http://www.greenlivingonline.com/HealthNutrition/air-fresheners-or-air-poisoner/
(Feb 16, 2008)
Air fresheners are delivering more than a fresh scent. They may be responsible for polluting your indoor air and causing asthma attacks. You’re better off opening a window. 
Science smells something is off
A study recently published in American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, found the regular use of sprays increased the risk of asthma by 30 to 50 percent. The study was done by the European Community Respiratory Health Survey, and followed 3,500 people in 10 European countries.
A second report released by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) in Sept 2007 tested 14 brands of common household air fresheners. They found that most scented sprays, gels and plug-in fresheners offer no public health benefits yet contain harmful chemicals. Twelve of the products tested contained phthalates, despite their "all-natural" and "unscented" label. But phthalates were not even listed as ingredients.
Makes no scent
But you can understand why an air freshener wouldn’t want to advertise having this noxious chemical. Phthalates are an acknowledged hormone disrupting chemical, linked to birth defects and shown to affect the development of brain, nervous and immune system development in small children. It might hurt sales, which are expected to reach $1.72 billion U. S. this year.
Air fresheners also contain other harmful chemicals, including benzene and formaldehyde,
Regulations needed
As a result of the test, the NRDC, Sierra Club, the Alliance for Healthy Homes and the National Center for Healthy Housing recently petitioned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Consumer Product Safety Commission for stricter regulations around air fresheners. They want the EPA to pay particular attention to the link with asthma and air fresheners.
The petitioned stated that Americans suffer significant exposure "to a veritable cocktail of dangerous and potentially dangerous volatile organic compounds. In cases of mold and damp indoor environments, air fresheners may hide an indicator of potentially serious health threats to the respiratory system."
In response to the groups' petition Walgreen Co. quickly pulled three of its air fresheners off the shelves of its 5,850 stores nationwide. At the same time Walgreens representatives did also point out that their air fresheners do contribute to a better quality of life.
Other manufacturers such as Procter and Gamble, S.C. Johnson, Dial Corp., Sara Lee Corp. and Reckitt Benckiser Inc. have not responded.
The NRDC air freshener hit list
Highest levels of phthalates:Walgreens Air Freshener Spray (removed from shelves) Walgreens Scented Bouquet Air Fresheners (removed from shelves) Walgreens Solid Air Fresheners (removed from shelves) Ozium Glycolized Air Sanitizer Medium levels of phthalates:Air Wick Scented Oil Febreze NOTICEables Scented Oil Glade Air Infusions Glade PlugIn Scented Oil Oust Air Sanitizer Spray Low levels or no phthalates detected:Citrus Magic Febreze Air Effects Air Refresher Lysol Brand II Disinfectant Oust Fan Liquid Refills Renuzit Subtle Effects
Air freshener or air poisoner?
Image: istockphoto.com/Jill Fromer
Science smells something is off
A study recently published in American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, found the regular use of sprays increased the risk of asthma by 30 to 50 percent. The study was done by the European Community Respiratory Health Survey, and followed 3,500 people in 10 European countries.
A second report released by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) in Sept 2007 tested 14 brands of common household air fresheners. They found that most scented sprays, gels and plug-in fresheners offer no public health benefits yet contain harmful chemicals. Twelve of the products tested contained phthalates, despite their "all-natural" and "unscented" label. But phthalates were not even listed as ingredients.
Makes no scent
But you can understand why an air freshener wouldn’t want to advertise having this noxious chemical. Phthalates are an acknowledged hormone disrupting chemical, linked to birth defects and shown to affect the development of brain, nervous and immune system development in small children. It might hurt sales, which are expected to reach $1.72 billion U. S. this year.
Air fresheners also contain other harmful chemicals, including benzene and formaldehyde,
Regulations needed
As a result of the test, the NRDC, Sierra Club, the Alliance for Healthy Homes and the National Center for Healthy Housing recently petitioned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Consumer Product Safety Commission for stricter regulations around air fresheners. They want the EPA to pay particular attention to the link with asthma and air fresheners.
The petitioned stated that Americans suffer significant exposure "to a veritable cocktail of dangerous and potentially dangerous volatile organic compounds. In cases of mold and damp indoor environments, air fresheners may hide an indicator of potentially serious health threats to the respiratory system."
In response to the groups' petition Walgreen Co. quickly pulled three of its air fresheners off the shelves of its 5,850 stores nationwide. At the same time Walgreens representatives did also point out that their air fresheners do contribute to a better quality of life.
Other manufacturers such as Procter and Gamble, S.C. Johnson, Dial Corp., Sara Lee Corp. and Reckitt Benckiser Inc. have not responded.
The NRDC air freshener hit list
Highest levels of phthalates:
10 Comments
posted Oct 21, 2007 - 8:01 am by Nooshin
Dear Sir / Madam,I am unfortuantly in an office environment that uses Air Freshners sprays and I suffer from sever headaches .
