HAVE you noticed that when you walk into stores like Bed Bath and Beyond or Pier 1, the smell from their scented candles and potpourri is overwhelming?
Have you noticed that air fresheners, dryer sheets or heavily scented washing machine soap have a potent aroma?
Have you ever stopped to think what is in these products that cause strong fragrances?
The answer is that the odors are produced by a soup of chemicals, and some of these compounds may not be very good for you.
Manufacturers of detergents, laundry sheets and air fresheners are not required to list all ingredients on their labels. The laws protecting people from indoor air pollution from consumer products are very limited.
When Anne Steinemann, professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Washington, analyzed some of the popular scented items, she found 100 different volatile organic compounds measuring 300 parts per billion or more. Some of these can lead to cancer or cause harm to respiratory, reproductive, neurological and other organ systems.
Although the labels on many of these products carry only innocuous-sounding names like “perfume” or “biodegradable” contents, a number of products have chemicals that are categorized as hazardous or toxic by federal regulatory agencies.
“Consumers are breathing in these chemicals,” Steinemann states, and “no one is doing anything about it.”
Another study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine showed that using household cleaning sprays and air fresheners was linked to an increased risk of asthma.
Although previous studies have found increased levels of respiratory problems in cleaning service workers, this is the first study to demonstrate a similar impact in the wider public.
Researchers found that, on average, people regularly exposed to cleaning sprays were 30 percent to 50 percent more likely to develop asthma than others.
A study released in September 2007 by the Natural Resources Defense Council analyzed more than a dozen common household air fresheners and found that “most contain chemicals that may affect hormones and reproductive development, particularly in babies.”
The federal government does not currently test air fresheners for safety or require manufacturers to meet any specific safety standards. The NRDC study offers both consumers and officials new information on the risks certain air fresheners pose.
The NRDC study (which can be found at www.nrdc.org/media/2007/070919.asp) showed that many of the air fresheners and scented products contain phthalates. The study said “phthalates are hormone-disrupting chemicals that can be particularly dangerous for young children and unborn babies. Exposure to phthalates can affect testosterone levels and lead to reproductive abnormalities, including abnormal genitalia and reduced sperm production. … California notes that five types of phthalates — including one that we found in air freshener products — are ‘known to cause birth defects or reproductive harm.’ Young children and pregnant women should be especially careful to avoid contact with these chemicals.”
Because phthalates are hormone disrupters, doctors are most concerned about exposures to pregnant women between their eighth and 15th weeks of pregnancy. It is during that period that a delicate balance of hormones directs the development of sex organs in the fetus.
The NRDC study estimates that plug-in, spray or stand-alone liquid and gel air fresheners are used in nearly 75 percent of U.S. households. This suggests that people are quite unaware of the harmful chemicals that are contained in these products.
Meanwhile, manufacturers are advertising these scented products for use everywhere, even where children play and sleep. With so many people in this country having respiratory problems, it is terribly important for people to learn more about what is in these scented products and what their health effects might be.
Nancy Alderman is president of Environment and Human Health Inc., 1191 Ridge Road, North Haven 06473. E-mail: info@ehhi.org.
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