Air fresheners have become a staple in many American homes and offices, marketed with the promise of creating a clean, healthy, and sweet-smelling indoor atmosphere. But many of these products contain phthalates (pronounced thal-ates)—hazardous chemicals known to cause hormonal abnormalities, birth defects, and reproductive problems.
NRDC’s independent testing of 14 common air fresheners, none of which listed phthalates as an ingredient, uncovered these chemicals in 86 percent (12 of 14) of the products tested, including those advertised as “allnatural” or “unscented.”
To protect consumers, government action to conduct more thorough tests and enact basic measures to limit exposure to phthalates is urgently needed. Until consumers are given the information they need to make informed decisions about whether to use these products, it is best to avoid using air resheners—especially in places where there are children or pregnant women.
Phthalates: Health Hazards in Many Forms
Phthalates are used in many common consumer products—to soften plastics in children’s toys,
as sealants and adhesives in nail polish, and in perfumes and air fresheners. When people use air fresheners, the phthalates are released into the air where they may be inhaled or may land on the skin and be absorbed.
Once these chemicals enter the bloodstream, they can alter hormone levels and cause other health problems.
Phthalates are known to interfere with production of the male hormone, testosterone, and have been associated with reproductive abnormalities. Numerous animal studies have linked prenatal exposure to certain phthalates with decreases in testosterone, malformations of the genitalia, and reduced sperm production.
The State of California notes that five types of phthalates—including one that we found in air
freshener products—are “known to cause birth defects or reproductive harm.” Phthalate exposure in indoor environments has also been associated with allergic symptoms and asthma.
Improving Your Home’s Air Quality and Safety
Air fresheners are not a solution for poor air quality and cannot substitute for good ventilation. The best solution is to open windows to bring in fresh air or to use fans to maintain air circulation.
If you decide to use an air freshener, however, careful selection may reduce phthalate exposures to you and your family. The table shows which brands we tested contained phthalates.
Stronger Regulations Are Needed to Protect Consumers
There is a clear need for closer monitoring of the types of chemicals manufacturers are allowed to put into air fresheners—and for consumers to be provided with better information about what is in the products they do purchase.
NRDC recommends the following immediate steps:
- Consumers should avoid using air fresheners, but when necessary should use products with the lowest levels of phthalates to limit exposures to these potentially dangerous chemicals.
- The Environmental Protection Agency should require manufacturers to test and submit data on phthalates found in air fresheners, the extent of human exposure to phthalates in air fresheners, the health effects of the exposure, and the toxicity, persistence, sensitization, and other health effects of inhaling chemicals in air fresheners.
- The Consumer Product Safety Commission should ban phthalates in consumer products and should require that manufacturers provide ingredient information on the label.
According to studies done by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the majority of the U.S. population is routinely exposed to at least five different phthalates. Although the measured levels in the human blood stream are small, they are significant because a mixture of phthalates at low doses can act in an additive manner to cause the same health hazards as just one phthalate at a higher dose.
The difficulty of avoiding general exposure is all the more reason to eliminate further exposure in an environment over which you have much more control—your home.
Gina Solomon, M.D., M.P.H.,
Senior Scientist, NRDC
http://www.nrdc.org/health/home/airfresheners/fairfresheners.pdf
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