University of Washington

For Immediate Release

Oct. 26, 2010

The sweet smell of fresh laundry may contain a sour note. Widely used fragranced products – including those that claim to be “green” – give off many chemicals that are not listed on the label, including some that are classified as toxic.

A study led by the University of Washington discovered that 25 commonly used scented products emit an average of 17 chemicals each. Of the 133 different chemicals detected, nearly a quarter are classified as toxic or hazardous under at least one federal law. Only one emitted compound was listed on a product label, and only two were publicly disclosed anywhere. The article is published online today in the journal Environmental Impact Assessment Review.

“We analyzed best-selling products, and about half of them made some claim about being green, organic, or natural,” said lead author Anne Steinemann, a UW professor of civil and environmental engineering and of public affairs. “Surprisingly, the green products’ emissions of hazardous chemicals were not significantly different from the other products.”

More than a third of the products emitted at least one chemical classified as a probable carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and for which the EPA sets no safe exposure level.

Manufacturers are not required to disclose any ingredients in cleaning supplies, air fresheners or laundry products, all of which are regulated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Neither these nor personal care products, which are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, are required to list ingredients used in fragrances, even though a single “fragrance” in a product can be a mixture of up to several hundred ingredients, Steinemann said.

So Steinemann and colleagues have used chemical sleuthing to discover what is emitted by the scented products commonly used in homes, public spaces and workplaces. The study analyzed air fresheners including sprays, solids and oils; laundry products including detergents, fabric softeners and dryer sheets; personal care products such as soaps, hand sanitizers, lotions, deodorant and shampoos; and cleaning products including disinfectants, all-purpose sprays and dish detergent. All were widely used brands, with more than half being the top-selling product in its category.

Researchers placed a sample of each product in a closed glass container at room temperature and then analyzed the surrounding air for volatile organic compounds, small molecules that evaporate off a product’s surface. They detected chemical concentrations ranging from 100 micrograms per cubic meter (the minimum value reported) to more than 1.6 million micrograms per cubic meter.

The most common emissions included limonene, a compound with a citrus scent; alphapinene and beta-pinene, compounds with a pine scent; ethanol; and acetone, a solvent found in nail polish remover. All products emitted at least one chemical classified as toxic or hazardous.

Eleven products emitted at least one probable carcinogen according to the EPA. These included acetaldehyde, 1,4-dioxane, formaldehyde and methylene chloride. The only chemical listed on any product label was ethanol, and the only additional substance listed on a chemical safety report, known as a material safety data sheet, was 2-butoxyethanol.

“The products emitted more than 420 chemicals, collectively, but virtually none of them were disclosed to consumers, anywhere,” Steinemann said. Because product formulations are confidential, it was not possible to determine whether a chemical came from the product base, the fragrance added to the product, or both.

Tables included with the article list all chemicals emitted by each product and the associated concentrations, although do not disclose the products’ brand names. “We don’t want to give people the impression that if we reported on product ‘A’ and they buy product ‘B,’ that they’re safe,” Steinemann said. “We found potentially hazardous chemicals in all of the fragranced products we tested.”

The study establishes the presence of various chemicals but makes no claims about the possible health effects. Two national surveys published by Steinemann and a colleague in 2009 found that about 20 percent of the population reported adverse health effects from air fresheners, and about 10 percent complained of adverse effects from laundry products vented to the outdoors. Among asthmatics, such complaints were roughly twice as common.

The Household Product Labeling Act, currently being reviewed by the U.S. Senate, would require manufacturers to list ingredients in air fresheners, soaps, laundry supplies and other consumer products. Steinemann says she is interested in fragrance mixtures, which are included in the proposed labeling act, because of the potential for unwanted exposure, or what she calls “secondhand scents.”

As for what consumers who want to avoid such chemicals should do in the meantime, Steinemann suggests using simpler options such as cleaning with vinegar and baking soda, opening windows for ventilation, and using products without any fragrance.

“In the past two years, I’ve received more than 1,000 e-mails, messages, and telephone calls from people saying: ‘Thank you for doing this research, these products are making me sick, and now I can start to understand why,’” Steinemann said.

