Fairy lights are characteristic of the holiday season when many families use them to create a magical atmosphere in the home or garden. But are they made with safe materials? And how much do they pollute? To understand this, 4 different products were tested in the laboratory in Germany.
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Fairy lights are characteristic of the holiday season when many families use them to create a magical atmosphere in the home or garden. But are they made with safe materials? And how much do they pollute? To understand this, 4 different products were tested in the laboratory in Germany.
The German Federal Association for the Environment and Nature Conservation (BUND), in view of Christmas, wanted to test 4 lights commonly sold online or in supermarkets, having them examined in the laboratory to assess the possible presence of harmful substances.
The products examined were the following:
- Lucine Almaga by Globo, sold by Obi (pollutant content 27%)
- LED lights for outdoor use, 40 warm white pieces of Hellum, sold by Amazon (pollutant content 24%)
- LED light tube , warm white, 10m by Salcar GmbH, sold by Amazon (pollutant content 11,2%)
- LED light string with 80 diodes from Konstsmide, sold via Käthe Wohlfahrt (pollutant content 0,16%)
The result was shocking: Christmas lights contain large quantities of substances harmful to health and the environment. In particular, these are phthalates and chloroparaffins.
In 3 out of 4 products the pollutant content was so high that the fairy lights, according to the BUND, should not be sold at all.
More specifically, the laboratories found: plasticizers DEHP and DBP (phthalates) and chloroparaffins. The former are considered reproductive toxicants, blamed for causing an increased risk of premature puberty, asthma, breast cancer, obesity, diabetes, low IQ and ADHD. This is why they are banned in the EU in concentrations of more than 0,1 percent in toys and children's items.
The problem is that the phthalates present in the products evaporate over time, bind to house dust and can be inhaled. As for chloroparaffins (SCCP), on the other hand, they are long-lasting pollutants that contaminate water and soil, accumulating in the food web and thus reaching humans. Short-chain chlorinated paraffins are considered carcinogenic.
The pollutants were detected in significant concentrations up to 27%, alarming given that the use of phthalates and chlorinated paraffins in electrical appliances, as well as in toys, is banned across the EU.
As the BUND points out, under EU REACH legislation, consumers have the right to know if a product contains dangerous chemicals. Manufacturers and distributors are legally required to provide information within 45 days if their products exceed pollutant levels by 0,1%.
For this the BUND asked companies to remove polluted products from the market immediately.
How to choose fairy lights for Christmas decorations
The German Federal Association for the Environment then wanted to give advice to consumers for their bright Christmas decorations:
- Where possible, choose candles, better if they are made of beeswax.
- Avoidede soft PVC products and cheap hard plastic products
- Return plastic products to the retailer fromtoo strong odor
- Pay attention to ecological labels such as the Blue Angel (promoted by the German federal government since 1978 for the protection of people and the environment)
HERE other useful tips to choose lights for safe decorations.
Read also:
- Christmas: 12 tips for safe outdoor decoration lights
- Christmas lights: 2 plastic hangers are enough to put them back in order
- Phthalates: what they are, where they are and why you should try to avoid them
