Wow. I had no idea that air fresheners could be so bad for people. Like most, I have always believed air fresheners to be great, healthy solutions to odor within a home. The part where it talked about what air fresheners really do to the sense of smell was very concerning. I hope many people find out about this article so that nothing bad happens that has to do with air fresheners.
This was really interesting and I learned a lot from it. Like Cami said, I think that it was really bothersome that it does multiple things including what it does to the sense of smell, how it causes birth defects and reproductive problems. More people really should know about this.
I never realized air fresheners actually just covered the bad smells (I guess that makes sense when I think about it), kind of like a bandage covers a wound but the actual wound needs to be treated first. What I don't understand is why the FDA allows these products to be sold if they are so bad for us and our environment. I think the government should create a campaign to educate people on the hazards of these products.
I think this article is very interesting. The air fresheners are awful for our environment but we still choose to buy and use the fresheners. I agree with Sam when she said that the government should create a campaign against it!
This was interesting and new, but since it was from someone else's blog, how can we really tell that it is the truth? After all, you shouldn't trust everything you hear. I definitely think that more people should know about this safety hazard and think that this is a problem that should be addressed.
This is a shocking article. Who knew just a spritz of air freshener is harmful in many ways? I wonder if any air freshener companies have been sued for lying about their "all-natural" product. I also wonder if you can "spread" the harmfulness by having a bit of air freshener on your clothes and walking around places with a surfeit of people. Just the thought of how the air freshener companies can live knowing that they are putting people into danger sickens me. Like all the people above said, more people should know about this apalling subject.
I never knew that an air freshener could do so much damage. I will now think twice about spraying air freshener. It is odd to think that something that is supposed to make the air smell good actually destroys your sense of smell by coating your nasal passages with an oily film. Next time, I will check the ingredients to make sure that there are no phthlythates, because they are so harmful. I never knew what smelled so good could actually be bad and contribute to cancers and other illnesses. I think it is a good idea to make your own air freshener, just to be safe.
I think all air fresheners should be removed from the stores. It’s like spraying poison in your house. The NRDC, the MCS, and the EPA are all warning people not to use indoor air fresheners. Also, phthalates don’t even appear on the labels, so we can’t tell whether it’s in the air freshener or not. The fresheners that plug into electrical outlets are even worse. Instead of using air fresheners, you can use baking soda which is non-toxic, an air purifier with carbon filtration, and essential oils and spices. Also, you can open your windows to get rid of bad smells. You have to be careful when labels say “all-natural.” Anyone can say their product is “natural” and it doesn't have to be. This article is a good warning, especially for people who have trouble breathing.
Wow! I had no idea that air fresheners could do all of this! I thought they were just a great way to keep your house/room or any other place smelling good. I agree with Cami about how it was concerning. I found it concerning because not only can you spray it in your house, but you could be smelling it in public places where you don't have control over what they spray.
I quite agree that these air fresheners would be potentially harmful if overused. However, this article was being quite ambiguous on the harmful effects of the air freshener. Perhaps the effects were only temporary. Perhaps the effects are very minimal, and will only be an issue if they are overused. I disagree with David when he says anyone can say that their product is "all natural." False advertising, especially on food and drugs, is a crime. I doubt anyone would dare to commit such a crime just for extra business, especially when these chemicals can be so easily tested. However, I am not saying that this article is entirely false. I am simply pointing out a few potential exaggerations. I would also reinforce Samantha's point that if these chemicals were toxic, why would the FDA be allowing them to be sold? In conclusion, I feel there are a lot of holes in this article, and we ought to be skeptical.
I have always been suspicious about air fresheners. I never knew they were this bad though. I don't trust them because they do things to you nasal passages. It could cause a lot of problems. Like many things in our society, air fresheners are very bad for people and the air, but few people know the truth.
I never thought a household product could be allowed to be so harmful. I am beginning to wonder, like Sinclaire, if this article is real. Aren't the products taht go into consumers homes tested for being so harmful? I guess that it could be off the radar of some companies, but the fact that the ingredients that they use to create these products are so widespread, shouldn't someone notice it? Also that is not the only part of this article that is shifty. The fact that the article is accusing the air freshening companies of false advertising is odd, especially since that is illegal.
I never knew that air fresheners were this harmful. While all of us worrying about cars, air fresheners are a bigger threat. Electric cars will still cut down on pollution, but scientists should do further research in air freshener products. Maybe they can find a natural solution, something that freshens air without the chemicals.