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Steinemann is currently a visiting professor in civil and environmental engineering at Stanford University. Co-authors are Ian MacGregor and Sydney Gordon at Battelle Memorial Institute in Columbus, Ohio; Lisa Gallagher, Amy Davis and Daniel Ribeiro at the UW; and Lance Wallace, retired from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The research was partially funded by Seattle Public Utilities.

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Reference:

University of Washington, Hannah Hickey, Release: Scented consumer products shown to emit many unlisted chemicals,Oct. 26, 2010

• More information on the project
• More information on volatile organic compounds is available from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Library of Medicine

Related Articles:

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• Secret Chemicals Revaledin Celebrity Perfumes, Teen Body Sprays
• Phthalate Concentrations and the use of Personal Care Products among Pregnant Women
• New Discovery on the Causes of Contact Allergy

On November 2009 I was interviewed on Carne Cruda, Spanish radio program, to talk about Multiple Chemical Sensitivity and one of the listeners of the program, the videographer Víctor Moreno, was so impressed that he quickly contacted me to say that he wanted to make a short film about MCS to help us to raise awareness of this terrible disease and he asked my opinion and if I wanted to collaborate with them. Obviously I told him that they could count on me for what they wanted.

On March they began filming “The birds of the mine”, the first short film about Multiple Chemical Sensitivity in Spain, and now we can finally present the trailer and announce that its debut will be next December. When this project began, I had the honor of reading the script, because they wanted my opinion, and then I saw some scenes of the shoot and I can assure you that is very, very impressive, as you can deduce from the trailer.

Autor: Eva Caballé, No Fun, Oct. 25, 2010

Related Articles:

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Do you remember, around the middle of 2010 when the parents of a young Spanish woman, Elvira Roda, who suffers from severe chemical sensitivity (MCS), asked for help? Do you recall that Elvira was living in a specially prepared, very expensive, pollution-free house where the city applied pesticides?

EMM Blog: Cry for Help – Young Woman in Danger

This seriously ill woman collapsed from the nerve agents, which were sprayed and resulted in putting her into a critical condition. For days she was in the worst health state possible and had to sit in a lawn chair by the sea. The parents tried to stop the city leaders from this application of pesticides, neurotoxic organophos- phates, but it was in vain.

A petition for Elvira, was released worldwide on many MCS blogs and by organizations. People from different countries signed, asking the city officials to refrain from spraying pesticides outside the home of this young woman.

Elvira’s life is in danger again

A day ago the parents of Elvira again asked for help because the city of Alboraya has now begun to spray a herbicide.

Please read her parent’s letter below and support by signing the petition for Elvira.

For Elvira’s sake:

Thanks to everyone who supported Elvira Roda by signing the petition to the Alboraya City Council in Valencia , Spain and asking them not to use chemicals that are harmful to humans and the environment, but instead requesting them to find healthier alternatives.

Our family has tried everything possible to prevent further spraying, but unfortunately today on October 5th, the Alboraya City Council will begin using new fumigation using Plus Roundup (glyphosate), and other environmentally harmful chemicals.

We have requested them to use environmentally friendly, natural alternatives, and asked the city council to inform the public prior to the spraying, but both requests were unsuccessful. We therefore believe it necessary for the health of all, to continue to collect signatures on the petition. We need you. With these efforts, we will certainly succeed.

Please help Elvira Roda! Tomorrow it could be one of you, who needs the help of us all.

For more information regarding Elvira’s situation, please see:

Support for Elvira Roda

To sign the petition, go to >>> Petition to Elvira Roda (sign at the bottom)

Thank you for your support!

And in this decaying world, the worst is to be spineless and to have no personality. It is a world full of people who complain and who live grey and empty existences. People who do not have the courage to resist, to have their own thoughts and get dragged by the crowd. It is hard to live in this herd if you are not like them, if you know what you think, if you are not scared to say what you think, and if you do not care about not being accepted by others. Then you don’t fit in, you are different, you are radical.

But an ill person cannot be like that. You have to be well-behaved, let yourself be brain-washed and follow the established road wearing a mask without thinking. If you have Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, an illness that is not recognized, you fight to survive. But don’t make too much noise and just follow others. Don’t think, don’t do. You are sick. Behave as such. You have to be obedient and ask for permission so that you will not be thrown out of the herd, a herd for which others kill themselves to be a part of.

And in the ignorance that surrounds us, the seven capital sins are more relevant than ever, in these times when there seems to be a theory for just about everything. In these times of the decaying Welfare State.

