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Lung Damage from an Air Freshener?Often the fresh air smell of an air freshener is really the smell of pollution according to a paper from scientists at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. That's because 1,4 dichlorobenzene (1,4 DCB), found in air fresheners, toilet bowl cleaners, mothballs and various "deodorizing" products, also causes modest decreases in lung function.
The researchers examined the relationship between blood concentrations of 11 common volatile organic compounds and lung function measures in a representative sample of 953 adults. VOCs are a diverse set of compounds emitted as gases from thousands of commonly used products, including tobacco smoke, pesticides, paints, and cleaning products. VOCs are also released through automotive exhaust. The researchers found that of the common VOCs analyzed, which included benzene, styrene, toluene, and acetone, only the compound 1,4 DCB was associated with reduced pulmonary function and this effect was seen even after careful adjustment for smoking, The researchers found that 96 percent of the population samples had detectable 1,4 DCB blood concentration levels. African Americans had the highest exposure levels and non-Hispanic whites the lowest. (via Science Blog) Just another example of indoor air pollution from a consumer product. Many air fresheners simply mask the odor while others claim to remove it, but in all likelihood you are simply replacing one problem with something more serious. Remember you are spraying a chemical into the room. You need to ask yourself; Is this chemical something I want to breathe into my lungs? Stop! Think about this for a moment.
If you have odor issues in your home or office I recommend that you deal with the source rather than the result. If you are unable to physically remove the offending item, a good quality air purifier should be able to remove it.
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