No More Blowing Out Birthday Candles

The latest ban in the world of childhood comes out of Australia where blowing out birthday candles is now a thing of the past.

The new guidelines were set by Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council mainly because daycare centers and other organizations where groups of children gather were allowing the candle-blowing tradition over a cake that would be shared by many. The problem was that children weren’t just blowing out the candles, they were also spitting on them as well creating a cake Mecca of germs.

Okay, so we, as an adult population, have been partaking of this tradition for decades and we’ve survived, right? So, how dangerous is your breath (and perhaps spittle) on a frosted birthday cake?

According to research from the University of Arizona, the mucous membranes in the mouth contain many germs and, as in the birthday cake scenario, can be transmitted in droplet form. The University found that these droplets of mucus (i.e. spit) can travel up to three feet and are generally more contagious than those spread by direct contact such as touching (as in shaking hands) or kissing. Most of the respiratory infections such as pneumonia, strep throat and meningitis are spread by droplets. Of interest, certain germs can travel farther than three feet in droplet form such as those that cause tuberculosis, spores of the anthrax bacterium, and the virus that causes measles. It’s not likely that little Kevin would spit farther than 3 feet while trying to blow out his birthday candles…but you never know. And, you never know what diseases little Kevin might be harboring in his mouth.

Is blowing out birthday candles really this dangerous? Well, quite frankly, yes. According to a study published in the Journal of Aerosol Medicine and Pulmonary Delivery, droplets exhaled during normal breathing may be more hazardous than those associated with coughing and sneezing. The study found that small droplets form inside the lungs, and as they lay there, they collect a plethora of germs contained within your body. Eventually, enough form that they break off and enter the air you breathe in and out. So, over the course of a day, you are spewing all kinds of diseases just from breathing.

This isn’t a new issue. Droplets in your breath have been well-known and studied for more than a century. An 1871 article (142 years ago) in The British Medical Journal discussed the origins of contagious diseases, discovering that mucus droplets from the body can carry diseases even after exhaled from the body. They are dangerous when infected droplets contact other people.

Okay, so we have a dangerous and unhealthy custom. How did it start? Well, that’s another story, but briefly, it is rooted in Ancient Greek traditions. A round cake was a tribute to the moon goddess, and the candles were to represent the reflected moonlight. Candles on birthday cakes became more popular thanks to the Germans who placed candles on cakes for religious reasons. Today, our candles are mainly rooted in superstitious beliefs – making a silent wish before blowing them out – then if all the candles are blown out in one breath, the wish will come true.

Research and public health concerns have led us to realize the dangers of this practice. Humans are the main carriers of many germs and many diseases, so why would you want someone spewing mucus droplets on your dessert?

While this seems like depressing news to those of us who love a good birthday cake with loads of burning candles, it doesn’t have to dampen the celebration. The best way to “have your cake and eat it too” is to provide a separate cake and/or cupcake with candles to the birthday person. This way, they can blow droplets all over their own cake/cupcake while the rest of us can have a mucus-free birthday treat.

References:

Bastian, H. C. (1871). Epidemic and specific contagious diseases. The British Medical Journal, 2(562), 400-409.

Campbell, C. (2013). Australian kids face birthday candle ban to prevent spreading germs. Retrieved from http://world.time.com/2013/02/07/australian-kids-face-birthday-candle-ban-to-prevent-spreading-germs/.

Malashenko, A., Tsuda, A., and Haber, S. (2009). Propagation and breakup of liquid menisci and aerosol generation in small airways. Journal of Aerosol Medicine and Pulmonary Drug Delivery, 22(4), 341-353.

Reynolds. (2009). How germs are spread. Retrieved from http://learnaboutgerms.arizona.edu/how_germs_spread.htm.