Re: New Study on Toxic Chemicals in Fragrances, Laundry, Air Fresheners

[Guest guest]

Thanks Jill, see, it studies like these that make me question about

just how much it's going to help me to give up smoking and when these

things affect me way much more and like you I have to suffer a

community laundry room not to mention PEOPLE that reek of these

chemicals, it just tells me that smokeing is the least of my problems.

In , " jill1313 " <jenbooks13@...> wrote:

>

> I just saw this study. I posted it in my laundry room but not sure

it

> will do much good. Everybody uses triple or double strength

detergents

> *and* fabric softeners *and* bounce dryer sheets. I can't even find

a

> suitable used portable washer to sneak into my apartment, because

> everybody uses fabric softener or scented detergents. Unbelievable!

>

> Toxic Chemicals Found In Common Scented Laundry Products, Air

Fresheners

>

> ScienceDaily (July 24, 2008) — A University of Washington study of

> top-selling laundry products and air fresheners found the products

> emitted dozens of different chemicals. All six products tested gave

> off at least one chemical regulated as toxic or hazardous under

> federal laws, but none of those chemicals was listed on the product

> labels.

>

> " I first got interested in this topic because people were telling me

> that the air fresheners in public restrooms and the scent from

laundry

> products vented outdoors were making them sick, " said Anne

Steinemann,

> a UW professor of civil and environmental engineering and of public

> affairs. " And I wanted to know, 'What's in these products that is

> causing these effects?' "

>

> She analyzed the products to discover the chemicals' identity.

>

> " I was surprised by both the number and the potential toxicity of

the

> chemicals that were found, " Steinemann said. Chemicals included

> acetone, the active ingredient in paint thinner and nail-polish

> remover; limonene, a molecule with a citrus scent; and acetaldehyde,

> chloromethane and 1,4-dioxane.

>

> " Nearly 100 volatile organic compounds were emitted from these six

> products, and none were listed on any product label. Plus, five of

the

> six products emitted one or more carcinogenic 'hazardous air

> pollutants,' which are considered by the Environmental Protection

> Agency to have no safe exposure level, " Steinemann said.

>

> Her study was published online July23 by the journal Environmental

> Impact Assessment Review. Steinemann chose not to disclose the brand

> names of the six products she tested. In a larger study of 25

> cleaners, personal care products, air fresheners and laundry

products,

> now submitted for publication, she found that many other brands

> contained similar chemicals.

>

> Because manufacturers of consumer products are not required to

> disclose the ingredients, Steinemann analyzed the products to

discover

> their contents. She studied three common air fresheners (a solid

> deodorizer disk, a liquid spray and a plug-in oil) and three laundry

> products (a dryer sheet, fabric softener and a detergent),

selecting a

> top seller in each category. She bought household items at a grocery

> store and asked companies for samples of industrial products.

>

> In the laboratory, each product was placed in an isolated space at

> room temperature and the surrounding air was analyzed for volatile

> organic compounds, small molecules that evaporate from the product's

> surface into the air.

>

> Results showed 58 different volatile organic compounds above a

> concentration of 300 micrograms per cubic meter, many of which were

> present in more than one of the six products. For instance, a plug-

in

> air freshener contained more than 20 different volatile organic

> compounds. Of these, seven are regulated as toxic or hazardous under

> federal laws. The product label lists no ingredients, and

information

> on the Material Safety Data Sheet, required for workplace handling

of

> chemicals, lists the contents as " mixture of perfume oils. "

>

> This study does not address links between exposure to chemicals and

> health effects. However, two national surveys published by

Steinemann

> and a colleague in 2004 and 2005 found that about 20 percent of the

> population reported adverse health effects from air fresheners, and

> about 10 percent complained of adverse effects from laundry products

> vented to the outdoors. Among asthmatics such complaints were

roughly

> twice as common.

>

> Manufacturers are not required to list the ingredients used in

laundry

> products and air fresheners. Personal-care products and cleaners

often

> contain similar fragrance chemicals, Steinemann said. And although

> cosmetics are required by the Food and Drug Administration to list

> ingredients, no law requires products of any kind to list chemicals

> used in fragrances.

>

> " Fragrance chemicals are of particular interest because of the

> potential for involuntary exposure, or second-hand scents, "

Steinemann

> said.

>

> " Be careful if you buy products with fragrance, because you really

> don't know what's in them, " she added. " I'd like to see better

> labeling. In the meantime, I'd recommend that instead of air

> fresheners people use ventilation, and with laundry products, choose

> fragrance-free versions. "

>

> The European Union recently enacted legislation requiring products

to

> list 26 fragrance chemicals when they are present above a certain

> concentration in cosmetic products and detergents. No similar laws

> exist in the United States.

>

> " I hope this study will raise public awareness, and reduce exposures

> to potentially hazardous chemicals, " said Steinemann.

>

[Guest guest]

theres only 3 other apartments here that I have to share the laundry

room with but that bad enough. plus the neighbors drier cent blows out

right at the bottom on my steps outside my door.grrr, you just cant get

away from it all

[Guest guest]

Is there a link to this article. Thanks,

>

> Thanks Jill, see, it studies like these that make me question about

> just how much it's going to help me to give up smoking and when these

> things affect me way much more and like you I have to suffer a

[Guest guest]

what a great idea, a portable washer and drier, I'm going to look

around for some. for just me that would work great.