Well, this doesn't surprise me. Many household products have chemicals that can harm people, and/or hurt them. I heard a report on NPR about some nail polishes having toxic substances. Either way, I think people should stay on the alert side with their household products, but not be extremely alarmed. They already get exposed to some of this stuff every day.
I have never even heard of this problem before, until now. I didn't think that air fresheners caused so much trouble. I'm lucky that my mom stopped using air fresheners. My "cat's" bathroom smells really bad and we use candles now to get rid of the sent. Also after a athletic game in general my room smells bad so I use a candle. I will never use air fresheners. After what I learned, I'll just stick to candles.
Air fresheners are horrible! I knew air fresheners weren't exactly good for you, with the chemicals and stuff, but I never expected this! One of the problems though was that this was from 2007, and maybe we have some more recent studies. As Samantha said, the FDA should really start cracking down on these companies, as well as other companies that are hurting us. At home, I have a book that has a list of carcinogens, and the list is really long! I will never use these so called air "fresheners" again!
Wow. This is just sad. Febreeze has stooped as low as McDonalds. They advertize their "amazing" products and blind people just buy and buy and buy. These chemicals are really bad. I can't belive they cause birth disorder! I agree, people really need to know about this. The FDA should really get crackin.
What in the name of tarnation are benzene derivatives, pinene, limonene, aldehydes, phenol, cresol, formaldehyde, benzyl alcohol, camphor, and dichlorobenzene. These were all in the artilce and they explained what some of them did but not all of them. Overall I thought that this was a very interesting article.
Oh my god! I am never going to use air freshener again, and I'm going to take all of the ones that we have in my home and get rid of them. I will also attempt to spread the word to try to get friends and family to use safer and healthier alternatives.
Kevin, the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) regulates cleaning products, not the FDA. The FDA regulates “food, beverages or drugs meant to be ingested.” This article says that some of the labels say “all natural” when they obviously have chemicals in them. In cleaning products the word “natural” is not defined or regulated, according to the Natural Products Association, so they aren’t committing any crimes. Manufacturers of cleaning products are not required to list all their ingredients on their labels. The government does not test cleaning products.
I have always known that air fresheners are horrible toxins that decrease our ability to smell and deplete the ozone layer. I did pick up some information from this article, though. I didn't know that they included toxins such as dichlorobenzene, which is toxic to the nervous system! It is so amazing and disturbing that they can cause birth defects! I agree with Samantha, in which, offending air fresheners should not be sold, if they are this dreadful.
Wow. This article was kind of creepy. I never know air fresheners were so bad for you. I never knew that they could also irritate your eyes, ear and even your throat! The part about where it talks about you nose reactions was the creepiest. Especially when they talked about the film that covers your nose, reproductive problems and even birth defects! Like Cami, I agree that I always thought air fresheners were harmless things that made areas around you house smell better and fresher. Even though this product has already created many problems, it is good that people are studying this and taking actions against it.
Oh my gosh. I have like 9 of those electrical outlets air fresheners in my house! I never knew that air fresheners could be so dangerous to you. I though that air fresheners make things smell better by killing your ability to smell through nerve-deadening chemicals or by coating your nasal passages with an undetectable oily film. I though they only covered up one smell with another or break down the offensive odor. I'm glad scientists are searching for a better air freshener product.
I agree with Alex about the fact that this article was creepy. I have always wondered if they were bad for you. Then I thought that they were bad for you in the old days, but companies changed them so they would be good for you. I also never really liked air fresheners because most / all of them are either too strong or I just plain old don't like the smell in the first place. I very much prefer just opening a window. I also agree with Ava about the fact that it is so amazing that something so small, like air freshener, can cause even a huge thing, like birth defects! I don't like that the air freshener companies try to trick their customers by putting "All Natural" on the cans, when they really have almost lethal chemicals in them. I think Jordan's comment was funny because it is kind of sad that Febreze has stooped as low as McDonalds. Camille, that's a really smart idea you have about using candles. You should email your idea to the company that wrote the article. Maybe I will try doing that. Overall, I think this was a very interesting and informative article.
