Health Hazards in Household Cleaners Exposed

Use of certain cleaning products reduces lung function, increases asthma risk, studies find

By Serena Gordon
HealthDay Reporter

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FRIDAY, July 25 (HealthDay News) -- A clean, fresh-smelling home may actually be bad for your health, depending on what type of cleaning and air freshening products you use.

Recent research suggests that exposure to cleaning products or air fresheners that contain a certain volatile organic compound (VOC) called 1,4 dicholorobenzene (1,4 DCB), can reduce lung function by 4 percent. Another study found that the use of spray household cleaners could increase the risk of developing asthma by nearly 50 percent.

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Yet a third study, reported by University of Washington researchers this week in the Environmental Impact Assessment Review, found that the fumes from air fresheners and fragrances contain hazardous toxins, none of which are listed on product labels since companies are not required by the federal government to disclose the ingredients in these products.

However, one industry group took issue with the latest findings.

"Research challenging the safety of ingredients in fabric care products is deceptive and raises false fears about products that have a long record of safety and effectiveness," the Soap and Detergent Association (SDA) said in a statement released Friday.

"The research in question is, in essence, a rehash of past studies that offers nothing useful to manufacturers, regulators or consumers," said Richard Sedlak, SDA Senior Vice President, Technical and International Affairs. "The lack of any exposure assessment greatly diminishes the significance of the alarmist warnings made by the author."

One expert agreed that the findings should not send people into a panic.

"I don't think everybody's getting asthma from air fresheners and house cleaners, but this suggests that more research needs to be done," said Dr. Jennifer Appleyard, chief of allergy and immunology at St. John Hospital in Detroit.

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