BEESWAX AND NEGATIVE IONS?

Hint, it’s a myth. Probably? According to the Internet, (and many beekeepers and candle-makers for that matter) among the many charms of pure beeswax candles is a strange alchemy by which good ‘negative ions’ are released during burning. This sounds reassuringly like science, but for it to be true, there would need to be some evidence and confirmation?

Cut to the chase. If you search for evidence of any scientific testing of negative ion production via combustible beeswax, you’ll very likely come up short. “I did my research”, as they say, at length, and yep, nada was forthcoming. Plus, well sorry about this if you believe, but if you look at it objectively, the very assertion lacks much credibility. Yes, beeswax is non-toxic in form and non-poluting when burned, both are givens, but the idea that it can then do a Zen deep clean of your lungs and livingroom is frankly Gwyneth Paltrow level woo! And, thanks to the media, we all know what her candles smell like?

This is a long post, but bear with me here…

Think about it, if you take the electronic equivalent, the air purifier or de-ionizer, that device deploys an electrical current to excite air gases, and in so doing creates both positive and negatively charged particles (in identical numbers). Then, to emit only the negative ion stream it promises, a catcher plate is used to hoover-up and hold-on-to the ‘bad”, positively ionized molecules. Upshot, you get to smell the ocean in your boudoir, which research at least suggests might help with your depression, if you have it.

Now, unless something very strange is happening with your beehives, the combustive energy from a beeswax candle, burning in air, should create tiny numbers of BOTH positive and negatively charged molecules. This would be done by shunting a single electron from column A to column B. It would be a 50/50 split, donor and recipient, you can’t have a flood of negative ions. In chemistry you have to balance the books, your air couldn’t become negatively charged as there is no mechanism to catch any of the positively charged ions that you don’t want. So, the net result of burning a beeswax candle would surely be continuing to breathe your normal air supply only now with added CO and CO2 and the wonderful smell of burning beeswax, all of which is totally harmless and frankly reason enough motivation.

Of course being able to advertise beeswax candles as ersatz de-ionizers may add a little to the USP, but its probably inaccurate and so not great practice. Beeswax candles achieve their high sale price due to many virtues, mostly resonent of their pure and genuine association with nature. All I’m saying is that we dont need to gild this lily at all.

(If anyone knows of any actual research on this topic, please get in touch)