Advisory
2001-02
January 8, 2001
Health Canada advises Canadians about potential lead exposure from inexpensive jewellery and candles with lead core wicks
OTTAWA - Health Canada is advising Canadians about a potential danger of exposure to lead that may be in inexpensive jewellery typically purchased for children, and candles that have lead core wicks.
Lead is hazardous to human health. Even small amounts of absorbed lead can be harmful, especially to young children, infants and unborn babies. Children can absorb lead by sucking or chewing on inexpensive jewellery containing lead. Lead can be absorbed by inhalation during the burning of candles with lead core wicks. Consequently, Health Canada is advising Canadians to remove inexpensive jewellery containing lead from children who are likely to suck or chew on them, and to stop using candles that have lead core wicks. The Department is also urging the Canadian candle industry to stop manufacturing and importing candles with lead core wicks as safer alternatives such as zinc and tin cores and plain cotton wicks without metallic cores do exist.
Inexpensive Jewellery
Lead is found in both imported and Canadian-made jewellery, and it is sold in various retail outlets. These items are available in a variety of shapes and sizes and may be metal plated or coated with enamel.
Health Canada completed a nationwide marketplace survey of inexpensive jewellery (retail cost of less than $20). Laboratory results reveal that most of the jewellery contains extremely high proportions of lead: 66 of the 95 samples collected had a lead content ranging from 50% to 100%. Absorbing even low amounts of lead may have harmful health effects on the intellectual and behavioural development of infants and young children.
Health Canada is aware of one incident of an elevated blood lead level found in a child who had been sucking and chewing on jewellery similar to the items sampled and tested by the Department. A summary of the jewellery test results is provided below in Table 1.
Table 1: Summary of Results from Health Canada's Lead Content in Inexpensive Jewellery Survey
Lead Content (%) |
Number of Samples |
Percentage of Samples |
0 ≤ LC < 10 |
29 |
30.5 |
10 ≤ LC < 50 |
0 |
0 |
50 ≤ LC < 60 |
4 |
4.2 |
60 ≤ LC < 70 |
17 |
17.9 |
70 ≤ LC < 80 |
11 |
11.6 |
80 ≤ LC < 90 |
23 |
24.2 |
90 ≤ LC ≤ 100 |
11 |
11.6 |
Total |
95 |
100 |
*where, "LC" is the lead content in the sample, "<" is less than and "≤ " is less than or equal to.
If your child is likely to chew or suck on jewellery which may contain lead, discard the items immediately. Consumers should discard jewellery that does or may contain lead using normal household garbage disposal procedures.
While these pictures illustrate the diversity of leaded jewellery available to customers, they should not be used as a guide for avoiding specific jewellery items.
Candles with Lead Core Wicks
Health Canada has tested a random sampling of candles with metallic core wicks on the Canadian marketplace. Most candles containing lead core wicks came from the People's Republic of China. Candles manufactured in Canada and the United States are less likely to contain lead core wicks. An estimated 10% of the candles available on the Canadian marketplace have lead core wicks. Table 2 below provides Health Canada's test results.
Table 2: Health Canada Test Results of Sixty-Five Candles with Metallic Core Wicks
Country of Origin of Candle Samples with Metal Core Wick |
Number of Candles Samples with Metal Core Wicks Tested |
Number of Candle Samples with Metal Core Wick with 50% or more Lead |
Number of Candle Samples with Metal Core Wick with 50% or more Zinc |
Number of Candle Samples with Metal Core Wick Made of 100% Tin |
Canada |
18 |
2 (11.1%) |
15 (83.3%) |
1 (5.6%) |
China |
16 |
15 (93.8%) |
1 (6.2%) |
0 (0.0%) |
Mexico |
5 |
2 (40.0%) |
3 (60.0%) |
0 (0.0%) |
Taiwan |
1 |
1 (100.0%) |
0 (0.0%) |
0 (0.0%) |
Thailand |
2 |
0 (0.0%) |
1 (50.0%) |
1 (50.0%) |
U.S.A. |
13 |
3 ( 23.1%) |
8 (61.5%) |
2 (15.4%) |
Unknown |
10 |
5 (50.0%) |
5 (50.0%) |
0 (0.0%) |
Total |
65 |
28 (43.1%) |
33 (50.8%) |
4 (6.1%) |
N.B. Health Canada inspected over 2,400 candles across the country and it was estimated that 30%contained metallic wicks. From this sample group, Health Canada randomly selected and tested sixty-five(65) candles and estimated that about 10% of the candles had lead core wicks.
Before buying candles and to allow you to make an informed purchasing decision, you should ask the retailer if they contain a lead core wick. For candles already in your possession, you can tell if they have a lead core wick by following three easy steps:
- Remove any wax from the tip of the wick.
- Separate the fibre strands from the wick to see if the candle has a metallic core.
- If the candle has a metallic core, rub the core on a piece of white paper. If the mark left on the white paper is grey in colour, then the metallic core is probably lead.
- If you discover that your candle has a lead core wick, you should discard the candle using normal household garbage disposal procedures.
General Safety Tips for Burning of Candles
Another key concern with burning candles is fire safety. Every year in Canada, fires are started accidentally because burning candles are left unattended. To reduce the risk of injury and property loss, always remember to:
- Trim the candle wick before lighting a candle to prevent a high candle flame.
- Never leave burning candles unattended.
- Keep burning candles out of reach of children.
- Never place burning candles on or near anything that can catch fire or where they can be knocked over.
- Ensure that the candle is completely extinguished after use and confirm that the candle wick has stopped smouldering or producing smoke.
For further information, consumers can contact the Health Canada Product Safety Office nearest them:
- Burnaby, BC
- Calgary, AB
- Edmonton, AB
- Saskatoon, SK
- Winnipeg, MB
- Hamilton, ON
- Toronto, ON
- Montréal, QC
- Longueuil, QC
- Québec, QC
- Moncton, NB
- Halifax, NS
- St. John's, NFLD
Media inquiries:
Jeffrey Pender
Health Canada
(613) 957-2988
Public inquiries:
(613) 957-2991
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