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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.
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