Toxic chemicals found in common scented laundry products, air fresheners

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Comment: Published in a peer review journal. The products were placed in a

sterile room one at a time & the ambient air was tested, showing toxic levels

of carcinogens & VOC's. This is the typical exposure of walking into a

grocery store where these products are sold or a room where someone else who

uses

the products is present.

Toxic chemicals found in common scented laundry products, air fresheners

_http://www.physorg.com/news136035644.html_

(http://www.physorg.com/news136035644.html)

 

 

A University of Washington study of top-selling laundry products and air

fresheners found the products emitted dozens of different chemicals. All six

products tested gave off at least one chemical regulated as toxic or hazardous

under federal laws, but none of those chemicals was listed on the product

labels.

 

 

" I first got interested in this topic because people were telling me that

the air fresheners in public restrooms and the scent from laundry products

vented outdoors were making them sick, " said Anne Steinemann, a UW professor of

civil and environmental engineering and of public affairs. " And I wanted to

know, 'What's in these products that is causing these effects?' "

 

She analyzed the products to discover the chemicals' identity.

 

" I was surprised by both the number and the potential toxicity of the

chemicals that were found, " Steinemann said. Chemicals included acetone, the

active

ingredient in paint thinner and nail-polish remover; limonene, a molecule

with a citrus scent; and acetaldehyde, chloromethane and 1,4-dioxane.

 

" Nearly 100 volatile organic compounds were emitted from these six products,

and none were listed on any product label. Plus, five of the six products

emitted one or more carcinogenic 'hazardous air pollutants,' which are

considered by the Environmental Protection Agency to have no safe exposure

level, "

Steinemann said.

 

Her study was published online today by the journal Environmental Impact

Assessment Review. Steinemann chose not to disclose the brand names of the six

products she tested. In a larger study of 25 cleaners, personal care products,

air fresheners and laundry products, now submitted for publication, she found

that many other brands contained similar chemicals.

 

Because manufacturers of consumer products are not required to disclose the

ingredients, Steinemann analyzed the products to discover their contents. She

studied three common air fresheners (a solid deodorizer disk, a liquid spray

and a plug-in oil) and three laundry products (a dryer sheet, fabric

softener and a detergent), selecting a top seller in each category. She bought

household items at a grocery store and asked companies for samples of

industrial

products.

 

In the laboratory, each product was placed in an isolated space at room

temperature and the surrounding air was analyzed for volatile organic

compounds,

small molecules that evaporate from the product's surface into the air.

 

Results showed 58 different volatile organic compounds above a concentration

of 300 micrograms per cubic meter, many of which were present in more than

one of the six products. For instance, a plug-in air freshener contained more

than 20 different volatile organic compounds. Of these, seven are regulated

as toxic or hazardous under federal laws. The product label lists no

ingredients, and information on the Material Safety Data Sheet, required for

workplace

handling of chemicals, lists the contents as " mixture of perfume oils. "

 

This study does not address links between exposure to chemicals and health

effects. However, two national surveys published by Steinemann and a colleague

in 2004 and 2005 found that about 20 percent of the population reported

adverse health effects from air fresheners, and about 10 percent complained of

adverse effects from laundry products vented to the outdoors. Among asthmatics

such complaints were roughly twice as common.

 

Manufacturers are not required to list the ingredients used in laundry

products and air fresheners. Personal-care products and cleaners often contain

similar fragrance chemicals, Steinemann said. And although cosmetics are

required by the Food and Drug Administration to list ingredients, no law

requires

products of any kind to list chemicals used in fragrances.

 

" Fragrance chemicals are of particular interest because of the potential for

involuntary exposure, or second-hand scents, " Steinemann said.

 

" Be careful if you buy products with fragrance, because you really don't

know what's in them, " she added. " I'd like to see better labeling. In the

meantime, I'd recommend that instead of air fresheners people use ventilation,

and

with laundry products, choose fragrance-free versions. "

 

The European Union recently enacted legislation requiring products to list

26 fragrance chemicals when they are present above a certain concentration in

_cosmetic products_ (http://www.physorg.com/news136035644.html#) and

detergents. No similar laws exist in the United States.

 

" I hope this study will raise public awareness, and reduce exposures to

potentially hazardous chemicals, " said Steinemann.

 

Source: University of Washington