I, on the other hand, have become intensely ill from being in a room with burning scented candles.

Some people are stronger than others, or perhaps they simply can’t feel any effects.

I know people whose sense of smell is so dull from years of burning scented candles and using scented dryer sheets that they can’t natural scents anymore. They can’t smell food anymore. And the worse thing is, they can’t even smell their own body odors and heavy perspiration and walk around stinking and grossing everyone else out, and never noticing a thing!

There are many studies that show what I’m saying if true. The fact that you can’t feel it may mean a lot of things, but certainly not that it’s safe.

Yes, scented candles still have health risks when they are NOT burned. It’s just not quite as bad as when it is burned.

They are still artificial fragrances made up of toxic chemicals, and those chemicals affect the body adversely.

The best policy is to stay away from artificial fragrances altogether.

What about scented flameless candles? They have all the same scents as real candles, but you do not burn them, so does that make them completely safe?

I myself have been living with the ugly and debilatating symptoms of candida yeast overgrowth and related problems such as skin problems, allergies, and lately – the worst – chemical sensitivities. I can pass onto you a few tips I have that may help. These are solutions are a little simpler than going into the candida regimen that can often add stress to our lives – after all, we do live in America…cut out sugar? Wheat? Yeast? A lot easier said than done. But cutting back is my first tip, and seeing how you feel with a few minor changes, such as curbing the appetite for foods we already know are not working for our bodies. Take it one day at a time and don’t stress on a huge change, as necessary as that may be. Next, go to your local food coop or natural food store and buy plain acidophilus in liquid form, from the fridge. Keep it in the fridge and take a swig every morning on an empty stomach. Unless you have an intolerance to dairy, this should work well for you in balancing out the good flora to fight the bad stuff. Well, there are more tips but I think this blog is long enough for now. Baby steps…

The best thing to do would be to discuss it in a calm, reasonable manner with your neighbor. I know that’s a difficult thing to ask, but I don’t know how you could possibly get a filter installer on her vent without her consent anyway. That could possibly cause a lot of hard feelings and repercussions you may want to avoid.

Just explain to her that you are sensitive to the scents, that they make you ill, and are forcing you to breathe toxic air. Explain that chemical fragrances are really very harmful, and give her some research or articles on it.

Many people don’t realize this is the case and have never read anything on it. They are products of the marketing industry that has successfully promoted these products and convinced people they need them. She may find the information interesting.

If not, is there an association you can appeal to? Condos often have associations. If they were made aware of your problem, they could speak to her, or issue a guideline for everyone living in the condos to avoid scented dryer sheets. I know that in workplaces, if someone is allergic, other workers must be careful not to trigger that allergy. I’m not sure what the law is with condos, but it’s worth a shot.

Rufina James

Just stay in a small room with no open windows, doors, or ventilation for several hours and a scented candle burning. See how you feel after a few hours. Heck, stay there all day.

A person sensitive to chemicals will feel ill within an hour, have a headache in two or less, and be quite ill in a few.

If you feel nothing, you can be one of the lucky ones with a super strong immune system… or have an immune system so run down and compromised by chemicals that a few more won’t make a difference (at least not immediately)… or simply be someone who won’t admit to being affected.

Many people feel nothing, but come down with cancer or other life-threatening diseases later in life. Of course it’s hard to pin-point whether scented candles caused it, but my brother-in-law’s prostate cancer got markedly better (proven by tests) when his wife stopped using scented candles and scented dryer sheets.