Air Freshener Dangers

Hi folks. A couple of days ago someone mentioned air fresheners etc, but I can't find the topic, therefore here's a new one. I found the following information which you might find not only helpful, but alarming. It's a bit long winded but I think you should read it, especially if you have any breathing difficulties.

Basic ingredients in air fresheners typically include fragrances, aerosol propellants, Ingredients[edit]
and solvents such as mineral oil or 2-butoxyethanol and other glycol ethers. As fragrances, air freshener preparations often include terpenes such as limonene. A report issued in 2005 by the Bureau Européen des Unions de Consommateurs (BEUC) found that many air freshener products emit allergens and toxic air pollutants including benzene, formaldehyde, terpenes, styrene, phthalate esters, and toluene.[2] A study in 2006 found that the prominent products of the reaction of terpenes found in air fresheners with ozone included formaldehyde, hydroxyl radical, and secondary ultrafine particles.[3]

Toxicity
Many air fresheners employ carcinogens, volatile organic compounds and known toxins such as phthalate esters in their formulas. A Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) study of 13 common household air fresheners found that most of the surveyed products contain chemicals that can aggravate asthma and affect reproductive development. The NRDC called for more rigorous supervision of the manufacturers and their products, which are widely assumed to be safe:
The study assessed scented sprays, gels, and plug-in air fresheners. Independent lab testing confirmed the presence of phthalates, or hormone-disrupting chemicals that may pose a particular health risk to babies and young children, in 12 of the 14 products—including those marked 'all natural.' None of the products had these chemicals listed on their labels.[4]
On September 19, 2007, along with the Sierra Club, Alliance for Healthy Homes, and the National Center for Healthy Housing, the NRDC filed a petition with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Consumer Product Safety Commission to report the findings.[5]
The University of Bristol's Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) found that exposure to volatile organic compounds through frequent use of air fresheners and other aerosols in the home was found to correlate with increased earaches and diarrhea in infants, and with increased depression and headaches in their mothers.[6][7]
In 2008, Anne Steinemann of the University of Washington published a study of top-selling air fresheners and laundry products.[8][9] She found that all products tested gave off chemicals regulated as toxic or hazardous under federal laws, including carcinogens with no safe exposure level, but none of these chemicals were listed on any of the product labels or Material Safety Data Sheets. Chemicals included acetone, the active ingredient in paint thinner and nail-polish remover; chloromethane, a neurotoxicant and respiratory toxicant; and acetaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane, both carcinogens. A plug-in air freshener contained more than 20 different volatile organic compounds, with more than one-third classified as toxic or hazardous under federal laws. Even air fresheners called "organic," "green," or with "essential oils" emitted hazardous chemicals, including carcinogens.
In 2009, Stanley M. Caress of the University of West Georgia and Anne C. Steinemann of the University of Washington published results from two national epidemiological studies of health effects from exposure to air fresheners. They found that nearly 20 percent of the general population and 34 percent of asthmatics report headaches, breathing difficulties, or other health problems when exposed to air fresheners or deodorizers.[10]
Research at the University of Colorado at Boulder revealed a probable mechanism for the carcinogenic effects of mothballs and some types of air fresheners.[11][12]

I must admit I generally dont like air fresheners - whatever the scent they smell chemically and false. If I have to use something because of nasty pongs I tend to go for one of the odour neutralisers with minimal scent.

Morning Star

Read with great interest thank you.

Haven't used them in my car for years now 'cause I was always sneezing. Same must apply in the house though the area is much bigger. Hadn't thought about it, but will now.

sphinx wrote:I must admit I generally dont like air fresheners - whatever the scent they smell chemically and false.  If I have to use something because of nasty pongs I tend to go for one of the odour neutralisers with minimal scent.

Me too. I rarely use air freshener, but those odour neutralisers can be useful sometimes - as long as you stay out of the room at the time.  

