1. Abby Lowry, Elizabeth Campbell,
Results:
The burning of the candle resulted in a slow increase in PM but it wasn’t until the candle had been blown out that the PM spiked to mg/M3 due to the smoke and debris from the candle. Then after it evened out and the diffuser spiked to about mg/m3 but remained under the EPA limit. Also, the diffuser evened out far quicker than the candle.
Background Information:
We are interested in this as we all have candles and diffusers in our houses and we were wondering how much it affects the air we breathe. PM 2.5 is Particulate matter of 2.5 um or micrometers. It can cause the air to be hazy and can be concerning for peoples health. The sources of PM 2.5 are dust, ash, combustion of a liquid or solid, etc. A PM 2.5 particle is 4 times smaller than a pollen particle and 20 times smaller than the with of a human hair. The EPA limit on PM 2.5 is mg/meters cubed. It can cause heart attacks, bronchitis and asthma. As well as the fact that we spend 90% of our time inside.
The Power of the Candle
Abby Lowry, Elizabeth Campbell,
Leo Motti
Conclusions:
The results of this study supported our hypothesis as it showed that burning a candle increases the PM 2.5 level far more than an oil diffuser. Furthermore, we learned how much PM 2.5 is created, not while burning a candle but blowing a candle out. Also, an oil diffuser raises the PM 2.5 level but not enough to go over the EPA limit.
Research Question:
How does an essential oil diffuser vary from a candle in regard to the effects on PM levels?
Improvements:
Focus on making the timing exact and do multiple runs for exact measurements. We only ran tests for one full day. If we had more time with this project, we could have ran the DustTrak for multiple days for more exact data. Another way we could improve this project is to be more careful in making sure nothing skewed our data besides the candle and the oil diffuser.
Hypothesis:
Our hypothesis was that the PM 2.5 level while a candle is burning will be higher than while an oil diffuser is diffusing.
Methods:
We used the DustTrak to monitor the air quality in an enclosed room. The testing began at 10:44 on February and continued until 4:41 that same day. After 2 hours and 26 minutes, we lit the candle and allowed it to burn for 35 minutes until extinguishing it and allowing it to sit for for 56 minutes, then open a window to clear the air for another 56 minutes. We then started the diffuser at 3 pm, and allowed it to run for 36 minutes and after turning it off, allowed it to sit for 31 minutes before clearing the air.
References:
Aire Serv. “Do Diffusers Affect Indoor Air Quality?” Aire Serv, 7 Sept. 2017,
Sheehan, Lindsay. “How (Most) Scented Candles Are Destroying Your Home Air Quality & What To Do Instead.” Natural Living Ideas, 19 Oct. 2016,
Stinchfield, Kate. “Study: Some Types of Candles May Pollute Indoor Air.”
CNN, Cable News Network,