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 from Columbia University.
She said the biggest problem is that they ‘are not strictly regulated, so there is a wide range of ingredients and concentrations of ingredients in them.’
One of the most common ingredients are volatile organic compounds (VOCs), tiny chemicals expelled into the air as gas that seep 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 concentration lapses and visual disorders.
In the long term, they have been linked to heart and lung problems, fertility issues, hormonal imbalances and even cancer.
An increasing body of research has highlighted adverse health outcomes around 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 to suggest that synthetic fragrances used around the home can cause difficulties with attention, memory, and mood in ‘susceptible individuals.’
They highlighted common sources such as air freshener sprays, deodorant and hair sprays.
Dr Claudia Miller, an allergist and immunologist who was part of the research team, said ‘eliminating these [fragrant] products was essential for patients’ symptoms to improve.’
Backing up these claims Lynn Wendt, an energy practitioner from Michigan, says she recently noticed something strange with one of her friend’s behavior.
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 cottage for the weekend.
She tells viewers: ‘I noticed my friend was forgetting words. Like every tenth word she had to stop and search for that word and that was a change in her.’
The only conclusion that Ms Wendt could make, was that her friend had plug-in air fresheners in her home and these were ‘new as well.’
She continues: ‘I know as I’ve been studying, researching the brain and things that affect out memory and our cognition that chemicals in our world can cross the blood brain barrier and can change our brain and I believe that’s what was happening with [my friend].’
She ends the clip with a PSA, concluding: ‘If you have those [plug in air fresheners], get those out of your home, they could be altering your brain.’
There is no research on plug-in air fresheners specifically, as all mass made fresheners in aerosol, spray, solid, candle or plug-in form contain the same range of ingredients.
In the comment section, Ms Wendt outlines other potentially dangerous scented household products.
Fragranced candles, she says, could also cause health problems.
New York-based Dr Mikhail Varshavski, highlights that burning candles ‘creates a very low level of exposure’ to a range of chemicals.
Lynn Wendt , an energy practitioner from Michigan , says she recently noticed something strange with one of her friend’s behavior, which she linked to scented candles
He explains in an article for medpagetoday.com: ‘One group of chemicals detected in those emissions are called volatile organic compounds, or VOCs for short.
‘Some VOCs like benzene or formaldehyde are well-known carcinogens, meaning they can cause cancer. ‘
VOCs are used to give air fresheners a pleasant smell.
The University of Massachusetts Amherst notes that the ‘types and amounts of VOCs emitted depend primarily on the fragrance composition of the air freshener, not on the type of air freshener.’
Next up, Dr Varshavski highlights that inhaling soot ‘can increase your risk of lung and other cancers, and respiratory diseases like asthma and COPD [chronic obstructive pulmonary disease].’
The third harmful substance he highlights are phthalates or endocrine disruptors.
Dr Mikhail Varshavski says there are chemicals that ‘truly can impact hormone levels as well as aggravate allergy and asthma symptoms.
‘Technically, phthalates are considered like semi-VOCs. Phthalates are actually specific to scented candles.
‘They are used in synthetic fragrances, which give most scented candles their aromas.’
Another household product Ms Wendt warns against in her TikTok clip are dryer sheets, as she says they are ‘laced with chemicals.’
The Environmental Work Group (EWG) also advises against dryer sheets, which are placed in the laundry drum to help reduce static, soften laundry and add scent.
New York-based Dr. Mikhail Varshavski, highlights that burning candles ‘creates a very low level of exposure’ to a range of chemicals
The non-profit says that ‘quaternary ammonium compounds, or quats, make clothes feel soft and wearable right out of the wash, but some are known to trigger asthma and may be toxic to the reproductive system.’
Like scented candles, fragranced fabric softeners feature a mix of chemicals to create certain smells which ‘can cause allergies, skin irritations such as dermatitis, [and] difficulty breathing.’
Phthalates are also used to make dryer sheets, and a paper in the September 2021 issue of Best Practice & Research Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism highlights that damaging impact these chemicals can have on reproductive health.
The researchers write: ‘Phthalates can disrupt follicle growth pattern, increase oxidative stress and cause follicle death.
‘These effects could lead to infertility, faster depletion of ovarian reserve, and earlier reproductive senescence.’
The EWG recommends looking for the EWG verified mark on laundry products and searching for safer fabric softeners.
And when it comes to air fresheners, the Natural Resources Defense Council – an environmental advocacy group based in New York – has some tips for safer use.
It states: ‘Consumers should avoid using air fresheners, but when necessary should use products with the lowest levels of phthalates to limit exposures to toxic chemicals.’
In a bid to discourage use all together, it adds: ‘Air fresheners are rarely necessary. Because they 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.
‘Air fresheners also are not a solution to poor air quality; they mask bad odors but they do not eliminate the chemicals that cause them.’
