A study was recently done by University of Washington discovered that widely used fragrance products give off many chemicals that are not listed on the label, including some that are considered toxic. The study analyzed air fresheners, laundry products, fabric softeners, soaps, hand sanitizers, lotions, deodorants, all-purpose sprays, and dish detergent. It was found that 25 commonly used scented products emit an average of 17 chemicals each. About 133 chemicals were detected and nearly a quarter are classified as toxic or hazardous under federal law. Researchers found that even some of the “green products” emitted just as many hazardous chemicals as other products. It was also found that more than a third of the products emitted at least one chemical classified as a probably carcinogen by the EPA. Manufacturers are not required to disclose any ingredients and the only product label was ethanol.
Although the study makes no claims about the possible health effects it was found in other surveys 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. If more people investigate these products, consumer product companies will be able to be blamed for possible health hazards. It’s surprising to hear that companies are willingly putting chemicals into their products that are considered toxic. As a consumer I find this very disturbing that I could potentially be breathing in or using products with toxic chemicals every day.
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