Randall Munroe answers a science question from DC

Where Does a Candle Go When It Burns?

Just saying, maybe go easy with the candelabras.

By Randall Munroe

A version of this article appears in print on April 27, 2021, Section D, Page 4 of the New York edition with the headline: What Goes Up in Smoke in a Candle's Glow?
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/26/science/randall-munroe-candle-xkcd.html

Where does a candle go when it burns, anyway? Is it healthy to be breathing in melted candle particles? How concerned should I be?

— Abigail B., Washington, D.C.