A woman has gone viral on social media after sharing the details of her terrifying experience and issuing a warning to others who often light scented candles in their home
There’s nothing like the cosy feeling of lighting a scented candle and cuddling under a blanket when it’s chilly outside – but we must remember to be cautious of their dangers.
Naturally, there’s the risk of an open flame igniting nearby objects which is why candles should never be left burning without supervision. However, there’s another peril that needs attention.
A woman became an internet sensation last year after recounting a terrifying experience caused by her scented candles. In a video that’s taken TikTok by storm, Emy explained that she had five candles alight in her bedroom for several hours.
She extinguished them just before hopping into bed. Moments later, she felt an unusual ‘dropping’ sensation throughout her body. “I started to lose sense of myself,” Emy narrated on TikTok. “I heard this voice saying something is wrong and I got up and my chest was so caved in and my heart was just going, going, going.”
Panic-stricken, she immediately woke her parents and urged them to rush her to the hospital as she sensed something was “very wrong”. The list of terrifying symptoms included severe dehydration, confusion, double vision, breathlessness, chest pains, dizziness, trembling and pounding headaches.
Upon arrival to the emergency room with skyrocketing blood pressure, Emy conveyed to the medical team the evening’s events with the candles, their hours-long burn, and her action of blowing them out pre-slumber. Their diagnosis was carbon monoxide poisoning – a stark warning about the hidden hazards of scented candles.
Emy narrowly escaped disaster when she inhaled toxic fumes from her scented candle and ended up on oxygen. Sharing her harrowing experience online with a stark warning she said: “Moral of the story, I will never be using scented candles ever… Your health really matters. Prioritise your health,” noting just how close she came to a fatal outcome, she implored others: “Don’t take things for granted. And just take care of yourself. I will do a better job.”
Her tale went viral, garnering over 784,000 views as concerned netizens flooded the comments. One user admitted: “I literally had no idea you can get carbon monoxide poisoning from candles,” while another was stumped: “Wait how do you get carbon monoxide poisoning from candles I always light candles all over my house been doing this for years especially bc I clean.”
Another tipster shared their safety measures: “That’s why I cover them the second I blow them out, but I also have my windows open for fresh air too.” An advocate for alternatives chimed in: “YES I HAVE BEEN TELLING PEOPLE To swap their candles for diffusers instead!!!!”