Wow. I knew that air fresheners had chemicals in them, but I always assumed that they were harmless. I thought that if you were breathing them in, air freshener companies had to make them safe so that they wouldn't harm you. I also think that it is possible that whoever wrote this article might have exaggerate things a little bit. I believe that air fresheners are bad for you, but I think there is a very small chance that air fresheners will cause birth defects.
This was absolutely shocking. My family never uses air fresheners, but I never really knew that they were actually harmful until now. I definitely thought that if they were going to be used around the home commonly, they had to be harmless. This just shows how far companies will go to make money. Isn't there some sort of law against false advertising? I thought that there was, and if there is, the companies' putting "All Natural" on their labels is illegal. Camille, candles are a great idea. I really want to try that.
I had no idea that air fresheners were so harmful to us! People should start spreading the word so that people stop buying air fresheners with harmful chemicals in them. Also, the officials should pass some sort of law against such harmful air fresheners. At the very least, they should require it to say on the label if there are phthalates in the air freshener, and something like "Warning: can cause birth defects." Then at least the consumer knows about the possible dangers. And if people know about all the harm air fresheners can cause and they stop buying them, even if it is legal, the air freshener companies will be forced to switch to actual all natural ingredients, since no one will be buying their products.
This is very suprising to me. I thought air made the air smell better and made it cleaner. In reality it can cause you to have a oily film in your nasal passages. The next time my mom goes to buy air freshener I will tell her about this article.
The article is definitely a wake-up call for those people who think that "Oh air-freshener is the best thing in the world, it make the air so nice an clean!" I don't use air-freshener myself, but I certainly didn't know that air-freshener is bad for the senses. Unfortunately, this report doesn't seem so well known, but if the government found out about this article they might make a campaign against it - or at least discourage the use of the products. By the way- did anyone notice that were writing blog comments on a blog article?
The article is definitely a wake-up call for those people who think that "Oh air-freshener is the best thing in the world, it make the air so nice an clean!" I don't use air-freshener myself, but I certainly didn't know that air-freshener is bad for the senses. Unfortunately, this report doesn't seem so well known, but if the government found out about this article they might make a campaign against it - or at least discourage the use of the products. By the way- did anyone notice that were writing blog comments on a blog article?
32 comments:
Wow. I had no idea that air fresheners could be so bad for people. Like most, I have always believed air fresheners to be great, healthy solutions to odor within a home. The part where it talked about what air fresheners really do to the sense of smell was very concerning. I hope many people find out about this article so that nothing bad happens that has to do with air fresheners.
This was really interesting and I learned a lot from it. Like Cami said, I think that it was really bothersome that it does multiple things including what it does to the sense of smell, how it causes birth defects and reproductive problems. More people really should know about this.
I never realized air fresheners actually just covered the bad smells (I guess that makes sense when I think about it), kind of like a bandage covers a wound but the actual wound needs to be treated first. What I don't understand is why the FDA allows these products to be sold if they are so bad for us and our environment. I think the government should create a campaign to educate people on the hazards of these products.
I think this article is very interesting. The air fresheners are awful for our environment but we still choose to buy and use the fresheners. I agree with Sam when she said that the government should create a campaign against it!
This was interesting and new, but since it was from someone else's blog, how can we really tell that it is the truth? After all, you shouldn't trust everything you hear. I definitely think that more people should know about this safety hazard and think that this is a problem that should be addressed.
This is a shocking article. Who knew just a spritz of air freshener is harmful in many ways? I wonder if any air freshener companies have been sued for lying about their "all-natural" product. I also wonder if you can "spread" the harmfulness by having a bit of air freshener on your clothes and walking around places with a surfeit of people. Just the thought of how the air freshener companies can live knowing that they are putting people into danger sickens me. Like all the people above said, more people should know about this apalling subject.
I never knew that an air freshener could do so much damage. I will now think twice about spraying air freshener. It is odd to think that something that is supposed to make the air smell good actually destroys your sense of smell by coating your nasal passages with an oily film. Next time, I will check the ingredients to make sure that there are no phthlythates, because they are so harmful. I never knew what smelled so good could actually be bad and contribute to cancers and other illnesses. I think it is a good idea to make your own air freshener, just to be safe.