As you are aware of the new buildings there are no windows that can be opened and we do not have any ventalation.
What can we use to take out the other without being poisned.
I think all these Highrises should consider this face before building such poison Trap rooms
Regards,
Nooshin
posted Oct 21, 2007 - 10:49 pm by Linda
Westerners especially have been 'sold' on the superficial notion that to perfume everything about us somehow makes us more 'socially acceptable'. We seem not to grasp the fact that 'we' are the 'socially' and we can choose to 'accept' ourselves and one another without hiding behind a hale of artificial scent. It's a marketing con job done by ad agents who are paid by corporate mogols just to create new ways of getting people to part with their hard earned money. Just because a commercial says it is unacceptable to comport yourself without a cloud of their perfume, does not make it so.
WE are the 'market' and WE better start thinking for ourselves again really soon, before they knock us off while picking our pockets.
posted Nov 20, 2007 - 11:14 pm by Nicole
Rather than cover up scents or bad smells, we need to get rid of the smell without generating new smells. I've found that the Norwex Odor Eliminator gets rid of bad smells, but it's not harmful. It's made with enzymes that destroy the smell, but it's still safe for people with allergies and asthma. There's always an environmentally friendly solution out there somewhere!
posted Dec 29, 2007 - 11:10 am by Wilf Kruggel
I do wish that the national health agencies of both Canada and the United States would combine and moniter all the the chemicals used where humans are involved and if those chemicals used on food or wherever and are bad for human health, then they must be pulled from the store shelves. So far, those dangerous air freshners are still available
posted Dec 30, 2007 - 11:06 am by evone
One of those spurty air fresheners was installed in the hallway of my apartment building. I had a bad reaction to it: I started loosing control of my neck and arms, got disoriented, and felt like I was drunk when I was walking. I alerted my building about the harm that such a gadget can cause but most other tenants don't take seriously the harm that can be caused by toxic fumes that they can't see. Instead they will fuss about cigarette smoke and not make the connection when they have breathing problems.
posted Feb 1, 2008 - 10:24 am by Ruth Ruddock
We need to realize that the FDA is not protecting us...we have to start a grass roots movement to rid our environments of these noxious fragrance products that are so ubiquitous now. I live with chronic chemical sensitiities, and am living in an apt.building where there are plug-in air freshners all along the halls....to cover up the old stale cigarette smoke in the rugs and walls. My apt. is an oasis from that, but I have to use expensive air cleaner machines to achieve that. Something is wrong with this picture!! I think education is the answer to this problem we are all facing. I just wrote a letter to The American Lung Association...they keep harping on research and wanting more money for it, but do not see the whole
picture...they do not understand that the cleaning products in day care centers and schools are what drives the asthma rate so high with children. When will THEY wake up??
Thanks for listening.
posted Feb 28, 2008 - 1:12 pm by Amanda
When exactly did this ridiculous "better living through chemicals" craze take off, anyway? We were broke when I was a kid, and we cleaned with vinegar and baking soda and opened the windows to get fresh air in if something smelled funny.It simply boggles my mind that people are willing to spend so much for so many different chemicals to "clean" and disinfect and deodorize and re-odorize their living spaces. Don't we have something better to do with our money, as a nation, than installing antibacterial wipes on every countertop and wasting electricity to heat and diffuse scented chemicals throughout the air?
posted Mar 11, 2008 - 10:58 am by anita biase
I bought two nutra-air freshener systems to make my apartment smell better.After the third day of use, my face swelled up and became so painful, I had to go to the emergency room. The trip, including the medications, cost me over 300.00. I was unable to work for several days.
posted Apr 3, 2008 - 10:58 am by Pauline
Last week I was at the computer of my local library and ended up with a headache that would last 2 days, a sore throat and some dizziness. It was the automatic air freshener in the bathroom that triggered the symptoms. I only go to town once a week and until now had not realized that it was stopping at public washrooms that was causing my town headaches. The following website (organization) seems to be working on the problem in Canada http://www.aeha.ca/help-with.htm. Environmental Health Org. of Nova Scotia also has an excellent website. It will take time and a lot of people to get sick before something gets done.
posted Apr 4, 2008 - 11:56 pm by Pat
Air fresheners are both good and bad, depending on which one is being used. Spray? forget it. I checked on plug-ins. S.C. Johnson produces plug-ins that pass EPA standards, but it took me a long time to find the info about the air fresheners. Other companies didn't have their info on-line so I don't know if any of them are worth using or not. Also, I nearly died from using a food substitute -- Splenda. Then I found out it was originally used for rat poison, or something like that. No wonder it nearly killed me. Anyway, I used Glade plug-ins with no problems, but others I'm ill from.
Pat
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