Raggamuffin wrote:

sphinx wrote:I must admit I generally dont like air fresheners - whatever the scent they smell chemically and false.  If I have to use something because of nasty pongs I tend to go for one of the odour neutralisers with minimal scent.

Me too. I rarely use air freshener, but those odour neutralisers can be useful sometimes - as long as you stay out of the room at the time.  

Well with cats and teenage sons sometimes I have to do something or I would be getting calls from these guys

...that's all you have to do..you do the shake and vac and Hoover up your sacks  

Hi folks, good replies. We've a plug-in in the hall near the bedroom, and I swear that's what's made me chesty during the night. I've turned it off for the last couple of nights and guess what? No chestiness.

stardesk wrote:Hi folks, good replies. We've a plug-in in the hall near the bedroom, and I swear that's what's made me chesty during the night. I've turned it off for the last couple of nights and guess what? No chestiness.

That really does not surprise me. What is this modern fascination with making everything false? Plastic surgery, artificial sweeteners, air fresheners, fake tans - the list goes on and on.

Money, money, money, isn't it Sphinx. Look at the products and food in supermarkets, some are supposedly fat free and sugar free etc, but other ingredients to compensate are just as bad. My wife is a diabetic and spends time reading all the labels but, at the end of the day she's no better for choosing so-called salt, fat, sugar free products.

Star, the article confirms what I said the other day.

These things are packed full of nasty stuff.

Hi Tommy. Yes indeed, most manufactured products contain something which may be harmful. But we are at their mercy, if we want or need a certain product we have to put up with whatever's in it. There are alternatives but given today's pressure on time and money, can we always use alternatives? I like scented candles but even some of them can cause chestiness or a cough because they emit too much smoke.

stardesk wrote:Hi folks, good replies. We've a plug-in in the hall near the bedroom, and I swear that's what's made me chesty during the night. I've turned it off for the last couple of nights and guess what? No chestiness.

Don't use them! Nasty toxic shite. I can't breathe when I'm near the bloody things and can't stop sneezing. Use pot pourri, much nicer, or scented candles.

I never use them, I cut up a lemon and place it on a dish and it smells fresh , use lavender oil too .

Good suggestion, Dibs. I'll try to persuade the wife to do that.

So now I'm just supposed to live with my farts, huh?!

why would one fart.........object to living with other farts??????  

I like the smell of my own farts.

I used one of those airwick freshamatic things for ages, till my poor dog started snuffling and sneezing. The vet said get rid of air fresheners, they are the biggest cause of allergies in pets and humans. I do like some fragrance so I use wax lyrical reed diffusers now, and no problems with poor Harve any more!

Scented candles, and even those make me feel funny after a while.

I can't use any aerosols: even deodarants. I have to use roll-ones. If my OH or son spray deodarants I make them stand near a window!

eddie wrote:Scented candles, and even those make me feel funny after a while.

I can't  use any aerosols: even deodarants. I have to use roll-ones. If my OH or son spray deodarants I make them stand near a window!

It just shows they are unhealthy , we walked past a yankie candle shop the other day and it was overpowering irritated my nose straight away so how do they work in it all day ?

I don't like deodarants either, more dangerous and toxic chemicals absorbed straight into the body.


Plus most contain aluminium which is linked with breast cancer.

  NO "air fresheners" reside in my car. (IF it's still smelly after a clean-out, I'll use one of those odour-removal liquids..).
THE only place you will find air fresheners/neutralisers in this house are around toilets, bathroom and laundry..    

AND houses down here do tend to be pretty well ventilated most year 'round, 'cept for the depths of winter  ~  goes with the local climate (though some people are also over-using their air conditioners too, these days..).


    ANOTHER potential source of sneaky contaminants in the home that deserve to be treated warily, are those insect deterrents (moths, silverfish, cockroaches) that you hang up in wardrobes and cupboards ~ some of the nastier ones have toxic doses of poisons such as Phosphorous compounds included in the formulas..

EITHER be sure to buy ones that don't have the stronger poisons in them ~ or at least don't sleep in the same rooms as they might be used in !