Study: Scented Products Stink with Unlisted Chemicals

(USTR.gov)

A study by an engineering professor at University of Washington (UW) in Seattle found that 25 commonly used scented products emit an average of 17 chemicals each, including some toxic substances. Only in a few instances were the potentially dangerous chemicals disclosed on the product labels. All were widely used brands, with more than half being the top-selling product in its category.

The study analyzed air fresheners including sprays, solids and oils; laundry products including detergents, fabric softeners and dryer sheets; personal care products such as soaps, hand sanitizers, lotions, deodorant and shampoos; and cleaning products including disinfectants, all-purpose sprays and dish detergent.

Anne Steinemann, a UW professor of civil and environmental engineering who led the research team, is currently at Stanford University as a visiting professor in civil and environmental engineering.

Researchers placed a sample of each product in a closed glass container at room temperature and then analyzed the surrounding air for volatile organic compounds (VOCs), small molecules that evaporate off a product’s surface. They detected chemical concentrations ranging from 100 micrograms per cubic meter — the minimum value reported — to more than 1.6 million micrograms per cubic meter.

Of the 133 different chemicals detected, says Steinemann, nearly a quarter are classified as toxic or hazardous under at least one federal law. Only one emitted compound was listed on a product label, and only two were publicly disclosed anywhere. More than a third of the products emitted at least one chemical classified as a probable carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and for which the EPA sets no safe exposure level.

The researchers found that the most common emissions included limonene, a compound with a citrus scent; alpha-pinene and beta-pinene, compounds with a pine scent; ethanol; and acetone, a solvent found in nail polish remover.

The findings showed all products emitted at least one chemical classified as toxic or hazardous. Eleven products emitted at least one probable carcinogen according to the EPA. These included acetaldehyde, 1,4-dioxane, formaldehyde, and methylene chloride.

The only chemical listed on any product label was ethanol, and the only additional substance listed on a chemical safety report, known as a material safety data sheet, was 2-butoxyethanol.

The study establishes the presence of various chemicals but makes no claims about the possible health effects. Two national surveys published by Steinemann and a colleague in 2009 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.