Some of us spend a good deal at the supermarket poring over household items that make our rooms, clothes and bed sheets smell good and stay crispy and fresh but a University of Washington study warns that the freshness may be deceiving.

University of Washington civil and environmental engineering professor Anne Steinemann analyzed some of the refreshing products that habitually make their way into households and made a startling discovery.

Looking at six popular products, she found a total of about 100 volatile organic compounds, many of which can pose danger to human health. What’s more, the possibly hazardous chemicals were not listed on the products’ labels, as companies are not required by law to list ingredients in fragrances.

Steinemann’s study focused on six products, which she refused to disclose by brand name however. These were a fabric softener, a laundry detergent, a liquid spray air freshener, a plug-in air freshener, a solid disc deodorizer used in commercial-airplane toilet and dryer sheets.

Among the substances found were acetone (which is found in nail-polish remover and paint thinner), and three chemicals considered “hazardous air pollutants” by the Environmental Protection Agency – acetaldehyde, 1,4-dioxane, and methyl chloride.

While Steinemann says she was surprised “by both the number and the potential toxicity of the chemicals that were found,” reactions from industry groups have been divergent.

Chris Cathcart, president of the Washington, D.C.-based Consumer Specialty Products Association, said in a statement that Steinemann’s account is “misleading and disingenuous.”

Cathcart argued that products such as those tested by Steinemann “are regulated under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act and subsequently have strict labeling requirements.”

Steinemann’s study was published online Wednesday by the journal Environmental Impact Assessment Review.