Sunday 24 May 2015

Post # 1 Matter & Bonding

Air Fresheners: a Common Household Threat...

Thought it may not be apparent, many everyday items in your household could poison you, and even less apparent is that we use and breathe them daily.  One of the biggest culpit is air fresheners.  They may smell pleasant, however most contain acetone, butane, isobutane, liquefied petroleum gas, propane, and benzene; all of which are known to either cause cancer or be a major toxin.  Most of the chemicals, not particularly harmful on their own and in small amounts, can stockpile in your body and build up over years leading to future health issues. The chemicals in the the air fresheners might not even be your biggest problem, continuous exposure to these chemicals can also wear down and harm your immune system allowing unrelated bacteria to harm you. To further my point, one of the most dangerous ingredient is also in air fresheners; dichlorobenzene (C6H4Cl2), a known carcinogen, linked to lung damage, and very hazardous to pets.  Dichlorobenzene is also a main ingredient in DDT, and studies have shown that dichlorobenzene can be found the blood stream of 96% of the American population.  Do please rethink your opinion on air fresheners.

Article Review

The article's main purpose was to inform the readers of the dangers related to using air fresheners.  It was written while referencing many scientific studies from sources such as the the E.P.A. and the N.R.D.C. though they also criticized "biased" studies published by air freshener producers.
LINK TO ARTICLE


Reflection

After reading the article above and doing research to further my understanding of the situation, I felt quite uneasy towards the simple household object.  I've been using air fresheners throughout my life in total ignorance to the dangers it can pose.  However the most unsettling fact in my opinion, is that the producers of these products are completely aware of the dangers yet the only actions taken on their part are biased studies and cover ups, this is not how it should be.


Reader Reflection

After reading this post, do you believe that air fresheners should be banned, or at least regulated by the government?


4 comments:

  1. I think after reading this post that air fresheners should be regulated by the government to an extent. I think that the air fresheners themselves should have their level of carcinogenic and toxic products be reduced to the accepted limit for long term exposure. If there is no acceptable limit for long term exposure of the chemical, then it shouldn’t be used as an air freshener at all. This is because I feel that it is unjust to be too oppressive when deciding what things are made from, if someone decides to use the product after knowing this risks it’s their problem. However, there will always be people who don’t know the risks for whatever reason, and for that alone it they should both prevent damaging quantities of the chemical and still allow people to use it in a ‘controlled’ degree.

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  2. Hey Isaiah!
    Air fresheners and a lot of artificially scented products are a very common find in about any American household these days and are often overlooked in their possible health problems because they are practically in everything! As the silent smelly killers lurk about our everyday lives, I think it’s unreasonable to go to an extent where they are banned or even regulated by the government. Because as much as we all love our little dangling pine trees on our dashboard, I doubt that most people will specifically go out of our way to get them. And like the contraband, I’m sure that there would be some under the table trading of air fresheners that could possibly be cheaper knock offs that might contain more harmful chemicals. A more reasonable option would perhaps having a clear label/warning that states that it contains these destructive chemicals.
    Another thought would be that to what extent and exposure to these chemicals would one have to go through to experience a dangerous health concern? As far as I know, even with the exposure to these chemicals most of the population is still at least somewhat health (in the pulmonary aspect) and that how big of a factor the use of common air fresheners are?
    Last thought: there are other alternatives such as “Organic air fresheners”(composed of essential botanical oils and distilled water) which do not contain toxic ingredients, so why wouldn’t they be as publicized if they create the same result yet do not negatively affect the user?
    Stay fresh!
    -Celeste

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