Home Air Fresheners May Affect Sleep

Spring Chicken

This was in the Houston Chronicle this morning. Being one who has a problem sleeping without sleep aids it certainly got my attention. We use lots of air fresheners. Anyway, I thought I would pass it on to those of you who may have trouble sleeping.

Spring "ZZZZZZZZZZZ Plumbing Check ZZZZZZZZZZZ" Chicken
Spring Texas USA

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PEOPLE’S PHARMACY
Home air fresheners may hinder breathing

Q: For years, I had woken up in the middle of the night unable to breathe through my nose. This disrupted a good night’s sleep, as I would have to get up and sit for 20 to 30 minutes waiting for my sinuses to drain.

I blamed it on lack of humidity, since it never happened while I was vacationing at the beach twice a year.

I recently read that home air fresheners contain formaldehyde and petroleum distillates, aerosol propellants and p-dichlorobenzene (PDB) that can irritate nasal passages. I immediately unplugged all my air fresheners, and after one day I was amazed with the results. I have now slept straight through the night for about two solid weeks.

Who would imagine that plug-ins could cause such sinus misery?


A: Air fresheners contain a variety of chemicals that may irritate the respiratory tract. PDB, found in mothballs as well as air fresheners, could result in reduced pulmonary function (Environmental Health Perspectives, August 2006). Other compounds found in air fresheners
include phthalates. These are often used to carry fragrance in consumer products. Phthalates
also are used to make plastic products pliable. These chemicals are controversial because they
are hormone disruptors and potential carcinogens.

stike

i never understood the american fascination with fake scents and air fresheners. when i was a kid, they had them on the back of the toilet, those little renuzit gel things. give you a screaming headache, but of course everyone wants their bathroom to smell like a pine glade forest. why? who knows.

but now they have the multi-scent plug-ins, filling the room with god knows what. they're changing scents constantly, because people think the smell is fading. no, your nose has become inured to the onslaught, so they change the scent to a new one, because you are so numbed to the first one. chemical overload...

typical american house smells like walking down the aisle of cleaning products at the grocery store. :laugh: for what it's worth, not one of the scents we all think smell "clean" have anything to do with what 'clean' smells like. it's just marketing and conditioning.

i just don't get it. i think it's like vinyl siding and all the other fake stuff that sells. it's a simulacrum, and for 99.9% of the world today, that's good enough, i guess.

harumph!
>getting down off the literal and figural soap box< :laugh:

fishlessman

ive seen something similar on that new car smell, not something i worry about diving my '89 :laugh:

stike

new car smell is partially VOCs, FWIW :laugh:

Spring Chicken

The French started it by inventing perfume to cover up their very bad body odor back in the 1700's.

The only marketing ploy needed is "Good smells much better than bad." It still works today.

But I agree with you. We spend more per oz for perfume than almost any liquid. And most people have a large inventory of it throughout their homes.

But even perfume cannot make a pig farm smell any better.

Spring "Sniff Sniff What's That Wonderful Smell" Chicken

Spring Chicken

I used to be a consultant to the trucking industry in another life. One thing I remember telling truck drivers back in the early 1980's is that the headaches they may be getting while driving their rigs could be coming from the permanent press trousers they were wearing. The chemical used in the permanent press process contains formaldehyde.

I later had to add that mobile homes also contained formaldehyde because many of the drivers claimed their headaches didn't go away when they were at home (in their mobile homes of course).

And we thought DDT was bad.

Spring "Human Air Filter" Chicken

RRP

My last year of being a working stiff I had a female associate whose office I refused to enter. I didn't know at the outset that she had one of those annoying plug in Oreck "bombs" that released a seconds long "pfffft" of spray into the air like every 2 minutes. She had it hidden on a book shelf near her "meeting" table. Talk about something to gag a maggot that was it!

stike

what is it that requires people to add some unnatural stench to their surroundings?? [zombie voice] "I must make this room smell like New Fallen Rain and Hyacinth Nutmeg Crunch" :laugh:

i think it's a psychological need to control one tiny aspect of an otherwise uncontrollable world. :laugh:

Spring Chicken

I've always thought those auto-odorizers were a great idea but I could never understand why they didn't just offer "Fresh Air" aerosol cans for them.

Oh, it just came to me... Most people don't know what "fresh air" smells like and would never buy it.

Spring "Fresh As A Genetically Enhanced Daisy" Chicken

Spring Chicken

Many years ago I purchased one that had a mechanism that rotated around every 15 seconds and pressed a non-aerosol can to release an odor into a space. It ran on two D-cell batteries that actually lasted for months.

My thought was that I could easily refill the non-aerosol can with liquid mosquito repellent for use on porches and patios. When turned on, the device would release a 'whiff' of repellent into the air and keep doing so until turned off. That way people could enjoy their porches and patios well into the evening and not have to put up with the smell of burning citronella candles, or worse, use that god-awful rub-on repellents.

There was nothing like my idea available at the time for home use so I thought I was on to something.

I tried it and it worked but I never pursued the idea any further. Now people can install insect protection devices similar to the misting devices used to cool outdoor areas. It's expensive but it works.

Spring "Misted My Chances" Chicken

Boilermaker Ben

stike wrote:

i never understood the american fascination with fake scents and air fresheners. when i was a kid, they had them on the back of the toilet, those little renuzit gel things. give you a screaming headache, but of course everyone wants their bathroom to smell like a pine glade forest. why? who knows.

That's a common argument in our house too. Come to think of it...I wasn't diagnosed with asthma and allergies until about 6 months into our marriage, which probably coincides with when I learned not to (or lost the will to) fight the small fights. Haven't breathed through my nose freely without the aid of drugs since January, 2004. Maybe it's the air fresheners.

Dimple's Mom

I've never used those kinds of air fresheners, but a couple of years ago I bought some oil stuff that comes in a bottle and you put little wooden reeds (sticks) in the bottle and they suck up the oil and scent the room. The scent is still going strong after a couple of years.

I wonder if those have the same or similar chemicals in them. I try to avoid chemically things.

Spring Chicken

Those are called diffusers. We have a couple of them we purchased at Pier 1. Nice subtle smell. Not overpowering like some of the other odorizers.

I doubt that the diffuser oils have any of the chemicals in them that the heat-activated devices use.

I’m learning that some people are extremely sensitive to synthetic odors. On the other hand, there are many who benefit for aroma therapy. I suppose when you have lots of people, you will have lots of likes, dislikes, sensitivities and tolerances.

Spring “Smells Like Brut” Chicken

Dimple's Mom

Spring, I'm really surprised by how long the diffuser I bought has lasted. It's been at least a couple/few years and there is still stuff left in the bottle. Finally got my money's worth on something I bought! :laugh:

I have a friend who is extremely sensitive to chemicals. She can't be around chemicals of any kind, not even perfume on her friends. She's so sensitive, it can send her to the hospital. Must be a drag to always have to be so careful because some chemicals don't have an obvious odor and can sneak up on you!