http://www.care2.com/greenliving/air-fresheners-easy-greening.html
Air Fresheners: Easy Greening
By Melissa Breyer, Producer, Care2 Green Living.
The obsession for “fresh” smelling air is skyrocketing. Americans are expected to spend 1.72 billion dollars on air fresheners this year—that’s enough money to buy 82,100 brand new Toyota Prius cars. Air fresheners can provide pleasant smell associations, disguise bad odors, and just make us feel warm and woozy. And itchy and congested and achy and occasionally even convulsive and comatose. Here’s what you need to know about the dangers of air fresheners and tips for living without them.
The craze for air fresheners is rapidly expanding and is even infiltrating the tween and teen demographic with new products being designed to entice the 8 to 18 set. One fun and flirty plug-in comes in girl-friendly flavors and provides a light show. All the more disturbing when one considers a study by the University of Bristol called Children Of The 90s (Alspac), which has followed the health and development of 14,000 children since before birth.
The study didn’t analyze the ingredients in air fresheners, just the effects: 32 percent more babies suffered diarrhea in homes where air fresheners were used every day, compared with homes where they were used once a week or less, and they had significantly more earaches in these homes as well. Air fresheners also affected mothers—those who used them daily suffered nearly 10 percent more headaches. Perhaps most surprising is the finding that women who lived in homes with daily air freshener use had a 26 percent increased risk of depression.
Just one whiff of the thick synthetic-smelling perfume of an air freshener leaves me thinking “run away!” But could the ingredients in them really be all that bad? Amid all of the Internet chatter about the dangers of commercial air fresheners is this gem of a study by the California Air Resources Board entitled “Indoor Air Chemistry: Cleaning Agents, Ozone and Toxic Air Contaminants.” (And you too can read all 183 pages of it right here. The study comprised exacting analysis of 21 widely available products from ten large chain store retailers in California. The products included a range of household cleaners and plug-in air fresheners.
The conclusion of the study was that the use of some air fresheners can produce toxic pollutants when used in the presence of ozone (a form of oxygen). Even minimal ozone concentrations were enough to drive significant indoor chemistry. When the chemicals emitted from the air-fresheners are combined with ozone, pollutants of serious health concern are produced. These include formaldehyde (a known human carcinogen and a respiratory irritant with a very low threshold for health effects) and ultrafine pollutant particles. Also of concern is the production of acetaldehyde, organic acids, other oxygenated intermediates, hydrogen peroxide, secondary organic aerosol, and hydroxyl radicals.
Of all of the products studied, air fresheners were the worst offenders. The most serious problems occur when the terpines in the air fresheners mix with ozone. Ozone enters indoor environments with outdoor air and is generally present indoors at levels that are up to 50 percent of outdoor levels. Ozone also may be introduced by indoor sources including devices designed to generate ozone for air purification, air cleaners generating ozone as a byproduct of ionization, and some photocopiers and printers. According to the California Air Resources Board, air cleaners or air “purifiers” that intentionally produce ozone should never be used; they emit very high levels of ozone, a reactive gas that may harm human health.
So what can you do?
Watch Your Ozone
Don’t use air fresheners advertised as pine- or lemon-scented, especially during high outdoor pollution days.
For ozone forecasts, visit Air Now . This is a great government sponsored website all about air quality.
When using cleaning products, avoid the use of indoor air cleaning devices such as
electrostatic precipitators and ionizers that can emit ozone.
Remove bad odors instead of masking them
Open windows.
Clean the source of the odor with non-toxic products.
Empty the garbage frequently.
Burn 100 percent pure beeswax candles with 100 percent cotton wicks—they purify and clean the air.
Use an open box of baking soda for smelly rooms.
Use indoor plants to clear carbon dioxide and other toxins.
Use green tea to refresh your home.
Perfume the air with natural scents
Simmer cinnamon and cloves, fresh ginger, or herbs in water on the stovetop.
Simmer water with a drop or two of your favorite pure essential oil.
Use organic sachets and potpourris.
Try these other homemade Home Sweeteners.
