Scents & Sensibility | yourhealthdetective.com

If you think that air fresheners can’t possibly be dangerous to your health think again.

New research shows that a chemical compound found in many air fresheners, toilet bowl cleaners, mothballs and other so called deodorizing products, are harmful to overall health and immunity, especially the lungs.

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), which is a part of the National Institutes of Health, found that exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs), call 1,4 dichlorobenzene (1, DCB) causes potentially serious health hazards.

A research team based at Bristol University reported the link in chemicals found in many room deodorizers and fresheners to postpartum depression in mothers and an increase of more than 30% more ear infections and diarrhea in their babies. The study proved an increase in depression and cognitive dysfunction amounting to a 19% increase in women frequently exposed to air fresheners and synthetic fragrances.

According to Professor Jean Golding, Bristol University’s Division of Child Health, “Most people are unaware that in using air fresheners, you are actually filling the air with a huge amount of chemicals. Those chemicals in aerosols include toxic ingredients like xylene, ketones and aldehydes, the same chemicals linked to sick building syndromes” – an airborne toxic soup.

The word “air freshener” sounds like you are actually purifying the air, when in fact, you are not doing anything but adding to the body’s overall toxic burden.

The British are the biggest producers and users of aerosols in Europe, with the average household buying a minimum of 36 cans per year.

The Way I See It…

Once you know that airborne and synthetic sprays and products are toxic, why would you continue to use them? For those with brain-fog, victims of a compromised immune system, pregnant and new mothers, infants and children, and the elderly, using these toxic chemicals is shortening your life span, compromising your health and your quality of life.