# Toxin-eliminating candles, are they a hoax?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toxin-eliminating-candles-are-they-a-hoax/1002428
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [June 3, 2024, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toxin-eliminating-candles-are-they-a-hoax/1002428 "2024-06-03T08:29:41Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 3
### Author:  [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2024, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toxin-eliminating-candles-are-they-a-hoax/1002428/41 "2024-06-03T19:02:02Z")
I do have to wonder: Is there any use of candles other than heat and light and to make the room smell differently, that is not a scam or hoax?
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### Author:  [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2024, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toxin-eliminating-candles-are-they-a-hoax/1002428/42 "2024-06-03T19:11:25Z")
There are [oxygen candles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemical_oxygen_generator#Oxygen_candle) that produce clean, breathable oxygen, and are in use on submarines, aircraft, and spacecraft. But that’s probably not what you were thinking of.
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### Author:  [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2024, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toxin-eliminating-candles-are-they-a-hoax/1002428/43 "2024-06-03T19:12:41Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#):
>
> There are [oxygen candles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemical_oxygen_generator#Oxygen_candle) that produce clean, breathable oxygen, and are in use on submarines
Are they even legal to use as household candles? Seems like a very bad idea whether or not it’s explicitly prohibited?
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### Author:  [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2024, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toxin-eliminating-candles-are-they-a-hoax/1002428/44 "2024-06-03T19:16:18Z")
The reaction happens at \>1100 F, so I wouldn’t recommend it. “Candle” is a bit of a euphemism here. It’s a chemical reaction that burns at a steady rate, but aside from that they’re totally different from wax candles. There’s no reason to ever have one in a home, even if you did want to increase the oxygen content for some reason. Maybe keep a few in your emergency bunker?
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2024, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toxin-eliminating-candles-are-they-a-hoax/1002428/45 "2024-06-03T19:21:52Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#):
>
> So, to the extent that it harms the mold it’s also harming you.
Yep - pretty certainly this. I would WAG that mould spores are probably a bit more durable than human lung tissue; any chemical vapour or whatnot that you release into a room to destroy spores is probably also damaging your own cells.
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### Author:  [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2024, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toxin-eliminating-candles-are-they-a-hoax/1002428/46 "2024-06-03T19:22:59Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#):
>
> There are [oxygen candles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemical_oxygen_generator#Oxygen_candle) that produce clean, breathable oxygen, and are in use on submarines, aircraft, and spacecraft. But that’s probably not what you were thinking of.
Those also provide the oxygen for passenger oxygen masks on airplanes. The cabin/flight crew have ‘normal’ bottled oxygen if they need it.
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### Author:  [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2024, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toxin-eliminating-candles-are-they-a-hoax/1002428/47 "2024-06-03T19:34:25Z")
> [@dtilque](#):
>
> I do have to wonder: Is there any use of candles other than heat and light and to make the room smell differently, that is not a scam or hoax?
Ambiance? I suppose that might fall under “light”, but the point is less light than one would ordinarily have.
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### Author:  [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2024, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toxin-eliminating-candles-are-they-a-hoax/1002428/48 "2024-06-03T19:37:34Z")
Woo. You wasted your money.
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### Author:  [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2024, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toxin-eliminating-candles-are-they-a-hoax/1002428/49 "2024-06-03T19:45:39Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#):
>
> Maybe keep a few in your emergency bunker?
[Fallout shelters are such a good idea!](https://youtu.be/jwPWFEJl1Po?si=opNyY56o1KQ5UtRr&t=14m40s)
Stranger
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### Author:  [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2024, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toxin-eliminating-candles-are-they-a-hoax/1002428/50 "2024-06-03T20:43:39Z")
> [@crowmanyclouds](#):
>
> You went to an actual doctor for these tests?
No, it was the RealTimes Lab test. Which, I see again, apparently I fell for woo again.
That being said I did have Ulta Labs testing (a lot more reliable) done that showed me having twice as many aspergillus antibodies as a normal person ought to, and a Texas mold expert did a $500 air test and showed I have high levels of aspergillus/penicillium/stachybotrys in the house, so I would expect there to be some level of mycotoxin, yes.
