Air fresheners are everywhere. Howstuffworks.com said that they can be found in about 75 percent of all households in the United States. Air fresheners are a billion dollar industry.
But are they really freshening anything and are they healthy? Some industry representatives say they are not dangerous but that doesn't mean they're actually good for you. And a 2007 study by the National Resource Defense Council (NRDC) indicated that in 14 air fresheners tested, many troubling chemicals were found. Twelve of these air fresheners contained phthalates, but this ingredient was not listed on the labels.
Phthalates are banned in children's toys in Washington and California because of a link to possible hormone disruption. Phthalates have been associated with reproductive problems and birth defects.
The Environmental Protection Agency found that aerosol, formaldehyde, p-dichlorobenzene and petrochemicals are in most air fresheners. Other known possible ingredients are camphor, phenol, ethanol, formaldehyde, and artificial fragrances containing toxic chemicals.
Formaldehyde can impair breathing in human beings and has caused cancer in animals according to the EPA.
A 2010 study indicated that women who used products that included air fresheners had twice the risk of getting breast cancer.
Research out of the University of Washington indicated that one-third of people with asthma polled had their asthma aggravated by air fresheners.
The University of California at Berkeley found in 2006 that ethylene-based glycol ethers are contained in some air fresheners. Ethylene-based glycol ethers are hazardous air pollutants according to the EPA. Terpenes may not be dangerous in and of themselves, but they can help create formaldehyde when they react with ozone.
Many air fresheners also contain 1/4 dichlorobenzene whose vapors can have a negative effect on respiratory function. This is also an ingredient found in mothballs. The National Institute of Health Sciences said that chemicals in many air fresheners can impair lung function and can help bring on respiratory illness.
Generally, air fresheners actually just mask the smells in your house, they don't freshen the air. They do this with the addition of synthetic fragrances. Your nasal passages may be coated with an oil film, or a nerve-deadening agent may be released to impair your sense of smell.
Symptoms caused by air fresheners can include asthma attacks, coughing, dizziness, headaches, mental confusion, migraines and rashes.
If you'd like to avoid the possible detrimental health effects associated with many air fresheners you can do things the old fashioned way.
Open your windows. Grow plants indoors that clean the air. Make your own potpourri (commercial potpourri can also contain chemicals). Dissolve baking soda and vinegar in water to dispel bad odors. Boil lemon slices in water. A bowl of vinegar in a room can also help with odors.
Now, those are things that will make the air fresh.
Sources:
Sniffing Out Air Freshener Alternatives
http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/sniffing-out-air-freshener-alternatives.html
Are air fresheners bad for your health?
http://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/household-safety/tips/air-freshener-dangers.htm
Air Fresheners' Real Impact On Indoor Air Quality
http://blogs.webmd.com/health-ehome/2011/04/air-fresheners-real-impact-on-indoor-air-quality.html
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