Health Alert: Could Fragranced Household Items Be Making You Sick?
Potential dangers linked to scented products. They're every where, from dryer sheets and shampoos to many cleaning items. 3 On Your Side Health Reporter Stephanie Stahl has details on some new research.
Everyday household products that smell like lemons, baby powder or pretty scents. But do they come with an ugly effect?
"I had so many calls and emails from hundreds of people telling me they were getting sick from common fragranced household products," said Anne Steinemann, a professor of civil and environmental engineering. She led a study which analyzed more than two dozen commonly used scented items.
"All of them emitted chemicals that are classified as toxic or hazardous under federal laws," said Professor Steinemann.
"It causes instant nausea," said Faith Wurtzel, who gets sick from scented products. She's always questioned what they're made of.
"The industry is not being honest about what's really in these products," said Faith.
Professor Steinemann says more than a third of the household products she tested--even some labeled organic--emitted at least one chemical, like formaldehyde.
"These are chemicals that can damage the lungs, the brain, the central nervous system," said Professor Steinemann. She says you'd never know it by looking at the label because fragrances are considered proprietary, so there's no obligation to list the ingredients.
"The paradox is if these chemicals were coming out of a smoke stack, we would know about it, and it would be regulated. If it's coming out of an air freshener, you wouldn't know about it, and it's not regulated," said Professor Steinemann.
"That doesn't mean that every time you are exposed to them you're going to get cancer," said Dr. Tod Bania, a toxicologist. He says the levels of potentially hazardous chemicals found in these products are considered low. However, if used frequently over prolonged periods of time, there is cause for concern. "Especially if you have any pulmonary diseases, if you have asthma," said Dr. Bania.
But the industry, represented by The Fragrance Materials Association, says these scented products are safe, stating that the "study presents no new data or breakthrough analysis."
They likened concerns to "crystal ball gazing" that "cannot be compared to the sound, independent four-step safety testing...carried out by the fragrance industry."
The Household Product Labeling Act will be re-introduced in the Senate in the coming months. It would require manufacturers to list all ingredients on the labels, including those used for scents.
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Reported by Stephanie Stahl, CBS 3
