A new study presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) discusses how and why air freshners can affect our health.
The study talks about volatile organic compounds (VOCs) being found in numerous home fragrance products. Some VOCs include formaldehyde, terpenes, benzene, alcohols and ammonia. Certain chemicals found in fragrances contain ingredients considered toxic or hazardous under federal laws. VOCs can trigger headaches and respiratory tract irritation. There are also concerns about phthalates being discovered in fragrances which have been reported to cause hormone disruptions and cancer.
Statistics from the study “Is that Breath of Fresh Air Really Fresh? Do air freshners help?”….
- 20% of general population and 34% of asthmatics reported health problems from air freshners.
- 30% of general population and 38% of asthmatics reported problems when exposed to other’s scented products.
- 58% of people with chemical sensitivity report health problems from air freshners.
This presentation suggested that doctors consider fragrance exposure in diagnosis and discuss the problems of fragrances with their patients. They even recommended one patient stop wearing perfume and using home air fragrances as part of her allergy treatment.
Please look at the original study, here is the link
If you would like more info from the ACAAI conference use this link
smell INC. 
Hi agian,
Airfresheners, taste the word. What is better than clean air and oxygen? Airfreshener.. Airpollutener if you ask me. When using an “airfreshener” you spray something unnatural in the air that does not belong there, something that is not made for breathing in, meaning it is not good for your lungs or the rest of the body (lungs transport what they find in the air breathed in to the rest of the body through the blood), what is made for breathing in is clear and fresh AIR AND OXYGEN. That is what is made for breathing in and good for us. Airpolluteners only make asthmatic people sick.
From recent correspondence with the Research Institute for Fragrance Materials which I assume is a CYA lab for the industry:
>>At RIFM, we take consumer health very seriously as do our member companies.<> The International Fragrance Association (trade assoc?) hasa service that will work with the manufacturer (P & G) and your doctor to identify the material that you react to or you can work directly with the manufacturer. P & G has a program in place that will cooperate with your physician to identify the ingredient that causes your reaction whether it is a fragrance ingredient or something else in the formula. If there is not a hotline phone number on your packaging, you should be able to make contact through their web site. If you wish to work with IFRA, you can contact them through their web site at http://www.ifraorg.org.
Has anybody tried this?