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Dr. Anne Steinemann, PhD
Anne C. Steinemann
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Evans School of Public Affairs
December 10, 2008
To the Missouri Green Cleaning for Schools Committee Members, and Missouri Board of Education:
I am very concerned that air fresheners and cleaning products with an added fragrance are being considered for use in your schools. Air fresheners and fragranced cleaning products, even ones certified as “green,” emit numerous toxic chemicals—including carcinogenic Hazardous Air Pollutants that, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, have no exposure level considered “safe.”
I am a Professor at the University of Washington, in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Evans School of Public Affairs. I specialize in environmental pollutants and public health, and have conducted three sets of studies pertaining to air fresheners and fragranced cleaning products: (1) chemical analyses of the emissions from air fresheners and cleaning products; (2) regulatory analysis of the laws pertaining to the testing and disclosure of toxic chemicals in air fresheners and cleaning products; and (3) two national epidemiological studies of adverse health effects from exposure to air fresheners and fragranced products. I summarize the results below.
(1) My chemical analyses of a range of air fresheners (including sprays, solid disks, plug-ins, and oils) and fragranced cleaning products (including all-purpose cleaners, glass cleaners, floor cleaners, bathroom cleaners, detergents, and disinfectants) found that each one emitted chemicals that are carcinogens, neurotoxins, and respiratory toxins. Even air fresheners and fragranced cleaning products marketed as “organic,” “green,” “all-natural,” or with “essential oils” were just as toxic, and in some cases more toxic than the regular varieties. (As a supplement to this letter, I provide a list of the most common chemicals emitted by air fresheners and fragranced cleaning products.) More than 100 volatile organic compounds were emitted by air fresheners and fragranced cleaning products, but none of these chemicals were listed on any product label or material safety data sheet.
(2) To understand this striking gap between chemicals emitted and chemicals disclosed, I investigated the U.S. regulations pertaining to air fresheners and fragranced cleaning products. I discovered that companies are not required to test for toxic chemicals in air fresheners or fragranced cleaners, nor are they required to disclose any of the ingredients—not even chemicals that are classified as toxic or hazardous. In other words, you will not find hazardous chemicals listed on the product labels or material safety data sheets, and that is legal, because they do not need to be disclosed. The company providing you with air fresheners and cleaners is probably asserting that they are “safe.” But that term has no legal definition when it concerns air fresheners and fragranced cleaning products, and there is no agency that regulates the safety and health effects from these products. (Would any company tell you that their products are not safe?)
(3) Health effects from exposure to air fresheners and fragranced products are significant. In my two national epidemiological studies, I found that more than 20% of the general U.S. population suffers headaches, breathing difficulties, and other adverse health effects when exposed to air fresheners, and nearly 40% of asthmatics suffer attacks or breathing difficulties when exposed to air fresheners. More than 38% of the U.S. population report adverse health effects when exposed to fragranced products, such as scented cleaning supplies. Even if people do not suffer acute effects, they can nonetheless be harmed by the chemicals in these products. Chemical exposures add up, and lead to adverse effects, such as respiratory damage and brain injury. Plus, many of these hazardous chemicals remain in our bodies.
Air fresheners and scents added to cleaning products serve no hygienic purpose. They do not disinfect, clean, or improve air quality or the facilities. However, they do add toxic chemicals to an existing problem, and cause adverse health effects.
This is more than a health issue; it is also a disability access issue. Just as having small stalls would prevent people in wheelchairs from using your restrooms, so would air fresheners and fragranced cleaners prevent people with breathing disabilities, allergies, or sensitivities from using the restrooms and being able to function well in school.
Given the risks, and the absence of any clear benefits, schools should not be using air fresheners or scented products, of any kind. Air fresheners do not clean the air, and added scents are not necessary to clean, and they pose significant hazards—especially to children.
Sincerely yours,
Anne C. Steinemann
Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Professor, Public Affairs
University of Washington
View Steinemann Report
Steinemann Study
View more letters....
