 |
| If you're feeling queasy about your air freshener choices, perhaps go the natural route. |
Air Fresheners
Are air fresheners bad
for your health?
BY CRISTINE
CONGER
Air
fresheners sell like gangbusters in the United States. Around 75 percent of
American homes use some form of them, racking up more than $1 billion in
profits for the industry [source: NRDC].
In
fact, since 2003, sales have doubled as the market has broadened to offer
solid, aerosol and plug-in varieties in a smorgasbord of scents.
But
the domestic fragrances and odor neutralizers have also received a bad rap for
their chemical stewpots.
Environmental
groups repeatedly warn against using many types of air fresheners, citing a
list of pollutants they claim can threaten our health.
At
the same time, industry representatives maintain that air fresheners pose no
risk.
U.S.
government organizations, such as the Consumer Product Safety Commission and
the Environmental Protection Agency, have not ruled on whether they should be
legal since studies on their health effects are scarce.
A
2007 study by the National Resource Defense Council (NRDC) spiked this public
debate.
In
testing 14 different air fresheners sold at a Walgreens drug store, the study
concluded that many contained chemicals that could cause developmental and
reproductive problems, especially for infants [source: NRDC].
It
highlighted the presence of phthalates,
chemicals that manufacturers use as plastic softeners and to hold fragrances.
California
and Washington have banned the sale of children's toys containing phthalates
because of their link to hormonal disruptions in additional studies on animals.
Although
the organization didn't call for the removal of the air fresheners from the
market, it set off a wave of mixed reactions.
Walgreens,
for instance, removed three of its generic brand air fresheners that the study
found had the highest levels of phthalates [source: Meersman].
Some,
however, called the NRDC testing procedures into question since it didn't take
into account factors such as the size of the room it is dispensed in, a
person's distance from the product and the time they stay in a room [source: Masters].
But
the list of possible air freshener irritants doesn't stop there.
Main Chemicals
in Air Fresheners
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA), most store-bought air fresheners consist
of formaldehyde, petrochemicals, p-dichlorobenzene and aerosol pollutants
[source: EPA]. The
agency's "Indoor Guide to Air Quality" also notes that air fresheners
"release pollutants more or less continuously" [source: EPA].
The
University of California at Berkeley performed a study on air fresheners and
household cleaners in 2006 that discovered ethylene-based
glycol ethers, classified by the EPA as hazardous air pollutants
[source: ScienceDaily]. It
also found the presence of terpenes,
which are chemicals often derived from citrus oils that are not inherently
dangerous, but react with ozone to
form formaldehyde [source: UC Berkeley].
While these conclusions may seem like cause for alarm, the study also reported
that health-related issues would apply mostly to professional house cleaners or
janitors who are exposed to high levels of the products [source: ScienceDaily].
One of the
active ingredients in mothballs, 1,4
dichlorobenzene, also is present in many air fresheners. The EPA's
air quality guide lists this chemical as toxic since its vapors can affect
respiratory function. Likewise, the U.S. National Institute of Health Sciences
reported that the chemicals in air fresheners can reduce lung capacity and may
hasten respiratory diseases [source: ScienceDaily].
Along those
same lines, there appears to be a correlation between air fresheners and asthma
problems. A University of Washington study on chemical hypersensitivity polled
people about their reactions to air fresheners. Around a third of the
participants with asthma said air fresheners will aggravate their condition,
and 40 percent reacted negatively to scented products in general [source: Caress and Steinemann].
This could be
connected to that combination of certain chemicals in air fresheners and ozone
that form formaldehyde [source: Caress and Steinemann].
Why so many mentions of formaldehyde? The gas can lead to impaired breathing in
people and can cause cancer in animals [source: EPA].
Nevertheless,
the EPA has not advised against buying air fresheners, but rather that people
should exercise care with usage.
That's because many of the chemical-related
studies simulated higher levels of indoor ozone and air freshener consumption
than normally occurs in homes.
Also, some companies now sell
"greener" air fresheners for consumers who are concerned about the
health effects with lowered levels of pollutants.
If you still
aren't satisfied with your air freshener options, you can take the natural
route.
Proper ventilation, along with baking soda, coffee grounds or lemon
peels (try grinding them up in your disposal) can all disperse and eliminate
peevish odors.
About Cristen
Conger
Raised on a steady diet of Technicolor musicals and
library books, Cristen Conger always wanted to be a writer when she grew up.
While working toward her journalism degree at the University of Georgia, she
learned to avoid starry-eyed statements about childhood dreams and stick to
hard facts. After graduating, Cristen decided she'd spent enough time chasing
down REM band members in Athens and hitched up the road to Atlanta where she
jumped on board with the award-winning web site HowStuffWorks.com.
As a writer and blogger for
HowStuffWorks and a contributing writer for Discovery News,
Cristen specializes in technology and the science of everyday living. Her
articles have featured on Huffington Post, ABC Science and MSNBC.com.
She also co-hosts the popular Stuff Mom Never Told You podcast, which explores
gender issues such as relationships, careers and women's history. A graduate of
University of Georgia, where she majored in journalism, Cristen reads, writes,
runs and dabbles in improv comedy.
No comments:
Post a Comment