到世界衛生組織建議的室內空氣品質安全限值的一半。

Compared to candle emissions, you're exposed to far more particulate matter and VOCs when you use a wood-burning stove or an indoor fireplace, and neither activity is considered unsafe when used in moderation.

與蠟燭排放的廢氣相比，使用燃木火爐或室內壁爐時，你會接觸到更多的顆粒物和揮發性有機化合物，但如果適度使用，這兩種活動都不會被認為是不安全的。

However, heavy exposure to combustion products is a valid concern for some groups of people, like chimney sweeps or anyone who smokes cigarettes inside without proper filtration.

然而，對於某些人群，如煙囪清潔工或任何在室內吸菸而沒有適當過濾的人來說，大量接觸燃燒產物是一個值得關注的問題。

So what's the takeaway here?

那麼，這裡有什麼啟示呢？

Burning a candle does release potentially harmful substances into the air, and unless you're overdoing it or uniquely vulnerable, the quantities are too low to make you sick.

燃燒蠟燭確實會向空氣中釋放潛在的有害物質，但除非你過度燃燒或特別脆弱，否則數量太少也不會讓你生病。

With that said, less soot is always better.

儘管如此，煤煙還是越少越好。

So if you notice that your candles produce a lot of it, here are some suitable steps to take, sorry, I had to do it, to take to minimize your soot exposure.

如果你發現自己的蠟燭產生了大量的煙塵，這裡有一些適當的措施（對不起，我不得不這樣做），可以最大限度地減少你的煙塵暴露。

Trim the wick to 1 1⁄4 of an inch.

將燈芯修剪至 1 又 1⁄4 英寸。

Remove any debris from the pool of wax around the wick.

清除燈芯周圍蠟池中的碎屑。

Put out the candle before it starts smoldering.

在蠟燭燃燒之前將其熄滅。

Avoid placing a candle near an open window, fan, or air conditioner.

避免將蠟燭放在打開的窗戶、風扇或空調附近。

Air movement like that can interfere with oxygen supply.

這樣的空氣流動會影響氧氣供應。

Never leave a candle unattended, especially around kids or doggos.

切勿讓蠟燭無人看管，尤其是在孩子或小狗周圍。

And no matter how often you burn candles, you never need to do this.

而且，無論你多久燒一次蠟燭，都不需要做這件事：

And you may need to do a full body detox if you've been using candles for a number of years to get those toxins out of your body.

如果你已經使用蠟燭多年，可能需要進行全身排毒，以排出體內毒素。

So on my truth or scare scale, where zero is total BS and 10 is a true evidence-based claim, this claim gets a three.

在我的《真相或恐慌》評分表中，零分代表完全胡說八道，10 分代表有真憑實據，這個說法得了 3 分。

Speaking of scents, let's talk about how often we should be showering.

說到香味，讓我們來談談應該多久洗一次澡。

Click here to check that out.

點擊這裡查看。

And as always, stay happy and healthy.

一如既往，保持健康快樂。