Wellness Wednesday - Air Fresheners: Slow, but effective poisoning of you and your family

I don't know anyone (besides us!) who doesn't have a can of toilet spray in their bathroom. Besides the toilet spray, you also get those wooden sticks that you put into fluid and leave scattered around your house? Another popular option these days are those battery operated air-fresheners that pump out supposed sanitisers every hour or so. I know people don't realise just how bad all of these are for you, but the reality is that they are TERRIBLY bad for you. I start feeling panicky and claustrophobic before I even go into those houses because I know, no matter how clean I keep our lives, we are going to be breathing in toxins every minute that we are there.

I have to wonder why having a floral scented home or car is more important not only than YOUR health, but also the health of your pets, your house guests and the environment in general. Those toxins don't just stay in your house or car. They head out the window and join the myriad of chemicals already in the air all around us. People even leave stasoft refills lying around their cars because it "makes it smell fresh". It may smell fresh, but that fresh smell is toxic to your system.

In NO way, shape or form does having these things in your house, office or car create "fresh air". In fact, the air couldn't be any less fresh THANKS to those chemicals. Believe me, it was cleaner before. Yet people are seduced into filling as many rooms as possible with these fresheners which circulate chemical, toxic scents throughout the house. Consumers are further duped into installing fresheners in their cars. Because of loopholes in the chemical perfume industry, companies aren't even required to list the ingredients of anything labeled as "fragrance." We breathe them in daily, every minute, even while we sleep at night and the damage is beyond anything you can imagine.

I remember taking a drive somewhere on holiday in a friend's car a few years back. Within a few minutes of being in the car I was feeling so ill and I had a raging headache and I was ready to pass out. I couldn't figure out the problem at first, but then we found an old air-freshener under one of the seats that had somehow been missed. You know those ones that are designed to attach to your air vent so the fumes can circulate? I have always reacted very badly to them and people told me I was making it up in my head. At least now I could prove it because I had no idea it was in the car or why I was feeling so bad. A few minutes after we threw it out I started heading back towards feeling normal again. Just because you don't react as badly as I do, doesn't mean it's not affecting you. You know those days when you have a headache that just "appears for no reason"? I'd start by looking at the air fresheners in your life, be it at work, in your car or at home.

Have you seen that the packaging of Glade Car Scented Oil warns you that "Irritation to nose, throat and respiratory tract" is a possible health hazard. Presumably, then, you're supposed to hold your breath as you drive while using this product...

Here's what you are breathing in while your home and your car are smelling "clean":

• Phthalates - These little nasties are possibly the WORST ingredient in air-fresheners. Phthalates are chemicals used to extend the length of time that a scented product maintains its fragrance. The problem with them, though is that regular exposure increases your risk of developing endocrine, reproductive, and developmental problems and yet some of the brands that test positive for phthalates don't even include phthalates on their lists of ingredients. They actually have the gall to say they are "all-natural" and "unscented". What's scary is that phthalates are also present in most beauty and household products as well. Check out this document to get an idea of what they are all about and also a list of products that you should avoid. To be honest, if they don't contain phthalates, they will still contain other toxic ingredients so I will never recommend commercial products. What's interesting is that, companies who make products containing phthalates, CAN actually make products WITHOUT using them, and they do, so why are they even using them if it's possible to leave them out? No-one can really answer that. The fact is, there are little to no regulations when it comes to any household or beauty products so they CAN simply omit an important ingredient like phthalates on the ingredients list you find on the packaging, and you'd have no recourse of any kind if you WERE to get sick.
• Acetone - A toxin that adversely affects the blood, heart, gastrointestinal system, liver, kidney, skin, respiratory system, brain and nervous system. In other words, it can damage just about any part of your body and have a wide range of negative effects on it.
• Butane and Isobutane - Yes, I'm talking about lighter fluid! It a serious toxin to our brain and nervous system and you are breathing it in daily...
• Liquified Petroleum Gas and Petroleum Distillate - I think it's fairly obvious why we wouldn’t want to add this to our air supply on a daily basis, or even on a annual basis! Your air-freshener contains the byproducts of petrol. Probably the parts that the oil industry can’t put into motor vehicles. Waste not, want not, right? Wrong. In this case I'd say it's better to waste it!
• Propane - Toxic to the cardiovascular system, blood, liver, kidney, respiratory system, skin, and nervous system. It's known to be EXTREMELY dangerous. That’s why we tend to keep gas canisters outdoors whenever possible; yet we’re spraying this stuff into our indoor air willingly, and breathing it in.
• Perfume or fragrance - This one ingredient contains up to 400 different toxic ingredients. 95% of those ingredients are derived from petroleum products. Clinical observation by doctors has found that exposure to fragrances can damage the central nervous system and cause depression, hyperactivity, irritability, inability to cope, behavioral damages, headaches, dizziness, rashes, hyper-pigmentation, vomiting, coughing, and skin irritation.
• Benzene - This stuff is known to cause leukemia in humans.
• Formaldehyde - This is linked to cancers of the upper airways and it is also used to preserve body parts in a lab... need I say more there?
• BHT—a known neurotoxin (a substance that is toxic to the brain and nervous system), a hormone disruptor, immune system toxin, and irritant to the skin, eyes, and lungs.
• Acetaldehyde - a known carcinogen (which means it causes cancer) that affects the reproductive systems and hampers normal development  (yes, that means it can damage a foetus) It's an immune system toxin, and an irritant to skin, eyes, and lungs.
• Propylene Glycol - a known carcinogen which is toxic to the immune system, causes allergies and accumulates in the body and irritates the skin, eyes, and lungs.
• 1,3-Dichloro-2-propanol - This causes cancer.
• Methyl pyrrolidone - Very toxic to the reproductive system. It's also been linked to birth defects,
  allergies, immune system disorders, and skin, eyes, and lung irritation.
• Ethyl acetate - another brain and nervous system toxin (or neurotoxin) which is also linked to developmental disorders and reproductive disorders.
• Amorphous Fumed Silica - This is present in Glade plug-ins. Overexposure can cause silicosis, which is a disabling, non reversible and fatal lung disease

If all that doesn't scare you enough, these things also come with warning labels that state “Deliberately…inhaling the vapour of the contents may be harmful or fatal” or “Avoid inhaling spray mist or vapour.” I find that so ironic. They are sold to us as "air fresheners". Which should mean we should be able to breathe them in, right? So how are we supposed to avoid inhaling something that is constantly being forced into our air space? Whether we stick our mouths right over them, or just breathe them in daily, we are still being poisoned, whether it's inch by inch, or in one foul swoop.

We’ve been duped into thinking that we need these products to protect us from harmful bacteria or viruses even though there is no evidence that they actually disinfect the air AT ALL. They only mask smells. They don't get rid of them. What there is evidence of, is that they harm us, sometimes irreparably. There are so many other alternatives to make your house smell good, while still keeping it safe and non-toxic for you and your family.

You don't need to have a smelly home. I understand how it can be with pets. We have 6 cats! But there are ways to avoid it using natural options that don't irreparably harm you and the environment. I will post a blog about this next week so watch this space!