I think all air fresheners should be removed from the stores. It’s like spraying poison in your house. The NRDC, the MCS, and the EPA are all warning people not to use indoor air fresheners. Also, phthalates don’t even appear on the labels, so we can’t tell whether it’s in the air freshener or not. The fresheners that plug into electrical outlets are even worse. Instead of using air fresheners, you can use baking soda which is non-toxic, an air purifier with carbon filtration, and essential oils and spices. Also, you can open your windows to get rid of bad smells. You have to be careful when labels say “all-natural.” Anyone can say their product is “natural” and it doesn't have to be. This article is a good warning, especially for people who have trouble breathing.
So are air freshening manufacturers doing anything to make their air fresheners less toxic? Are they not doing anything to change the ingredients?
Wow! I had no idea that air fresheners could do all of this! I thought they were just a great way to keep your house/room or any other place smelling good. I agree with Cami about how it was concerning. I found it concerning because not only can you spray it in your house, but you could be smelling it in public places where you don't have control over what they spray.
I quite agree that these air fresheners would be potentially harmful if overused. However, this article was being quite ambiguous on the harmful effects of the air freshener. Perhaps the effects were only temporary. Perhaps the effects are very minimal, and will only be an issue if they are overused. I disagree with David when he says anyone can say that their product is "all natural." False advertising, especially on food and drugs, is a crime. I doubt anyone would dare to commit such a crime just for extra business, especially when these chemicals can be so easily tested. However, I am not saying that this article is entirely false. I am simply pointing out a few potential exaggerations. I would also reinforce Samantha's point that if these chemicals were toxic, why would the FDA be allowing them to be sold? In conclusion, I feel there are a lot of holes in this article, and we ought to be skeptical.
I have always been suspicious about air fresheners. I never knew they were this bad though. I don't trust them because they do things to you nasal passages. It could cause a lot of problems. Like many things in our society, air fresheners are very bad for people and the air, but few people know the truth.
I never thought a household product could be allowed to be so harmful. I am beginning to wonder, like Sinclaire, if this article is real. Aren't the products taht go into consumers homes tested for being so harmful? I guess that it could be off the radar of some companies, but the fact that the ingredients that they use to create these products are so widespread, shouldn't someone notice it? Also that is not the only part of this article that is shifty. The fact that the article is accusing the air freshening companies of false advertising is odd, especially since that is illegal.
I never knew that air fresheners were this harmful. While all of us worrying about cars, air fresheners are a bigger threat. Electric cars will still cut down on pollution, but scientists should do further research in air freshener products. Maybe they can find a natural solution, something that freshens air without the chemicals.
Well, this doesn't surprise me. Many household products have chemicals that can harm people, and/or hurt them. I heard a report on NPR about some nail polishes having toxic substances. Either way, I think people should stay on the alert side with their household products, but not be extremely alarmed. They already get exposed to some of this stuff every day.
I have never even heard of this problem before, until now. I didn't think that air fresheners caused so much trouble. I'm lucky that my mom stopped using air fresheners. My "cat's" bathroom smells really bad and we use candles now to get rid of the sent. Also after a athletic game in general my room smells bad so I use a candle. I will never use air fresheners. After what I learned, I'll just stick to candles.
Air fresheners are horrible! I knew air fresheners weren't exactly good for you, with the chemicals and stuff, but I never expected this! One of the problems though was that this was from 2007, and maybe we have some more recent studies. As Samantha said, the FDA should really start cracking down on these companies, as well as other companies that are hurting us. At home, I have a book that has a list of carcinogens, and the list is really long! I will never use these so called air "fresheners" again!
Wow. This is just sad. Febreeze has stooped as low as McDonalds. They advertize their "amazing" products and blind people just buy and buy and buy. These chemicals are really bad. I can't belive they cause birth disorder! I agree, people really need to know about this. The FDA should really get crackin.
What in the name of tarnation are benzene derivatives, pinene, limonene, aldehydes, phenol, cresol, formaldehyde, benzyl alcohol, camphor, and dichlorobenzene. These were all in the artilce and they explained what some of them did but not all of them. Overall I thought that this was a very interesting article.
Oh my god! I am never going to use air freshener again, and I'm going to take all of the ones that we have in my home and get rid of them. I will also attempt to spread the word to try to get friends and family to use safer and healthier alternatives.
Kevin, the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) regulates cleaning products, not the FDA. The FDA regulates “food, beverages or drugs meant to be ingested.” This article says that some of the labels say “all natural” when they obviously have chemicals in them. In cleaning products the word “natural” is not defined or regulated, according to the Natural Products Association, so they aren’t committing any crimes. Manufacturers of cleaning products are not required to list all their ingredients on their labels. The government does not test cleaning products.
