Long winter nights, snuggling by candlelight, and product liability claims

As reports in the national press inform the public that candles are toxic, personal injury workers await a glut of product liability claims.

Sadly the long, light evenings are starting to grow shorter and a noticeable chill can be found hanging delicately in the early morning air, but although many of us are bemoaning the passing of the summer, there are always those little winter treats to look forward to; the legitimate drinking of hot chocolate topped with whipped cream, snuggling with your loved one in front of a good film and the lighting of candles to ward off the chill of the gloom that will inevitably be outside your window from dawn until dusk.

Simple pleasures they are and the placing of a few pillar candles around a room can provide a warmth and glow that makes the winter murk a tad more bearable at a very reasonable price.

But lo, those joy spoilers known as scientists - one sniff of a research grant and they'll prove that something you love is bad for you – have tested low grade candles and found that the fumes from the paraffin they are largely made up of could possibly give you cancer.

Yes, cheap candles are made with high levels of paraffin and, in laboratory testing, it was found that a burning candle does not produce enough heat to combust hazardous molecules such as toluene and benzene and this therefore caused "clear sharp peaks" of chemical emissions.

More expensive candles, such as those made from soy or beeswax, did not give off significant levels of harmful chemicals, but with price of a small soy votive starting at over £6 they are not necessarily an economical option for those romantic creatures who like to spend hour upon hour in the flickering glow of several wicks.

Thankfully, the reasoning minds at Cancer Research UK told the press that in terms of cancer risk, second-hand cigarette smoke was a far more potent danger, and lifestyle factors such as smoking, obesity, alcohol, unhealthy diets and heavy sun exposure would be likely to be causal in far more cases of cancer than candles.

Another professional from the British Lung Foundation attempted to add reassurances and offered the useful tip of making sure the room was well ventilated when burning candles. That's right - open a window, create a draft, and with a stray spark or splash of hot wax you'll have a house fire on your hands. Oh dear! It's another one of those debates, isn't it? Science versus common sense – which would you plump for?

So, before you decide to approach your local personal injury lawyer because you have a sore throat after a night in the light of a candle, think again. It will take a lot of hard and fast evidence before a successful product liability claim can be made against a candle manufacturer. And personally, as the chill and drear of an English winter sets in, I will be lighting my candles, snuggling up and not thinking of my local compensation claim solicitor.

Can I claim?