Air freshener

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Air fresheners are consumer products that mitigate unpleasant odors in indoor spaces. They can be in the form of candles, aerosol sprays, potpourri, gels and mechanical or heat release products. [1]


They work in one of five ways:

  1. Absorption: Adsorbents like activated charcoal or silica gel may be used to absorb offending, chemical odors.
  2. Chemical neutralization: Substances such as rubber or TEG may be used for some odors.
  3. Disinfection. Odors caused by bacterial activity can be eliminated by disinfectants like ozone, TEG, or bleaching agents containing hydrogen peroxide, chlorine or hypochlorites.
  4. Masking: Many "fresheners" obscure odors with a fragrance.
  5. Anesthetization: Some air fresheners use anesthetics to dull the sense of smell.
A basic gel fragrance air freshener.
A basic gel fragrance air freshener.


Contents

[edit] Criticism

A Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) study of 14 common household air fresheners found that most of the surveyed products contain chemicals that can aggravate asthma and affect reproductive development. The NRDC called for more rigorous supervision of the manufacturers and their products, which are widely assumed to be safe:

"The study assessed scented sprays, gels, and plug-in air fresheners. Independent lab testing confirmed the presence of phthalates, or hormone-disrupting chemicals that may pose a particular health risk to babies and young children, in 12 of the 14 products—including those marked 'all natural.' None of the products had these chemicals listed on their labels."

On September 19, 2007, the NRDC, along with the Sierra Club, Alliance for Healthy Homes, and the National Center for Healthy Housing filed a petition with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Consumer Product Safety Commission to report the findings.[2]

Exposure to volatile organic compounds through frequent use of air fresheners and other aerosols in the home was found to correlate with increased earaches and diarrhea in infants, and with increased depression in their mothers in a large study[3] reported by the University of Bristol in the UK in 2003.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://science.enotes.com/how-products-encyclopedia/air-freshener How Products Are Made: Air Freshener
  2. ^ Air Fresheners Unregulated, Potentially Dangerous, Group Says
  3. ^ "Symptoms of mothers and infants related to total volatile organic compounds in household products" Arch Environ Health. 2003 Oct;58(10):633-41; PMID 15562635; "Air fresheners can make mothers and babies ill" University of Bristol press release issued 19 October 2004

[edit] External links