Spring Clean Your Cleaning Arsenal
You scrub, scour, and spray to make your house sparkle. But could your efforts to clean your house actually be polluting it? Spend 15 minutes cleaning the shower, and you could inhale three times the "acute one-hour limit" set by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment for glycol ether-containing products. It’s no wonder then that janitors and people who clean houses for a living have eight times the rate of asthma found in other workers.

These cleaning products aren’t just hurting those of us who use them. A nationwide study by the US Geological Survey showed that nearly 70 percent of streams tested contained breakdown products from detergents, and 66 percent contained disinfectants.

So how to green your routine? Start by eliminating the following chemicals:

Glycol ethers. Often labeled as butyl cellosolve, 2-butoxyethan, or ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, these solvents strip hands of natural oils and cause hormone disruption.

Diethanolamine (DEA) and tri-ethanolamine (TEA). These sudsing agents can form carcinogens when exposed to nitrate preservatives found in many cleaning products.

Ammonia. Irritating to lungs and air-ways.

Sodium hydroxide, sodium hypochlorite (bleach), or phosphoric acid. Can burn eyes and skin. Bleach has also been linked to the rising rates of breast cancer in women, reproductive problems in men, and learning and behavioral problems in children.

Synthetic fragrances. The small chemical particles can trigger allergies and be absorbed by the skin.

Stop Making Scents

By Jill Sverdlove

After moving into a newly rented house in Ft. Collins, Colorado, Alison Webster (not her real name) felt ill. "Within three days, I was waking up with symptoms I never had before," she explains. "My face swelled up like a balloon, my hands were puffy. I couldn’t see straight or even walk in a straight line." A graduate student at the time, the formerly healthy 32-year-old said she knew the symptoms were related to the house. "They went away when I was at school and came back a few hours after I got home."

Alison and her husband rented the place furnished, which included four potent room deodorizers. "We suspected it was the deodorizers," she says, noting how the strong odor remained, even after they threw them away.

"We thought removing furniture and even washing the walls might help, but it didn’t. The smell and my symptoms wouldn’t go away," Alison says. She couldn’t imagine how a simple, scented item could make her so sick.

What’s that smell?

You can’t watch TV today without catching commercials peddling fragranced products. In theory that’s not such a bad thing. After all, cultures throughout history perfumed their homes and persons, if only out of necessity given the state of their hygiene and sanitation systems. Think of the potpourris, sachets, and nosegays so much in favor not all that long ago. Perhaps we all have an innate desire to smell like a breath of spring, and what harm could there be in that?

Well, none until you industrialize the process. Before the early 20th century, the fragrances in high demand were derived directly from plants or animals, but after World War II, companies turned to petrochemicals as the source of manufactured scents and expanded the uses of fragrances exponentially. Natural fragrance preparations still exist, of course, but synthetic scents have taken over the marketplace, with sales topping $18 billion annually.

With our spritzed, sprayed, and slathered-on 21st century barely underway, virtually every conventional cleaning and body care product on the market contains chemically manufactured fragrances.

Obvious products include perfumes, deodorants, soaps, shampoos, laundry detergents, candles, and cleaning products. The not-so-obvious range from shirts to sports drinks. And new products keep coming. Japanese filmgoers get a nose full of fragrance while watching movies, as special machines pump out scents synchronized to certain scenes. And several companies recently announced plans to chemically scent the packaging for products: Cookie boxes, fruit containers, and drink caps will soon emit synthetic scents. And last year, more than one thousand new air fresheners appeared on US stores shelves. This phenomenon means more exposure for everyone. Unfortunately, most of the companies behind these marketing schemes never consider the dangers lurking in their fragranced products, and we consumers have little choice about whether or not we’ll be exposed to them—short of never venturing into a supermarket or department store again.

Mystery ingredients

Alison was curious about which chemicals in the air fresheners had made her so sick. "I went to Target and looked at the packaging," she explains. "But no ingredients were listed."

Only after searching the Internet did she learn that products containing synthetic fragrances are not regulated by any government agency. Fragrance formulas are considered "trade secrets," a designation that gives companies the legal right not to disclose product ingredients, even to the FDA. ...

If a company provides an ingredient label, it only need list the catchall term fragrance, even though hundreds of chemicals may make up one formulation. The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) reports that "95 percent of the ingredients used to create fragrances today are synthetic compounds derived from petroleum, including benzene derivatives, aldehydes, and many other known toxins and sensitizers. Many of these substances have been linked to cancer, birth defects, central nervous system disorders, and allergic reactions." NAS targets fragrances as one of six categories of chemicals that should be tested for neurotoxicity. This puts synthetic fragrances in the company of insecticides, heavy metals, solvents, food additives, and air pollutants. For a list of commonly used fragrance chemicals and their effects, go to Web Exclusives at [www.alternativemedicine.com].)

