Heavenly Scents with Hellish Consequences?
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Heavenly Scents With Hellish Consequences?
Bathrooms that smell of lavender, kitchens that hint at citrus groves and bedrooms that invite with the tantalizing fragrance of exotic flowers —our homes today are enveloped in clouds of artificial scents. But not all that smells good is good. Research is now showing that a substance contained in air fresheners and other deodorizing products may be harmful to our already taxed respiratory system.
Human population studies conducted at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), a part of the National Institutes of Health found that exposure to a volatile organic compound called 1,4 dichlorobenzene (1,4 DCB) may cause reductions in lung function. 1,4 DCB is typically used as a space deodorant in products such as room deodorizers, toilet bowl blocks, and as an insecticide fumigant for moth control.
Researcher Leslie Elliott, Ph.D. who was part of the NIEHS-funded study has cautionary words for the public. "Because people spend so much time indoors, where these products are used, it’s important that we understand the effects that even low levels might have on the respiratory system…"
Source: NIH/National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, July 2006