I have always known that air fresheners are horrible toxins that decrease our ability to smell and deplete the ozone layer. I did pick up some information from this article, though. I didn't know that they included toxins such as dichlorobenzene, which is toxic to the nervous system! It is so amazing and disturbing that they can cause birth defects! I agree with Samantha, in which, offending air fresheners should not be sold, if they are this dreadful.
Wow. This article was kind of creepy. I never know air fresheners were so bad for you. I never knew that they could also irritate your eyes, ear and even your throat! The part about where it talks about you nose reactions was the creepiest. Especially when they talked about the film that covers your nose, reproductive problems and even birth defects! Like Cami, I agree that I always thought air fresheners were harmless things that made areas around you house smell better and fresher. Even though this product has already created many problems, it is good that people are studying this and taking actions against it.
Oh my gosh. I have like 9 of those electrical outlets air fresheners in my house! I never knew that air fresheners could be so dangerous to you. I though that air fresheners make things smell better by killing your ability to smell through nerve-deadening chemicals or by coating your nasal passages with an undetectable oily film. I though they only covered up one smell with another or break down the offensive odor. I'm glad scientists are searching for a better air freshener product.
I agree with Alex about the fact that this article was creepy. I have always wondered if they were bad for you. Then I thought that they were bad for you in the old days, but companies changed them so they would be good for you. I also never really liked air fresheners because most / all of them are either too strong or I just plain old don't like the smell in the first place. I very much prefer just opening a window. I also agree with Ava about the fact that it is so amazing that something so small, like air freshener, can cause even a huge thing, like birth defects! I don't like that the air freshener companies try to trick their customers by putting "All Natural" on the cans, when they really have almost lethal chemicals in them. I think Jordan's comment was funny because it is kind of sad that Febreze has stooped as low as McDonalds. Camille, that's a really smart idea you have about using candles. You should email your idea to the company that wrote the article. Maybe I will try doing that. Overall, I think this was a very interesting and informative article.
Wow. I knew that air fresheners had chemicals in them, but I always assumed that they were harmless. I thought that if you were breathing them in, air freshener companies had to make them safe so that they wouldn't harm you. I also think that it is possible that whoever wrote this article might have exaggerate things a little bit. I believe that air fresheners are bad for you, but I think there is a very small chance that air fresheners will cause birth defects.
This was absolutely shocking. My family never uses air fresheners, but I never really knew that they were actually harmful until now. I definitely thought that if they were going to be used around the home commonly, they had to be harmless. This just shows how far companies will go to make money. Isn't there some sort of law against false advertising? I thought that there was, and if there is, the companies' putting "All Natural" on their labels is illegal. Camille, candles are a great idea. I really want to try that.
I had no idea that air fresheners were so harmful to us! People should start spreading the word so that people stop buying air fresheners with harmful chemicals in them. Also, the officials should pass some sort of law against such harmful air fresheners. At the very least, they should require it to say on the label if there are phthalates in the air freshener, and something like "Warning: can cause birth defects." Then at least the consumer knows about the possible dangers. And if people know about all the harm air fresheners can cause and they stop buying them, even if it is legal, the air freshener companies will be forced to switch to actual all natural ingredients, since no one will be buying their products.
This is very suprising to me. I thought air made the air smell better and made it cleaner. In reality it can cause you to have a oily film in your nasal passages. The next time my mom goes to buy air freshener I will tell her about this article.
The article is definitely a wake-up call for those people who think that "Oh air-freshener is the best thing in the world, it make the air so nice an clean!" I don't use air-freshener myself, but I certainly didn't know that air-freshener is bad for the senses. Unfortunately, this report doesn't seem so well known, but if the government found out about this article they might make a campaign against it - or at least discourage the use of the products.
By the way- did anyone notice that were writing blog comments on a blog article?
The article is definitely a wake-up call for those people who think that "Oh air-freshener is the best thing in the world, it make the air so nice an clean!" I don't use air-freshener myself, but I certainly didn't know that air-freshener is bad for the senses. Unfortunately, this report doesn't seem so well known, but if the government found out about this article they might make a campaign against it - or at least discourage the use of the products.
By the way- did anyone notice that were writing blog comments on a blog article?
Mrs. Ghazarian, could you please delete the first comment?
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