Experts warn against using air fresheners
SEATTLE - Public health and environmental groups say it’s time to clear the air of air fresheners.
Experts warn that some popular air fresheners may contain dangerous chemicals, and some say we shouldn’t use these fresheners until we know for sure.
Air fresheners are a $1.7 billion industry. You can find them in an estimated 75 percent of American homes, and they are liberally sprayed to cover the slightest odors.
“Air fresheners have a lot of issues. There’s a number of chemicals; there’s pthalates, there’s terpines,” said Tom Watson, King County EcoConsumer.
For years, Watson has been urging people to give up common air fresheners. And so are other groups, saying we just don’t know what’s in them.
“These manufacturers are actually not required to put on the label exactly what’s in the product,” said Jessica Fromman of the Sierra Club.
The Sierra Club, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Alliance for Healthy Homes and the National Center for Healthy Housing want the EPA to require companies to:
- provide EPA with consumers’ reports of health problems associated with air fresheners
- submit copies of existing health and safety studies on the products
- test the products for their potential impacts on people’s respiratory systems
- label products containing phthalates, a particularly dangerous class of chemicals
The EPA has already found problems with so-called ozone air fresheners and has asked for information on the aerosol sprays.
Meanwhile, manufacturers like SC Johnson reject any safety fears. In a statement posted on its Web site, SC Johnson says, “As a family company, nothing is more important to us than the health and safety of the families who use SC Johnson products.”
SC Johnson and six other large manufacturers all claim their products are perfectly safe.
Critics say that may be true but we need to know for sure, and some ask: Why do we even need these products?
“People think they’re eliminating the odor or masking the odors and I guess that’s a value but you don’t have to do it that way, there’s other more natural ways to do it,” said Watson.
His favorite method - opening a window.
Researchers also recommend using natural products like organic potpourri or candles if you feel you must mask odors.