The use of a trench candle as an alternative heating and light source in wartime and possible negative consequences

Aim. To examine the composition of ultrafine aerosol in the air generated by the trench candle burning and compare combustion products with proven carcinogens according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classification. Materials and methods. The content of ultrafine aerosol emitted from trench candle burning was studied using a NanoScan 3910 portable scanning spectrometer. The number, area, surface volume and mass concentration of particles were measured at 0.5 and 1.5 meters above the floor level before and after the trench candle burning for 10 minutes. The chemical composition was assessed by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES, PerkinElmer Optima 2100 DV, USA). The morphological characteristics of suspended particles were studied by scanning electron microscopy (TESCAN VEGA3, Czech Republic). Results. High concentrations of suspended particulates in the ultrafine particle size range outnumbering the background content by almost 985 times (p ≤ 0.001) have been found to be emitted from the trench candle burning into the indoor air at the breathing level. The ultrafine aerosol contained carcinogenic heavy metals according to the IARC classification (chromium, cadmium, and cobalt). Conclusions. The use of trench candles during the Russian–Ukrainian war relates military and civilian populations to a risk group, that requires wartime carcinogenic effects on the Ukrainian population to be studied and demands the development of a National Program for primary and secondary prevention of cancer as soon as today.