Harmful health effect of air freshener

We all want our room, offices, school and environment to smell nice. In fact, people tend to stay long in a place that has a nice fragrance and stay off placed that have an offensive and irritating odour. That is why air fresheners are used and sold everywhere.

Do you know that the constant use of air freshener is very harmful to the human body? Yes, they do. Scientists over the years have discovered that some undisclosed chemicals in air fresheners are very harmful to the vital organs of the body.

What is an air freshener?

Air fresheners are product invented to remove offensive odour from the air. They make the air smell nice with their fragrance. They can be used indoor and outdoor. Places like church, school, offices, classrooms, airplane, buses, tricycles, kitchen, sitting room, hospitals, clubs, hotels, banks, and so on.

They are either sprayed or stationed in the place. They are packaged in various size and container. They can be in liquid form, candles, oils, gels and solid. The fragrance from air fresheners linger for a long time depending on how it was produced.

A brief history of Air freshener

According to Wikipedia, the very first air freshener was introduced in 1948. It was a military invention that was used to dispense insecticide. It was adapted into a pressurised spray using a chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) propellant. The nice aroma from the product lingered in the air for a long period of time.

The product gained momentum and became the way for using insecticide. Some inventor decided to adopt it as a way of keeping the air from offensive odour. Companies then sprung up and the production of air freshener has not been extinct.

Some harmful components of air freshener and its health effect

1. Parabens: It can expose the body to cancer of various forms. It can also cause hormonal imbalance.
2. Styrene is another harmful chemical that can disrupt the brain’s function.
3. Benzine can affect the reproductive system.
4. D- Limonene can affect the eye. It causes skin diseases like itching and irritation.
5. There is a Volatile Organic compound known as Dicbrobenzene that is used in the production of air fresheners.

Apart from using it in the production of air fresheners, they are also used in the production of paints, disinfectant and automobile products. The health effect affects the eyes, nose, kidney, liver, lungs and central nervous system.

This lead to vomiting, severe headache, migraine. To affirm this, in 2009, two lecturers from different universities carried made two researches on the health effect of exposure to air fresheners. The lecturers are Stanley Caress and Annie Steinemann from the University of West Georgia and the University of Washington respectively.

They discovered that twenty per cent and thirty-four per cent of the population usually experience headache, breathing difficulties and other health issues when exposed to air fresheners.

6. Xylene can lead to loss of memory for a short time.
Air fresheners have a major effect on the respiratory system as we inhale whatever we perceive. It is very dangerous for people suffering from asthma. Perceiving it will lead to an attack or deter them from entering a place with air fresheners.

Tips to having a room without an offensive odour

To prevent the risk of having all these health issues, the following tips should be used.

1. If you still want to use air fresheners, you can reduce your exposure to them by opening the windows and doors. This will make most of the chemical released into the air reduce.
2. Make sure your room is swept and kept clean at all times.
3. Plant and grow flowers that have a nice fragrance like the queen of the night and so on.
4. Remove anything that might develop an offensive odour. The carpet or foot mat should be kept dry at all times. Remove the wet cloth from the room.
5. Keep every source of natural ventilation open. That is the windows and the doors should be wide open.
6. Take out unnecessary items from your room or office to prevent them from being stuff.

Conclusion

The purpose of air fresheners was to eradicate odour but its effect on the human body s nothing to joke with especially when it leads to terminal diseases. Inasmuch as we don’t know the health challenges of people we meet daily, it is good to reduce the use of air freshener for a safe environment.