Scented Cleaning Products Create Invisible Air Pollution

Cleaning a home is generally assumed to make its indoor environment healthier. This latest research, however, suggests that some scented cleaning products can temporarily produce extremely high concentrations of ultrafine particles in the air. Researchers found that fragrance chemicals released during cleaning can react with ozone already present indoors, generating nanoparticles small enough to penetrate deeply into the respiratory system.

Of particular interest is that this phenomenon was not confined simply to conventional synthetic cleaning products. Products containing botanical essential oils could also generate these particles because naturally occurring fragrance compounds can undergo similar chemical reactions with ozone. The researchers found that particle concentrations during cleaning could reach levels comparable to, and in some circumstances higher than, those encountered outdoors near traffic. Further research will be needed to establish what repeated exposure means for long-term human health.

The findings illustrate how little is still understood about the chemical mixtures people encounter routinely in their homes and workplaces. Consumers generally receive limited information about the substances released into indoor air when household products are used, or about the new compounds that can form when these substances react with one another. Given the amount of time people spend indoors, investigating these exposures and their possible contribution to respiratory and other chronic diseases should be regarded as an important public-health priority.

To learn how high-dose B vitamins can offset the damage caused by exposure to fine particulate matter of the type produced by burning fossil fuels in motor vehicles, see this article on our website.