Do all air fresheners work the same way? What are some of the different mechanisms?
Air fresheners disperse their scents in several ways. Some air fresheners come as an aerosol and are sprayed. Some require a heat source, such as a candle flame or the electric current from a wall outlet. Others vaporize their scent at room temperature. You’ve probably seen examples of these hanging in cars and taxis.
What would a chemical analysis of air fresheners tell us? What compounds do air fresheners emit?
Air fresheners are not strictly regulated, so there is a wide range of ingredients and concentrations of ingredients in them. That said, there are a few ingredients that are commonly used in air fresheners. Here are a few that stand out:
- Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs): The amounts of individual VOCs will vary by the fragrance composition, but generally, these include formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, benzene, toluene, and a few others. For example, alpha-pinene is commonly used in pine-smelling fresheners to give the clean and fresh smell of pine trees. Interestingly, alpha-pinene occurs naturally in the environment but can also be synthesized.
- Phthalates: Chemicals that embed a fragrance in plastic or wax so the fragrance can later be released when the air freshener is unpackaged and used.
- Propellants: These are hydrocarbons that deliver fragrance as a very fine mist.
- Solvents: Chemicals used to dissolve the fragrance and other ingredients in a liquid, which eventually evaporates into the air.
- Aldehydes: Chemicals that form after an air freshener has been released into the air. After several hours, many of the ingredients listed above react with other molecules in the air to become aldehydes and other secondary VOCs.
- Deodorizers: Chemicals that can absorb or neutralize odors.
Can any of these substances affect our health?
While most people can tolerate occasional exposure to air fresheners and deodorizers at low concentrations, people with allergies or asthma may get irritated eyes and throat, headaches, or even an asthma attack.
There is some evidence that long-term use of air fresheners can affect heart function, especially in individuals who also have lung disease. We have learned, too, that air fresheners can affect a person’s balance of hormones, which can impact reproductive health. And there is growing evidence that phthalates, aldehydes, and 1,4-dichlorobenzene (a common deodorizer) can cause cancer.
So, yes, air freshener components (either directly emitted from the air freshener or indirectly formed by subsequent indoor chemical reactions) have been linked to numerous adverse health outcomes. However, since there are many other sources of the same chemicals in our indoor environments, it’s difficult to disentangle specific sources and attribute risks accordingly.
Source: https://www.columbiadoctors.org/news/do-air-fresheners-impact-our-health