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Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Evans School of Public Affairs
December 10, 2008
To the Missouri Green Cleaning for Schools Committee Members, and Missouri Board of Education:
I am very concerned that air fresheners and cleaning products with an added fragrance are being considered for use in your schools. Air fresheners and fragranced cleaning products, even ones certified as “green,” emit numerous toxic chemicals—including carcinogenic Hazardous Air Pollutants that, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, have no exposure level considered “safe.”
I am a Professor at the University of Washington, in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Evans School of Public Affairs. I specialize in environmental pollutants and public health, and have conducted three sets of studies pertaining to air fresheners and fragranced cleaning products: (1) chemical analyses of the emissions from air fresheners and cleaning products; (2) regulatory analysis of the laws pertaining to the testing and disclosure of toxic chemicals in air fresheners and cleaning products; and (3) two national epidemiological studies of adverse health effects from exposure to air fresheners and fragranced products. I summarize the results below.
(1) My chemical analyses of a range of air fresheners (including sprays, solid disks, plug-ins, and oils) and fragranced cleaning products (including all-purpose cleaners, glass cleaners, floor cleaners, bathroom cleaners, detergents, and disinfectants) found that each one emitted chemicals that are carcinogens, neurotoxins, and respiratory toxins. Even air fresheners and fragranced cleaning products marketed as “organic,” “green,” “all-natural,” or with “essential oils” were just as toxic, and in some cases more toxic than the regular varieties. (As a supplement to this letter, I provide a list of the most common chemicals emitted by air fresheners and fragranced cleaning products.) More than 100 volatile organic compounds were emitted by air fresheners and fragranced cleaning products, but none of these chemicals were listed on any product label or material safety data sheet.
(2) To understand this striking gap between chemicals emitted and chemicals disclosed, I investigated the U.S. regulations pertaining to air fresheners and fragranced cleaning products. I discovered that companies are not required to test for toxic chemicals in air fresheners or fragranced cleaners, nor are they required to disclose any of the ingredients—not even chemicals that are classified as toxic or hazardous. In other words, you will not find hazardous chemicals listed on the product labels or material safety data sheets, and that is legal, because they do not need to be disclosed. The company providing you with air fresheners and cleaners is probably asserting that they are “safe.” But that term has no legal definition when it concerns air fresheners and fragranced cleaning products, and there is no agency that regulates the safety and health effects from these products. (Would any company tell you that their products are not safe?)
(3) Health effects from exposure to air fresheners and fragranced products are significant. In my two national epidemiological studies, I found that more than 20% of the general U.S. population suffers headaches, breathing difficulties, and other adverse health effects when exposed to air fresheners, and nearly 40% of asthmatics suffer attacks or breathing difficulties when exposed to air fresheners. More than 38% of the U.S. population report adverse health effects when exposed to fragranced products, such as scented cleaning supplies. Even if people do not suffer acute effects, they can nonetheless be harmed by the chemicals in these products. Chemical exposures add up, and lead to adverse effects, such as respiratory damage and brain injury. Plus, many of these hazardous chemicals remain in our bodies.
Air fresheners and scents added to cleaning products serve no hygienic purpose. They do not disinfect, clean, or improve air quality or the facilities. However, they do add toxic chemicals to an existing problem, and cause adverse health effects.
This is more than a health issue; it is also a disability access issue. Just as having small stalls would prevent people in wheelchairs from using your restrooms, so would air fresheners and fragranced cleaners prevent people with breathing disabilities, allergies, or sensitivities from using the restrooms and being able to function well in school.
Given the risks, and the absence of any clear benefits, schools should not be using air fresheners or scented products, of any kind. Air fresheners do not clean the air, and added scents are not necessary to clean, and they pose significant hazards—especially to children.
Sincerely yours,
Anne C. Steinemann
Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Professor, Public Affairs
University of Washington
View Steinemann Report
Steinemann Study
View more letters....
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