Important research indicate they are a hazard, especially to those with asthma.
Environmental groups petition U.S. to regulate air fresheners
Jane Kay, Chronicle Environment Writer
Thursday, September 20, 2007
A group of heavyweight environmental organizations is asking the federal government to crack down on air fresheners, products that scientific studies show can aggravate asthma and pose other health risks.
In response to the groups' petition filed Wednesday with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Consumer Product Safety Commission, Walgreen Co. quickly pulled three of its air fresheners off the shelves of its 5,850 stores nationwide.
The Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, Alliance for Healthy Homes and the National Center for Healthy Housing filed the petition asking the agencies to more strictly regulate the industry, which is expected to have $1.72 billion in sales this year.
Scented sprays, gels and plug-in fresheners offer no public health benefits yet contain harmful chemicals linked to breathing difficulties, developmental problems in babies and cancer in laboratory animals, according to the petition sent to the two federal agencies.
The environmental groups commissioned independent lab tests of some popular brands and also cited health studies that call into question the safety of some chemicals found in the air fresheners.
In spite of Walgreens' move, representatives of some companies that make air fresheners said their products pose no health risk and help contribute to a better quality of life in many households.
Scott Wolfson, a spokesman for the Consumer Product Safety Commission in Bethesda, Md., said his agency had received the petition. "We take it seriously at this time," he said.
The environmental groups argue that in houses, offices and restrooms, Americans suffer significant exposure "to a veritable cocktail of dangerous and potentially dangerous volatile organic compounds. In cases of mold and damp indoor environments, air fresheners may hide an indicator of potentially serious health threats to the respiratory system."
Consumers assume that products on the market have been evaluated and are safe, the petition said. "Unfortunately, with regard to air fresheners, these consumers are mistaken."
The groups want the federal government to require manufacturers such as Procter & Gamble Co., S.C. Johnson, Dial Corp., Sara Lee Corp. and Reckitt Benckiser Inc. to conduct health and safety tests, including the respiratory effect of breathing the fresheners. Those test results should be handed over to regulators, who should also be alerted if there are reports of adverse reactions to the air fresheners, the groups said.
The environmental groups also want truth-in-advertising labeling that would require listing all ingredients in air fresheners. And the government should ban ingredients that would cause allergies or appear on California's Proposition 65 list of chemicals linked to cancer and reproductive harm, according to the petition.
