Fragranced consumer products: exposures and effects from emissions.

Anne Steinemann

doi:10.1007/s11869-016-0442-z

Abstract

Fragranced consumer products, such as cleaning supplies, air fresheners, and personal care products, are a primary source of indoor air pollutants and personal exposure. Previous research indicates that fragranced products can trigger adverse health effects, with implications for workplaces and public places. This is the first study to examine the multiple dimensions of exposures related to fragranced products and effects in the US population. The study investigated the prevalence and types of fragranced product exposures, associated health effects, awareness of product emissions, and preferences for fragrance-free policies and environments. Data were collected using an online survey with a nationally representative population (n = 1136) of adults in the USA. Overall, 34.7 % of the population reported health problems, such as migraine headaches and respiratory difficulties, when exposed to fragranced products. Further, 15.1 % have lost workdays or a job due to fragranced product exposure in the workplace. Also, 20.2 % would enter a business but then leave as quickly as possible if they smell air fresheners or some fragranced product. Over 50 % of the population would prefer that workplaces, health care facilities and professionals, hotels, and airplanes were fragrance-free. While prior research found that common fragranced products, even those called green and organic, emitted hazardous air pollutants, more than two thirds of the population were not aware of this, and over 60 % would not continue to use a fragranced product if they knew it emitted such pollutants. Results from this study provide strong evidence that fragranced products can trigger adverse health effects in the general population. The study also indicates that reducing exposure to fragranced products, such as through fragrance-free policies, can provide cost-effective and relatively simple ways to reduce risks and improve air quality and health.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s11869-016-0442-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Highlights

Of the general population surveyed in America, 98.3 % are exposed to fragranced products at least once a week, from their own use: 72.8 % air fresheners and deodorizers; 88.8 % personal care products; 79.9 % cleaning supplies; 84.1 % laundry products; 77.0 % household products; 70.2 % fragrance; 3.0 % other
92.1 % are exposed to fragranced product at least once a week, from others’ use: 57.9 % air fresheners and deodorizers; 66.1 % personal care products; 54.8 % cleaning supplies; 47.4 % laundry products; 52.3 % household products; 68.7 % fragrance; 3.2 % other
Results from this study reveal that over one third of Americans suffer adverse health effects, such as respiratory difficulties and migraine headaches, from exposure to fragranced products

Summary

Introduction

Society is suffused with fragranced consumer products: air fresheners, cleaning products, soaps, hand sanitizers, laundry supplies, and personal care products, to name a few out of hundreds. Fragranced products emit a range of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), such as terpenes (e.g., limonene), which often dominate pollutants found indoors, and generate secondary pollutants such as formaldehyde (e.g., Nazaroff and Weschler 2004).Fragranced products have been associated with a range of adverse health effects, such as migraine headaches, asthmaAir Qual Atmos Health (2016) 9:861–866 attacks, respiratory difficulties, neurological problems, mucosal symptoms, and contact dermatitis (Kim et al 2015; Elberling et al 2005; Millqvist and Löwhagen 1996; Kumar et al 1995; Kelman 2004; Caress and Steinemann 2004, 2005; Johansen 2003; Rastogi et al 2007; Sealey et al 2015). An individual “fragrance” in a product is typically a complex mixture of several dozen to several hundred chemicals (Bickers et al 2003), primarily synthetic compounds (Somogyi et al 1998), among nearly 3000 compounds documented as fragrance ingredients (IFRA 2011) For products such as air fresheners, laundry supplies, cleaning products, and others regulated by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, ingredients do not need to be fully listed on either the product label or the material safety data sheet (MSDS). These products do not need to list the presence of a “fragrance” on either the label or MSDS. The general term “fragrance” can be listed on the label instead of the specific ingredients in the fragrance, but the fragrance term or ingredients do not need to be listed on the MSDS

Methods

Results

Conclusion