Feature Article:::...

Scented products affect home's air quality

By: Marie Browning

The days are getting cooler and many of you may be preparing to seal up your home for the winter. As you do, please consider your home’s indoor air quality (IAQ).

Indoor air quality in the average home exceeds what the EPA allows, and is worse than outdoor air quality, which is why it is considered the number one air pollution problem in the United States. The tighter the home’s “envelope,” the poorer the indoor air quality is likely to be.

Many factors contribute to poor IAQ, but one you can most easily control is synthetic fragrances. The typical house is home to hundreds of synthetic fragrances in dryer sheets, air fresheners, candles, perfumes, cleaning products and personal care products like deodorants and shampoo. We can smell these products because of their VOC (volatile organic compound) makeup.

Would you be surprised to know that synthetic fragrances are known to trigger your sinus problems, asthma, headaches and possibly respiratory distress, memory impairment, disorientation, cancer and seizures? Others are known hormone and endocrine disrupters, which can affect female and male reproductive organ formation and function.

Even bees, hummingbirds and butterflies are affected, as subtle flower scents are lost in air pollutants like synthetic fragrances. Every time dryer sheet and detergent fragrances exit the dryer vent, thousands of harmful compounds contaminate the air that we all depend on.

As early as 1986, the National Academy of Sciences placed fragrances in the category with solvents, insecticides and heavy metals for neurotoxicity testing recommendations.

This is because at least 95 percent of fragrance ingredients are petrochemicals. Some are on EPA hazardous waste lists, and are known carcinogens, neurotoxins, irritants or respiratory toxicants. At least one has been banned, but due to proprietary fragrance protection laws, the ban cannot be enforced! Manufacturers can claim to use essential oils, even if they are synthetic. Or they can add genuine oils to a chemical blend, and/or label it in such a way as to suggest the product is “natural” or fragrance-free.

Chemists may argue that some synthetics replicate the molecules of natural fragrance exactly. However, studies have shown that our bodies do know the difference between a lab produced substance and one created by nature. (For you scientists, this can involve D&L isomers) Plus, many of these chemicals replicate nothing found in nature.

There are no regulations for the terms “natural,” “fragrance” or “essential oils.” There is virtually no regulation of ingredients used in fragrances, whether they are in your dryer sheets or in the expensive perfume you love. (Calvin Klein’s Eternity contains more than 800 chemical compounds).

According to the Environmental Working Group, “Perfumes are made from the same neurotoxic solvents found in glues and adhesives and volatile chemicals commonly found in garages and factories…” And you wondered why perfume departments give you a headache!
Aroma chemicals are only a part of the problem. Chemicals are used in scented and unscented products to mask unpleasant odors, or to extend, emulsify, preserve or stabilize the product. Some plug-in air fresheners, for example, release a stream of formaldehyde, along with the fragrance.

Information from Material Safety Data Sheets about the most common chemicals used in scented products reveals that many include warnings against inhalation!

Here is some information about a few of the hundreds of common fragrance ingredients: benzene derivatives benzyl acetate, linked to pancreatic cancer; benzyl alcohol, a respiratory irritant; and benzylaldehyde, a narcotic that depresses brain and nerve function, and irritates eyes, skin, and lungs.

Musk Xylene, may cause cancer, but worse, appears to promote and increase body absorption of all other chemicals. It also accumulates easily in fat tissue, and in the environment.

There are plenty of safe options — you just have to look. Genuine essential oil products provide pleasing aromas, antimicrobial action and myriad health benefits. There are wonderful (and economical) chemical-free dryer sheets, and safe unscented products. Demand will create supply.

This article was taken from my “Guide to Healthier Home Air Quality.” Please contact me for more information on how to improve the air in your living space.

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Marie Browning holds a master’s degree in holistic nutrition and is certified in nutritional wellness. She offers seminars and private consultation in the Tri-Cities area. Her Web site is www.healthiersolutionsbymarie.com or call her at 367-1396.