A recent study by the U.S. National Resources Defense Council has got retailers pulling worrisome air-freshener products from shelves. The study, which examined air fresheners available at a chain retail store, found most products contained varying levels of phthalates, chemicals that may affect hormones and reproductive development. Walgreens, whose products were the subjects of the study, responded quickly by withdrawing the offending products.
“More than anything, our research highlights cracks in our safety system,” said Dr. Gina Solomon, NRDC senior scientist.
Despite the $1.72 billion U.S. air-freshening industry, the US federal government doesn’t currently perform any safety tests on air fresheners or provide manufacturers with any safety guidelines. By contrast, the European Union has been banning two types of phthalates in a variety of products since 2004.
Prolitec, a U.S. scenting company that provides much of its product to companies in Europe, says its products contain no phthalates. “Because we’ve known since our inception that phthalates posed potential health risks, we’ve never used them” said Richard Weening, Prolitec’s CEO. “Health issues are a primary concern for us, and we’ve developed our technology and products with safety in mind.”
The NDRC, along with several other groups, has filed a petition to the EPA and the Consumer Product Safety Commission, calling for testing and risk assessment of all air freshener products on the market.