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41 comments
add your comment »We'll have to agree to disagree, Steve. But let me leave you with this quote from the Ozone in Air Pollution section in a well-researched article on ozone in Wikipedia : "A connection has also been shown to exist between increased ozone caused by thunderstorms and hospital admissions of asthma sufferers.” In the Physiology of Ozone section: "Ozone has been found to convert cholesterol in the blood stream to plaque (which causes hardening and narrowing of arteries). Moreover, it is believed that the powerful oxidizing properties of ozone may be a contributing factor of inflammation." In the same Wikipedia article you'll see ozone has many important roles to play in industry and health. The point is made that people still shouldn't breathe the stuff at the levels used. As for negative ions, I located lots of research supporting beneficial effects, including asthma. In my previous comment, I said negative ions may make asthmatics feel better. But any ozone produced by the ion generator would not be beneficial. Ozone irritates asthma. And, yes, I was only partially correct about ion generators and particulates. High density negative ions combine with positively charged particulates, turning them neg overall, which attracts other positively charged particulates, causing clumping. These clumps are too heavy to stay aloft. Some neg charged particles will stick to surfaces, though. Either way, it means more vacuuming and dusting, which allergy sufferers are probably willing to
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Brief: late hour. You speak from a stance of theory about the walls/ceilings getting coated. I have had a ozone generator that did have everything stick to the walls. The A/S does not do that, at least in the 3+ years? of my personal use. No theory just the facts. You want the names of the authors after you misquote the facts and don't offer your own backup? Go to the website and look it up. You spend the time. Con's AG compalining? So what. That is just one of 50 AG's. You putdown the observations of true asthmatics as not possible. Provide evidence of that. Your explanation of why the dust particles fall is specious and good imagination.
Steve
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Steve: The EPA just reduced the safety levels for ground level ozone. Connecticut's attorney general is complaining that the EPA didn't go far enough. Ozone outdoors or indoors is not healthy for human tissue. It is a potent oxidant. Negative ion generators are not a bad thing in and of themselves. Negative ions have a positive effect on mood. Positive ions, the opposite effect. The downside to negative ion generators is when they produce detectable levels of ozone. As for the small fan in the AirSource 3000, it's probably there just to circulate the negative ions and ozone. Also, particulates in the air don't get "heavier" when exposed to negative ions, they take on a negative charge, so they will stick to anything with a positive charge, including walls, ceilings, doors, floors, etc. So, the entire room will need to be vacuumed from floor to ceiling on a regular basis. The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health has done studies and has been trying to get filters that generate ozone off the market for years. Would you be so kind as to reply with the titles and authors of the independent studies you mentioned? I'd like to compare them to the government studies. Thanks. As for asthmatics feeling better around your filter, asthma is an inflammatory condition. Ozone is an oxidant, which causes inflammation. Maybe negative ions had an effect on these asthmatics' conditions. Ozone, even at very low levels, would still not be good for sensitive, inflamed tis
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Hey Peter get your facts straight. The specs sheet: "The AirSource 3000 has a fan. “ Small but it is there. Free Air Delivery Fan 13 CFM" You say: ozone-“it could be an irritant to people with lung problems, including asthma.” If that were true then asthmatics would certainly not have nearly immediate relief when entering a room where the unit has been and is currently in use. Many documented cases of such. Filters can not reduce levels of mold/bacteria/gases and odors like the A/S 3000 does in third party independent and published testing have shown. Plus the A/S is effective in 3000 square feet. No other brand comes even close to this coverage. The A/S does not cause the particles to cling to the walls or other obstacles in the air. They just simply become too heavy to remain floating in the air and drop to the ground. Of course they need to be vacuumed but that is routine any way in a clean home, right?
You should support your contentions with evidence or at least more than: Steve is just a salesman. As you forgot to say that the unit is designed to limit the amount of ozone produced and there have been no problems reported in the many years this unit has been on the market, or did you not know that? Unless the EPA and the American Lung Association have tested or reviewed the independent tests of this unit what they say is irrelevant, right?
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Just checked on the AirSource 3000 from Shaklee. It's an ozone and negative ion generator, without a fan. Adding ozone to indoor air above the ambient level is not a good idea. Ozone is very strong oxidant, which irritate lung, throat, and sinus tissues. At high levels, it can cause burns on lung tissue similar to a bad sunburn. The levels generated by the AirSource 3000 will not cause that kind of damage, but it does produce enough ozone that it could be an irritant to people with lung problems, including asthma. The EPA and American Lung Association recommend that these ozone-producing devices not be used because very effective filters with fans are available. If a unit designed to filter air does not move air through filtering media to trap the offending particles, e.g., pollen and dust, as well as trapping molecules of chemical pollutants in a medium such as activated charcoal, then that unit is not actually cleaning the air. If the AirSource 3000 works as advertised, and Steve's post is nothing more than an advertisement by a Shaklee representative, then all it's doing is charging dust, dander, and pollen particles, so they are attracted to surfaces in the room. In other words, your walls, floors, and furnture will become covered with this stuff. If you don't immediately dust and vacuum the room, the particles will simply be reintroduced into the air through the course of daily living. Seems like a labor intensive way to filter the air. There are very quiet, ver
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why is this inappropriate?
