别再点香薰蜡烛了，你们这是在吸毒

香薰蜡烛可能看上去很好看，但却会对空气质量造成恶劣影响。

All this talk of candles might give you the warm fuzzies, but there's a dark truth beneath it all. Scented candles are not as innocuous as they seem. They're in fact quite toxic and not something you should be burning in your home. Here's why.

所有关于蜡烛的话题可能让你感到温暖，但在这些蜡烛背后，却存在更为黑暗的真相。香薰蜡烛不但并非如其表面看上去那么人畜无害，而且含有剧毒，绝对不能在室内燃烧。

The majority of candles are made from paraffin wax, which is the final byproduct in the petroleum refining chain. It is described as "basically the bottom of the barrel, even after asphalt is extracted." When burned, its soot contains toluene and benzene, both known carcinogens. These are the same chemicals found in diesel exhaust and "can cause damage to the brain, lung and central nervous system, as well as cause developmental difficulties" (via HuffPo).

大多数蜡烛都由石蜡制成，而石蜡是石油精炼链中的最终副产品，甚至排在沥青之后。燃烧时，其烟灰中含有甲苯与苯，这两者都是已知的致癌物质，并且与柴油机废气中排出的化学物质相同。除致癌以外，还「可能对大脑、肺与中枢神经系统造成损害，并会导致发育障碍」。

A study at South Carolina State University compared non-scented, non-pigmented, dye-free candles that were made from either a petroleum-based wax or a vegetable-based wax. They concluded that "the vegetable-based candles didn't produce any potentially harmful pollutants [but] the paraffin candles released unwanted chemicals into the air." Chemistry professor Ruhullah Massoudi stated,

南卡罗来纳州立大学的一项研究对一批无香味、无色素、无染料蜡烛进行了比较，这些蜡烛都由石油基蜡或植物蜡制成。他们最终得出结论：「植物蜡烛不会产生任何潜在的有害污染物，(但)石蜡蜡烛却会将不必要的化学物质释放到空气中」。

"For a person who lights a candle every day for years or just uses them frequently, inhalation of these dangerous pollutants drifting in the air could contribute to the development of health risks like cancer, common allergies and even asthma."

化学教授Ruhullah Massoudi对此表示：「对于那些常年每天都点蜡烛或经常使用蜡烛的人来说，吸入空气中漂浮的这些危险污染物可能会导致癌症、常见过敏甚至哮喘等健康问题」。

Fragrance isn't safe, either. Eighty to 90 percent of fragrance ingredients are "synthesized from petroleum and some of the commonly found harmful chemicals in fragranced products include acetone, phenol, toluene, benzyl acetate, and limonene" (from 2009 study "Fragrance in the Workplace is the New Second-Hand Smoke", University of Maryland). Many of the chemicals commonly used in fragrance blends have been linked to hormone disruption, asthma, chronic lung disease, and allergic reactions; nevertheless, they are not required to be listed as ingredients because they're considered a proprietary secret.

除此之外，香味也不安全。 80%至90%的香精成分都由石油合成，而且香薰产品中的一些常见有害化学物质包括丙酮、苯酚、甲苯、醋酸苄酯以及柠檬烯。许多这些常用香料混合物中的化学物质都会导致激素受损、哮喘、慢性肺病以及过敏反应。然而，这些物质却不需要列在成分表上，因为它们被视为专有机密。

In 2001 the Environmental Protection Agency issued a report stating that burning candles is a source of particulate matter and "may result in indoor air concentrations of lead above EPA-recommended thresholds." The lead comes from metal-core wicks, which are used by some candle-makers because the metal holds the wick upright, preventing it from falling over as a cotton wick would.

2001年，美国环境保护署发布了一份报告，指出燃烧的蜡烛是颗粒物质的来源之一，并且「可能导致室内空气中的铅浓度高于EPA建议的阈值」。一些蜡烛制造商为了防止灯芯像棉芯一样翻倒，有时会使用金属材料，而这些金属在燃烧时便会释放出铅。

If you're a committed candle lover – or celebrating Hanukkah – the safest bet is to go with unscented organic soy or beeswax candles.

如果你是一个忠诚的蜡烛爱好者，最安全的选择是使用无味的有机大豆或蜂蜡蜡烛。

It may be hard to pass on the scented ones, as they do look stunning and smell tantalizing, but it's not worth sacrificing your health for the sake of an attractive light, especially when healthier options do exist.

它们可能很难传递气味，看起来也不会令人惊叹，闻起来也不会很诱人，但是为了那点吸引人的光线，并不值得你为此牺牲健康，特别是当存在更为健康的选择时。