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### Author:  [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2024, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toxin-eliminating-candles-are-they-a-hoax/1002428/51 "2024-06-03T22:12:05Z")
> [@Velocity](#):
>
> That being said I did have Ulta Labs testing (a lot more reliable) done that showed me _ **having twice as many aspergillus antibodies as a normal person ought to** _,…
Without a pre-exposure baseline, a basic assay of on the titre of _Aspergillus_ IgG antibodies is not particularly meaningful; it tells you that your immune system has been exposed to _A. fumigatus_ (or whatever species of _Aspergillus_ is being tested for) but not really a “level of exposure” or even how your immune system is responding. Not to invalidate your legitimate concerns about mycotoxin exposure if you’ve actually found fungus growing inside the structure because there are real health hazards to exposure, but it seems like both the testing and your mitigation fall short in terms of scientific scrutiny. Unfortunately, because mycology has been a largely neglected area of ecology and medicine until very recently, there is a lot of misinformation and manipulation, and little in the way of evidence-based medical guidance on how to diagnose and treat airborne mycotoxin exposure.
Stranger
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### Author:  [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2024, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toxin-eliminating-candles-are-they-a-hoax/1002428/52 "2024-06-04T14:03:17Z")
> [@kayaker](#):
>
> I like the tall glass Mary candles. Surely those defeat mold spores.
[ ](https://urbangeneralstore.com/cdn/shop/files/bobbyk-boutique-home-candles-saint-tay-tay-candle-33560023302213_576x576.png?v=1707273944)
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### Author:  [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2024, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toxin-eliminating-candles-are-they-a-hoax/1002428/53 "2024-06-04T14:08:09Z")
Hah! Hail!
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### Author:  [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2024, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toxin-eliminating-candles-are-they-a-hoax/1002428/54 "2024-06-04T15:11:02Z")
Is that an actual product?
EDIT: Should have looked closer. The image is from an online store, so presumably yes. I shouldn’t be surprised; I’ve seen those with all sorts of people on them.
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### Author:  [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2024, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toxin-eliminating-candles-are-they-a-hoax/1002428/55 "2024-06-04T15:12:04Z")
> **[Taylor Swift Candle - Across The Way](https://www.shopacrosstheway.com/products/taylorcandle?variant=32812311216212¤cy=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&utm_campaign=gs-2019-11-23&utm_source=google&utm_medium=smart_campaign&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw9vqyBhCKARIsAIIcLMFVC4SdrIQ5is_bkkConEV702FGR0nzkhjsn0egwFEkB3SYYIlACcoaAluSEALw_wcB)**
>
> Your Favorite Celebrity Shrine Isn't Complete Without One of these Candles I Don't Know About You But I'm Feeling This...
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### Author:  [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2024, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toxin-eliminating-candles-are-they-a-hoax/1002428/56 "2024-06-04T15:17:01Z")
The weird thing is that the candles with the real jesus/mary are way cheaper.
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### Author:  [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2024, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toxin-eliminating-candles-are-they-a-hoax/1002428/57 "2024-06-04T15:23:39Z")
Maybe Jesus doesn’t charge a licensing fee.
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### Author:  [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2024, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toxin-eliminating-candles-are-they-a-hoax/1002428/58 "2024-06-04T15:24:08Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#):
>
> If you have to ask whether the secret ingredient in a trendy new alt “medicine”/diet/health food fad is a scam, the answer is always: **YES!**
Hah - yeah, I read the subject line and thought “Yes” without reading any of the thread at all.
Sorry, OP, I think you got ripped off.
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### Author:  [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2024, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toxin-eliminating-candles-are-they-a-hoax/1002428/59 "2024-06-04T15:24:52Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#):
>
> Jesus doesn’t charge a licensing fee
Then how does he afford the taxes…err…nevermind
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### Author:  [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2024, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toxin-eliminating-candles-are-they-a-hoax/1002428/60 "2024-06-04T15:27:40Z")
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