Just checked on the AirSource 3000 from Shaklee. It's an ozone and negative ion generator, without a fan. Adding ozone to indoor air above the ambient level is not a good idea. Ozone is very strong oxidant, which irritate lung, throat, and sinus tissues. At high levels, it can cause burns on lung tissue similar to a bad sunburn. The levels generated by the AirSource 3000 will not cause that kind of damage, but it does produce enough ozone that it could be an irritant to people with lung problems, including asthma. The EPA and American Lung Association recommend that these ozone-producing devices not be used because very effective filters with fans are available. If a unit designed to filter air does not move air through filtering media to trap the offending particles, e.g., pollen and dust, as well as trapping molecules of chemical pollutants in a medium such as activated charcoal, then that unit is not actually cleaning the air. If the AirSource 3000 works as advertised, and Steve's post is nothing more than an advertisement by a Shaklee representative, then all it's doing is charging dust, dander, and pollen particles, so they are attracted to surfaces in the room. In other words, your walls, floors, and furnture will become covered with this stuff. If you don't immediately dust and vacuum the room, the particles will simply be reintroduced into the air through the course of daily living. Seems like a labor intensive way to filter the air. There are very quiet, ver
flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
Just checked on the AirSource 3000 from Shaklee. It's an ozone and negative ion generator, without a fan. Adding ozone to indoor air above the ambient level is not a good idea. Ozone is very strong oxidant, which irritate lung, throat, and sinus tissues. At high levels, it can cause burns on lung tissue similar to a bad sunburn. The levels generated by the AirSource 3000 will not cause that kind of damage, but it does produce enough ozone that it could be an irritant to people with lung problems, including asthma. The EPA and American Lung Association recommend that these ozone-producing devices not be used because very effective filters with fans are available. If a unit designed to filter air does not move air through filtering media to trap the offending particles, e.g., pollen and dust, as well as trapping molecules of chemical pollutants in a medium such as activated charcoal, then that unit is not actually cleaning the air. If the AirSource 3000 works as advertised, and Steve's post is nothing more than an advertisement by a Shaklee representative, then all it's doing is charging dust, dander, and pollen particles, so they are attracted to surfaces in the room. In other words, your walls, floors, and furnture will become covered with this stuff. If you don't immediately dust and vacuum the room, the particles will simply be reintroduced into the air through the course of daily living. Seems like a labor intensive way to filter the air. There are very quiet, ver
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The best air freshener is clean smog and pollution free fresh air but after that it needs to be cleaned/purified and the AirSource 3000 does it best. Pure h2O has no odor or smell. The Air Source info can be found at my website shaklee.net/steve/prodair This device is safe, nearly silent, no maintenance but a bulb change once per year and has the strength to remove skunk odors, and allergens/bacteria/germs et all from the air you would be breathing. Rated and tested as most effective for the above needs by independent labs. testimonies at shaklee.net/prodAirTestimon
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Relax Peter, this ingredient is made from Orange
Peels.
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Hi, Rachel:
Here is an excerpt from the US Manufacturer's Safety Data Sheet for d-limonene:
R10- Flammable.
R38- Irritating to skin.
R43- May cause sensitization by skin
contact.
R50/53- Very toxic to aquatic
organisms, may cause long-term
adverse effects in the aquatic
environment.
S24- Avoid contact with skin.
S37- Wear suitable gloves.
S60- This material and its container must be
disposed of as hazardous waste.
S61- Avoid release to the environment.
Health Hazard: 2
Fire Hazard: 2
Reactivity: 0
Personal Protection: h
National Fire Protection Association (U.S.A.):
Health: 2
Flammability: 2
Reactivity: 0
Specific hazard:
Protective Equipment:
Gloves.
Lab coat.
Vapor respirator. Be sure to use an
approved/certified respirator or
equivalent. Wear appropriate respirator
when ventilation is inadequate.
Splash goggles.
After reading this, d-limonene doesn't appear as safe as as advertised on GreenTerpene.com. If someone decides to buy d-limonene, e.g., the GreenTerpene.com product, make sure there is plenty of ventilation and wear rubber gloves to prevent skin contact. d-linomene is a skin sensitizer.
More info on the safety of d-limonene can be found at www.cosmeticsdatabase.com. Search for "limonene".
As for "freshening" the air, opening a window and airing out a room truly freshens the air in a room. Adding the odor of even a pure essential to old, stale air still leaves you with old, state air, which has been covered up.
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