But despite this level of concern, the trade secret laws have ensured that fragrance chemicals remain completely unregulated. Manufacturers may point to the "self-regulatory" system in place, but they’re not required to check their chemicals for safety, so testing is limited, and compliance with recommendations is voluntary and not enforced. The result? The same chemicals that must be disclosed and tested when used in gasoline and cigarettes go unregulated when put into a bottle of shampoo.

Frustrated by this lack of disclosure, Betty Bridges, a registered nurse who became chemically sensitive in 1988 after an acute exposure to the fragrance chemical amyl cinnamaldehyde, a common fixative in cleansers, established the Fragrance Products Information Network ([www.fpinva.org]). Bridges investigated fragrances for 11 years, and in 1999, worked with Barbara Wilkie, the president of the Environmental Health Network of California ([www.ehnca.org]), to file a petition with the FDA requesting regulatory enforcement of the fragrance industry. So far, the FDA has not taken any action.

Bridges explains that we breathe, ingest, and absorb untested, unsafe chemicals. "Although most parents today wouldn’t dream of allowing their kids to be in a room full of cigarette smoke," she notes, "they expose them to equally bad toxins when near scented candles."

Is your body polluted?

According to the Environmental Health Coalition of Western Massachusetts, approximately 20 percent of the population reacts adversely to synthetic fragrance, with anywhere from 3.5 to 6 percent experiencing debilitating or even life-threatening reactions. Infants, children, the elderly, and people with compromised immune systems are particularly vulnerable.

"Even for people who have lost their sense of smell," Bridges points out, "symptoms still appear when they are around synthetic fragrances, since it’s not the smell but the toxicants comprising the scent that are dangerous." She further explains that while an allergic reaction might cause congestion or sneezing, reactions to synthetic fragrances often consist of a poisoning response, which may include migraines, difficulty breathing, fatigue, hormonal imbalances, and digestive problems.

"But sensitive people," Bridges emphasizes, "aren’t the only ones affected by synthetic scents." Fragrances pose a health issue for everyone. Although most people believe small amounts of chemicals are harmless, studies show that the adage "the dose makes the poison" no longer holds true. Researchers have shown that even low-level exposure causes serious health effects, as our bodies absorb and accumulate the chemicals we get exposed to daily. The Environmental Working Group also found troubling results after studying the impact of cumulative chemical exposures termed "the body burden" ([www.ewg.org/bodyburden]). And the Environmental Protection Agency discovered that indoor air contains two to five times more toxic chemicals than outdoor air, with fragrance chemicals contributing heavily.

You might be wondering, somewhat skeptically, "Why do I feel fine after years of applying lotions and perfumes?"

Most people who now feel sick around fragrance chemicals had many prior exposures and appeared immune to the dangers, until their bodies broke down. Fragrance toxins silently add stress to our natural detoxification systems, and the impact might take longer to show up in a healthy adult or may manifest in a seemingly unrelated condition like reproductive problems or cancer. Our bodily defenses didn’t evolve to process and store petrochemicals, and wrestling with these toxins keeps our bodies from doing their real jobs. Furthermore, people may not even realize a product causes their symptoms. They may suffer chronic headaches or hives, completely unaware of the connection to their perfume or their favorite detergent’s aroma.

For Alison, living with room deodorizers was her tipping point, and although she and her husband moved out of the rental, she became chronically sensitive to even low levels of chemicals.

Three years later, Alison continues to avoid exposure to fragrance-laden people and products—not an easy task. "I had no clue my system could become so sensitive," Alison says.

Although most people associate fragrances with smell, the chemical components don’t merely enter the body through the nose. Wearing scented products or even being near others who use them leads to the absorption of fragrance chemicals through the skin (a direct link to the bloodstream), the respiratory system, digestive system, and the eyes. Modern fragrances are also extremely persistent, designed to cling for a long time to fabric, hair, walls, whatever. Some fragrance constituents, like those in softener sheets, can never be fully removed from clothes. And like plug-ins and perfumes, dryer sheets contain nerve-deadening chemicals, narcotics, and known carcinogens.

While we know a great deal about plant-based fragrances, not enough research exists on the long-term effects of synthetic scents. Judging from the research conducted so far, however, the news doesn’t look good. A recent Mayo Clinic study placed synthetic fragrances in the 10 most common causes of allergic contact dermatitis, and The Institute of Medicine categorized fragrances as equal to second-hand smoke for triggering asthma. Other conditions affected by fragrances include allergic reactions, hypersensitivity diseases, chronic sinusitis, and migraines.

"It’s possible that synthetic scents will go the way of cigarette smoking," says Peggy Wolff, an environmental health consultant who raises awareness about fragrance sensitivities. She warns that fragrance chemicals might actually be more toxic than cigarette smoke when you add up the total exposures.

