We are all being exposed daily to enough hazardous chemicals already without the formaldehide, benzene, phtalates etc etc released by air fresheners, detergents and laundry softeners, shampoos, and a lot of other family and home care products. It is not impossible for companies to produce safe (or at least safer) alternatives, and it is for the good of us all that we demand they put our health first and foremost, is it not?
Plenty of scientific & medical evidence has accumulated already since the start of this millenium, from studies done mostly in the USA & Europe, demonstrating that air fresheners actually pollute with toxic chemicals the air we breathe. As do the aromatic compounds in laundry products and household cleaning substances. The dangerous chemicals these products tend to use include carcinogens such as formaldehyde & benzene, allergens, irritants, hormone disruptors such as phtalates, others that attack our nervous system such as toluenes, esthers that create dependence...the list goes on, but that is surely sufficient reason to put a stop to the sheer nonsense of adding to our chemical burden a wide range of pleasant smells, inviting people to inhale poison! Non-users are exposed to and harmed by fragrances in the vicinity -even from a neighbour drying laundry on a clothesline - just as surely as we suffer someone else's cigarette smoke. It isn't enough that they include some information on the label regarding toxic ingredients, airfresheners should state in large letters that their use in a closed space is very dangerous especially to vulnerable groups, that volatile toxic substances can be absorbed by breathing but also through the skin; many ingredients should be banned altogether, any suspect chemical should be held guilty till proved innocent. Companies can produce safe alternatives: let's see them!
