![]() ![]() The Consumer Product Safety Commission, which regulates cleaning supplies, air fresheners, and laundry products, currently does not require manufacturers to disclose any ingredients on the label, including fragrances in these products. The paper affirmed that products included in the study were subject to federal safety regulation, and Steinemann said that self-reporting symptoms was a significant aspect of her research: Of the 133 VOCs detected, only ethanol was listed on any label (for 2 products), and only ethanol and 2-butoxyethanol were listed on any Material Safety Data Sheet (for 5 products and 1 product, respectively). These hazardous air pollutants have no safe exposure level, according to the U.S. Steinemann and colleagues found the average number of VOCs emitted was 17.1 Each product emitted 1–8 toxic or hazardous chemicals, and close to half (44%) generated at least 1 of 24 carcinogenic hazardous air pollutants, such as acetaldehyde, 1,4-dioxane, formaldehyde, or methylene chloride. ![]() Most commonly detected were limonene, α- and β-pinene (pine scents), and ethanol and acetone (often used as carriers for fragrance chemicals). Many of the products tested are top sellers in their category.Ī single fragrance in a product can contain a mixture of hundreds of chemicals, some of which (e.g., limonene, a citrus scent) react with ozone in ambient air to form dangerous secondary pollutants, including formaldehyde.2 The researchers detected 133 different VOCs. They tested 25 air fresheners, laundry detergents, fabric softeners, dryer sheets, disinfectants, dish detergents, all-purpose cleaners, soaps, hand sanitizers, lotions, deodorants, and shampoos. We found a paper published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives in January 2011, which gave a literal laundry list of "25 air fresheners, laundry detergents, fabric softeners, dryer sheets, disinfectants, dish detergents, all-purpose cleaners, soaps, hand sanitizers, lotions, deodorants, and shampoos" that emit volatile organic compounds, and again, noted that "green" products give off just as many potentially harmful chemicals as their standard counterparts:Īnne Steinemann, a professor of civil and environmental engineering and public affairs at the University of Washington, Seattle, and colleagues used gas chromatography–mass spectrometry to analyze VOCs given off by the products. “Surprisingly, the green products’ emissions of hazardous chemicals were not significantly different from the other products.” “We analyzed best-selling products, and about half of them made some claim about being green, organic, or natural,” said lead author Anne Steinemann, a UW professor of civil and environmental engineering and of public affairs. The study that it referenced had been published several years before - a press release on Steinemann's web site was dated to 2010, where she pointed out that "green" laundry products scored no better than their competitors in lab testing: This is a major omission of toxic chemicals.īefore even reviewing any published material it was clear the blog author had conflated dryer sheets, laundry detergents, and dryer emissions. To put it in context, one of the carcinogenic VOC’s, acetaldehyde, had emissions that would represent 3% of total acetaldehyde emissions from automobiles in the study area. The results discovered more than 25 VOCs emitted from dryer vents, with highest concentrations of acetaldehyde, acetone, and ethanol (two of which are considered carcinogenic). ![]() Anne Steinemann, a research team conducted a small study to understand the effects of fragrances in laundry products (both detergent and dryer sheets). ![]() In a recent study performed by UW professor Dr. On 11 April 2016, blog posts appeared on health and wellness sites claiming that fabric softener dryer sheets are dangerous, toxic, interfered with the body's hormone regulation, and cause cancer. The posts listed several volatile organic compounds (or VOCs) as chemical culprits that cause "hormone imbalance, neurotoxicity, respiratory problems, and even cancer": A number of the listed "chemicals" aren't toxic most of the components do not appear to be commonly used in fabric softener sheet products dryer sheets are subject to the same rigorous safety regulation as common household cleaners the listed chemicals are classified as "generally recognized as safe". ![]()
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