"Children are getting sick in schools and can’t learn well. People can’t heal in hospitals. But things are changing," says Wolff, who recently received a grant through Healthcare Without Harm ([http://www.noharm.org]) to work with hospitals on fragrance issues.

Scents and sensibility

If you’d like to find out whether or not synthetic scents affect you, consider conducting an experiment to see how you feel away from direct exposure. Write down all of your symptoms (headache, hoarse voice, rash, etc.), then switch entirely to fragrance-free products for at least one month (and put your old ones out of the house). Note if your symptoms have decreased or disappeared.

And before you spritz fragrance, consider that others are at the mercy of your product choices. The fragrance-intolerant often find it awkward to ask for consideration. But without our awareness and compassion, these people are prevented from going to work and school, socializing, or being active in their communities. With experts estimating that 60 percent of the population will suffer from sensitivities by 2020, isn’t it about time we cleared the air? Jill Sverdlove is a freelance writer in Boulder, Colorado.

What’s in a Label?

Since companies can get away with incomplete labeling, follow these guidelines to ensure healthy choices.

•Choose products that list all ingredients.

�?Examine the list of ingredients to check that the word fragrance does not appear. Essential oils are usually listed separately.

�?Be prudent because even if the label advertises "unscented," some manufacturers use masking agents that block our ability to perceive odors; so not only is fragrance still in the product, but even more chemicals are present. Check that fragrance is not listed in the ingredients, or call the company directly and request accurate information.

�?Avoid phthalates and parabens (often listed as methylparabens).

�?Always inspect labels because formulas change. �?Since no legal definitions exist for natural, nontoxic, and hypoallergenic, those words don’t always signify a healthier product. (For more ways to take action, go to Web Exclusives at [http://www.naturalsolutionsmag.com].)

Safe Alternatives to:

Dryer Sheets. Try Nellie’s Dryer Balls or safe, reusable cloths by Static Eliminator. Or use an aluminum foil ball in the dryer, a 1/2 to 1 cup of vinegar in the rinse cycle, or separate your synthetics and cottons when drying.

Laundry Detergents. For safer detergents and softeners, use fragrance-free versions from Seventh Generation, Ecos, and Mountain Green. Or try the Oxy Ball or 1/2 cup of baking soda per load instead of detergent.

Air Fresheners. Instead of masking odors, identify and remove the source. Take shoes off at the door, empty the trash often. Try natural mineral zeolite, baking soda, or Borax. Use cedar blocks, or simmer cinnamon sticks, cloves, or allspice. If you need to spray, try Citra-Solv’s AirScents, which uses real citrus scents—or make your own with distilled water and essential oils.

Filtration. Air filters can also help improve indoor air quality, but not all purifiers are the same. Get a filter that contains no plastics or other materials that off-gas. Reputable companies include Allerair, Aireox, IQ Air, and Austin Air.

Essential Oils, Candles, and Incense. A good alternative to synthetic scents, essential oils can be placed around the house, worn as perfume, or used in cleaning and body products. For candles, try soy or beeswax alternatives, unscented or with essential oils. Don’t assume all incense is safe; it has combustible materials, may include contaminants, and may feature artificial fragrances.

Cleaning Products. The most inexpensive, safe cleansers are baking soda and water (for deodorizing), white vinegar (for cleaning when mixed with water and a little soap), Bon Ami (for scrubbing), and hydrogen peroxide (for disinfecting). Try Dr. Bronner’s Sal Suds and Seventh Generation’s cleansers.

Bodycare Products.

�?Soap: Sappo Hill Unscented, Kiss My Face Olive Oil, Dr. Bronner’s Baby Mild, Tom’s of Maine Unscented Natural Glycerin Soap, Terressentials Unscented

�?Deodorant: Kiss My Face Active Enzyme Unscented, Tom’s of Maine Unscented, Jason Aloe Vera, Lafe’s Natural Crystal Stick

�?Shaving Lotion: Kiss My Face Unscented Shaving Gel

�?Shampoo/Conditioner: Earth Science Pure Essentials Fragrance-Free, Dr. Bronner’s Baby Mild, Magick Botanicals, Tijeras Unscented

�?Hair Gel: Aubrey B5 Design Gel, Magick Botanicals, Kiss My Face

�?Moisturizer: Organic oils (jojoba, sesame, apricot), Kiss My Face, Magick Botanicals, Jason, MyChelle Dermaceuticals

�?Sunblock: Aubrey, Vanicream, Jason Chemical- and Fragrance-free

From: [http://www.naturalsolutionsmag.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/articleSearch.article/articleID/13404/pageID/1/headline/StopMakingScents/fontSize/13]