Your lovely smelling home could be wreaking havoc on your health.
A small but growing body of research has highlighted links between scented household products and chronic diseases.
Plug-in air fresheners are especially bad, according to Dr. Marianthi-Anna Kioumourtzoglou of Columbia University.
He said the biggest problem is that “they are not strictly regulated, so they contain a wide range of ingredients and ingredient concentrations.”
One of the most common ingredients is volatile organic compounds (VOCs), small chemicals released into the air as a gas that leach into the lungs and bloodstream and irritate our cells.
In the short term, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) warns that they can travel to the brain and cause dizziness, headaches, loss of concentration and visual disturbances.
In the long term, they have been linked to heart and lung problems, fertility problems, hormonal imbalances, and even cancer.
A growing body of research has highlighted the adverse health outcomes associated with scented household products.
Focusing on the psychological effects of air fresheners, researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio found evidence suggesting that synthetic fragrances used in the home can cause difficulties with attention, memory and mood. encouragement in “susceptible individuals.”
They highlighted common sources such as aerosol air fresheners, deodorants and hairsprays.
Dr. Claudia Miller, an allergist and immunologist who was part of the research team, said that “eliminating these (fragrant) products was essential for patients’ symptoms to improve.”
Supporting these claims Linda Wendtan energy practitioner MichiganShe says she recently noticed something strange in the behavior of one of her friends.
She explains in a TikTok, which has been viewed more than 800,000 times, that the incident occurred when she was staying at her friend’s cabin over the weekend.
She tells viewers: ‘I realized my friend was forgetting the words. About every ten words, she had to stop and look for that word and that was a change in her.’
The only conclusion Mrs. Wendt could come to was that her friend had plug-in air fresheners in her house and that these were also “new.”
She continues: “As I’ve been studying, researching the brain and things that affect our memory and our cognition, I know that chemicals in our world can cross the blood-brain barrier and change our brain, and I think that’s what was happening. with (my friend).’
She ends the clip with a public service announcement, concluding: “If you have those (plug-in air fresheners), get them out of your house, they could be messing with your brain.”
There is no research on plug-in air fresheners specifically, as all mass-produced air fresheners in aerosol, spray, solid, candle, or plug-in form contain the same variety of ingredients.
In the comments section, Ms. Wendt describes other potentially dangerous scented household products.
Scented candles, he says, can also cause health problems.
New York-based Dr. Mikhail Varshavski notes that candle burning “creates a very low level of exposure” to a variety of chemicals.
Lynn Wendt, an energy practitioner from Michigan, says she recently noticed something strange in the behavior of one of her friends, which she linked to scented candles.
He explains it in an article for medpagetoday.com: ‘A group of chemicals detected in those emissions are called volatile organic compounds, or VOCs for short.
‘Some VOCs such as benzene or formaldehyde are well-known carcinogens, meaning they can cause cancer. ‘
VOCs are used to give a pleasant smell to air fresheners.
He University of Massachusetts Amherst notes that “the types and amounts of VOCs emitted depend primarily on the fragrance composition of the air freshener, not the type of air freshener.”
Next, Dr. Varshavski points out that inhaling soot “may increase the risk of lung cancer and other types of cancer, and respiratory diseases such as asthma and COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).”
The third harmful substance that stands out is phthalates or endocrine disruptors.
Dr. Mikhail Varshavski says there are chemicals that “can really affect hormone levels and aggravate allergy and asthma symptoms.”
“Technically, phthalates are considered semi-VOCs. Phthalates are actually specific to scented candles.
“They are used in synthetic fragrances, which give most scented candles their scent.”
Another household product Wendt warns against in her TikTok clip are dryer sheets, which she says are “contaminated with chemicals.”
He Environmental Working Group (EWG) He also advises against dryer sheets, which are placed in the laundry drum to help reduce static, soften clothes and add scent.
New York-based Dr. Mikhail Varshavski notes that burning candles “creates a very low level of exposure” to a variety of chemicals.
The nonprofit says that “quaternary ammonium compounds, or quats, make clothes feel soft and comfortable right out of the wash, but some are known to trigger asthma and can be toxic to the reproductive system.”
Like scented candles, scented fabric softeners contain a mixture of chemicals to create certain odors that “can cause allergies, skin irritations such as dermatitis, and difficulty breathing.”
Phthalates are also used to make dryer sheets, and an article published in the September 2021 issue of Best Practice & Research Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism highlights the harmful impact these chemicals can have on reproductive health.
The researchers write: “Phthalates can alter the follicle growth pattern, increase oxidative stress, and cause follicle death.
“These effects could lead to infertility, faster depletion of the ovarian reserve, and earlier reproductive senescence.”
The EWG recommends looking for the EWG Verified mark on laundry products and looking for safer fabric softeners.
And when it comes to air fresheners, the Natural Resources Defense Council, a New York-based environmental advocacy group, has some tips for safer use.
It says: “Consumers should avoid using air fresheners, but when necessary should use products with the lowest levels of phthalates to limit exposure to toxic chemicals.”
In an attempt to discourage their use, he adds: ‘Air fresheners are rarely necessary. Since they cannot replace good ventilation, the best solution is to open the windows to let in fresh air or use fans to maintain air circulation.
‘Air fresheners are also not a solution to poor air quality; They mask bad odors but do not eliminate the chemicals that cause them.’