Air freshener chemicals and their health effects

You might be hoping that a chemical air freshener will improve the air quality in your home, making air more fresh. Yet, health researchers often find that it actually reduces your home or car air quality. This conclusion comes, for example, from tracing various human health reactions, such as headache, irritated eyes and nose and other allergic reactions, to the presence of the air freshener and its certain chemical components.

There has also been a number of alarming reports from studies of animal (mice) responses to common household air fresheners, which have shown asthma like reactions of the animal breathing systems. There were also indications of neurotoxity, when the chemicals affected nervous system, causing odd behaviors.

So, if you have eye irritation or headache or any other strange symptoms, check if you can trace those to any chemical air fresheners, either solid or liquid sprays, you use in your home or car. Just stop using air fresheners for some time and observe how you feel.

A common harmful ingredient of air fresheners is limonene. Limonene irritates eyes, mouth, skin. It can also cause incoordination and dizziness. You may also be breathing petroleum distillates, which can irritate or damage your lungs. You may feel fatigue and confusion when your air freshener contains tolune. Some air freshener chemicals show themselves more in long term, like cancerogenic benzene compounds, or phthalates interfering with hormone production. You can also find such toxic chemicals as methylformamide, terpinolene, methoxybenzaldehyde, and butanoic acid.

In some cases, potential health hazards of a given air freshener, such as cancer threat, are acknowledged by the air freshener's manufacturer. So, read the product label carefully.

Should you use an air freshener for odor removal?
A mass market air freshener often paralyze your nose sensitivity, instead of odor removal. Don't overlook more natural odor removal ways, such as an odor remover from health food stores or zeolite crystals to fight pet, body, urine, wine and other odors.

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