The War on Fresh Air

Here's a story: The hallway outside my door smells like smoke, very strong probably smoking in the hall smoke. This bothers me to some extent because on bad days, the smell can drift in to my apartment. I know I'm not the only one bothered by this, because one day a plug in air freshener, and fan were positioned in the outlet right out side my door. The fan was on and the air freshener was turned all the way up. I loath air fresheners for the simple fact that they are full of dangerous chemicals. The smell was noxious, so I unplugged the air freshener and turned the fan off. Next time I walk by, the thing is plugged in again, so I unplugged it. I think you can see where this is going, and I played the game for a lot longer then I should have. When I got sick of unplugging things, I left a note next to the unplugged air freshener asking the owner to remove it. I'm glad my neighbor was considerate and took their chemicals back, because this could have escalated into all out tenant war.

The story doesn't end their either! My room mate picked up a phallic air freshener to leave on the toilet. AND!!!!! Today at work I walk into the bathroom at work and there are TWO!!!! of the same phallic air fresheners open all the way filling the bathroom with fake floral doom. I guess I missed the memo that bathrooms smell so bad that we have to kill our sense of smell with dangerous chemicals.

Yes that's right, air fresheners are dangerous! Volatile organic chemicals are a given, they're in paint, they're in pretty much anything with a sent, and there is no escaping them. Here are some health effects of VOCs from the EPA's website Eye, nose, and throat irritation; headaches, loss of coordination, nausea; damage to liver, kidney, and central nervous system. Some organics can cause cancer in animals; some are suspected or known to cause cancer in humans. Key signs or symptoms associated with exposure to VOCs include conjunctival irritation, nose and throat discomfort, headache, allergic skin reaction, dyspnea, declines in serum cholinesterase levels, nausea, emesis, epistaxis, fatigue, dizziness. No that does not sound good, and air fresheners pump all that stuff into our air.

This is rather fantastic as well, Apparently air fresheners contain phthalates (link to pdf). Phthalates are used to soften certain plastics and rubbers, they're probably in your shower curtain, carpet, and mattress. Babeland has a short FAQ about phthalates in sex toys. They recommend covering the toy with a condom before use so the phthalates can't be sucked up by your mucosa membrane. The wikipedia article on phthalates has a brief list of health effects, and to back this up, I heard an interview with a doctor on NPR blaming phthalates for sexual mis-development in boys (can't find the link). I have no idea why rubber softeners need to be in air fresheners, or why they need to be blown into the air at all.

On top of all this, the government doesn't regulate what chemicals go into household products (similar to cosmetics), and EPA has been petitioning for some kind of government regulation.

Now I'm completely exhausted on this subject, and even more pissed off. I feel like these huge companies are filling our bodies with horrible chemicals, and when we die of cancer and our children have no sex, they'll get away with it. No one is making us buy these things, and if you are going to buy air fresheners, at least be informed about what you're exposing yourself to.

Random link I couldn't fit in anywhere else to a Science Daily article.