Monona Rossol on thu 29 jul 99
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Rafael Molina wrote:
> Clayarters:
> Can anyone on the list enlighten me about the specific hazard of vapors
from hot
> paraffin wax? What is the specific material in the vapor, toxicity, etc,...
> TIA.
> Rafael
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All waxes, paraffin, beeswax, microcrystalline, etc., will dissociate with
heat into many different chemicals, many of which are very toxic. This
process begins at the point at which they melt. However, at the bare minimum
melting point, the amounts to toxic chemicals are not significant enough to
worry about. For example, paraffin heated in a double boiler (so that the
temperature can't get above 212 o F) produces no significant emissions.
The higher the temperature above melting, the more toxic chemicals are
released. The two most commonly seen emissions are acrolein and paraffin
fume. But formaldehyde, many other aldehydes, and a host of small amounts of
many other chemicals are released as well.
Acrolein in particular is nasty. It has the same workplace air quality
standard (TLV = 0.1 ppm) as phosgene, which is chemical warfare gas!
There is no respirator cartridge approved for acrolein and so ventilation is
your only answer.
Paraffin fume is less toxic (TLV = 5 mg/m3) but its presence signifies that
many other chemicals are also present. It is also the major cause of the
explosive flash fires that occur around wax pots.
I have a data sheet called "All About Wax" that goes into more detail about
wax hazards and candle emissions. I will send it to Clayarters who send me a
self addressed stamped envelop.
Monona Rossol
ACTS
181 Thompson St., # 23
New York NY 10012-2586 75054.2542@compuserve.com
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