By Julie Sevrens Lyons, Knight Ridder
[A] groundbreaking new study suggests that household cleaners and air fresheners — particularly those with pine, orange and lemon scents — may emit harmful levels of toxic pollutants.
Exposure to some of these pollutants and their byproducts may exceed regulatory guidelines when used repeatedly or in small, poorly ventilated rooms.
A person who cleans a shower stall for 15 minutes with a product containing glycol ethers — known toxic air contaminants — may be exposed to three times the recommended one-hour exposure limit.
Using air freshener in a child's room with an air purifier that creates ozone can result in formaldehyde levels 25 percent higher than the state recommends. Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen.
"My suggestion is don't stop cleaning, but clean with consciousness that cleaning products themselves contain materials that shouldn't be inhaled," said study author William Nazaroff, a professor of environmental engineering at UC-Berkeley.
Brian Sansoni, a spokesman for the Soap and Detergent Association in Washington, said common sense is key to the safe handling of cleansers. Proper ventilation and using cleaners sparingly are effective strategies for those concerned about exposure to chemicals, he said.
