Will soy candles affect my soy allergies?

Will soy candles affect my soy allergies?

Do you know anyone who has an allergy to soybeans? It's more common than you think. According to the Asthma and Food Allergy Foundation of America, soy allergies are among the top nine most common food allergies for food allergy patients in children and adults. Reactions can vary from red and itchy skin to anaphylaxis, requiring immediate medical treatment with epinephrine.

If soybeans can cause death in an untreated person with a soy allergy, why don't soy candles carry a warning? The answer is simply because they don't need it. Wax, be it soy, paraffin or beeswax, is very unreactive and even though someone is allergic to soy in food, it is the digested protein that triggers the allergy, not the byproducts of combustion (mainly carbon dioxide and water). In order for the allergy to occur, the soy must be digested in order to enter the bloodstream. When it is burned, the protein chains are broken and are no longer the same molecules that could be causing the allergy.

However, allergy aggravated by scented soy candles is very common, but is caused by the added scent and not the soy wax. No one can predict or determine whether they will react to a particular scent. The only way to find out is to burn the candle and observe the result. Fragrances, known as allergens, are not used by the fragrance industry. But as with food, some people experience allergies to a scent that the majority of the population does not react to.

The bottom line is that no one needs to worry about soy wax candles making their soy allergy worse. If you want to be safe, avoid certain scents if you know you have allergies to them, and if you buy a candle that bothers you, make note of the scent and stop using it immediately.

Inspired by Peter Knepper