With the senses numbed, SEX becomes another frustration in an empty life in which to drag him or herself day after day without stopping to think.

It is a life with the frustration that becomes an unsatisfied HUNGER. Eat until you burst. That anxiety which impedes one from reacting and keeps one squashed under a mountain of human feed. The perverted pleasure in an overfed society.

An emptiness that invades us and a growing hate which turns into anger against all that does not suit us under childish and ridiculous excuses. INTOLERANCE becomes violence against those who are not like us, perhaps because those who think scare us.

Without being conscious of our lives, the days go by while we look at our pockets to see if we are better than others. We COMPETE in a silly race to show our success. We pretend we are happy. Inside, we are empty.

Life is a parenthesis of fear and of superficial comfort waiting for things to change WITHOUT MAKING AN EFFORT, sucked in by a system that wants us not to think.

We are dragged by laziness. We hate those who we think are better than us. They remind us of our not wanting to make an effort. We waste our lives wishing that they would stumble while we CRITIZICE their successes and, without knowing it, we wish they were as mediocre as us.

A cheap plastic beauty poisons us, one that makes us feel better for a moment in which we think we are better than others. A toxic beauty for which we don’t care the price we pay in a world where real health is not valued. Enormous fake PRIDE, the arrogance caused by ignorance. Who wants to be healthy if one can seem beautiful even if being stupid? Who does not want to seem better than others?

Does anyone dare to live without a mask?

Author: Eva Caballé, No Fun Blog, September 2010

Photos: Aida / Deliro

German Translation: Ohne Maske

More articles written by Eva Caballé:

• Naked Truth about MCS
  
• Metamorphosis insinde Multiple Chemical Sensitivity
• Dreams that kill
• MANIFESTO – We know they are lying to us

In 2013 in Zurich, Switzerland, a new housing project for people with MCS will be complete. Environmental illness is widespread in Switzerland, with statistics from authorities estimating approximately 5000 affected people. The city of Zurich will help with the real estate and construction law of the housing project for the chemically injured. “The project, costing about 5.8 million francs will be remembered as a pioneering project for healthy living in Zurich’s history,” said city council member Marin Vollenwyder at a press conference today in Zurich. The city has set the goal for itself… “HOUSING FOR ALL,” which means the city also supports this chemically injured population which has a difficult time finding appropriate housing.

Hope is finally within reach

Christian Schifferle, the founder of this Healthy Living Project for those with MCS, and president of the self help support group, MCS League Switzerland, has waited many years for this project. Two years ago he founded this cooperative, and since then it has progressed in leaps and bounds. Today Christian Schifferle said in an e-mail:

“I just came from the media conference discussing the MCS apartment project in Zurich, and I’m still overwhelmed and barely managed to give my speech. The Neue Zürcher newspaper has published an article, and today or tomorrow a report will be on Tele Top. I will report the new details in my next email. Currently I am sleeping in my car but am promised a transitional solution for my accommodations.”

Architect commitment

There was more good news this week from Switzerland. Schifferle added that the Healthy Living MCS housing project will be strengthened by Marianne Dutli Derron, an architect who has worked as a consultant at Zurich SVW, which is the umbrella organization for over 200 housing associations in Zurich. Her office is directly next to the MCS housing association. Ms. Dutli Derron has been elected as the executive manager of this housing project, and will work with Dr. Roman Lietha and Christian Schifferle. At the next general meeting, Ms. Dutli Derron will be asked to be a board member and co-president. She brings eight years of experience as president of another Zurich housing project. A few weeks ago Schifferle asked the architect to join the MCS project and of course, is very pleased to have this commitment.

Professional support

The issue of MCS living is not new for Ms. Dutli Derron. She was one of the jury members for the MCS architectural competition on this project, and understands what is required to make this housing project a success. Christian Schifferle has offered his professional support which is crucial since he has suffered since childhood from severe MCS and knows much about the details needed for those with this environmental compromise. He has invested his energies for years in seeing this project become a reality. Difficult decisions over the coming months will be made during the construction phase. Support and expertise will be needed for the success of this healthy living project. Schifferle is anxious to relate the needs of the chemically injured population, and is thrilled to have Ms. Dutli Derron as a project expert on the board.

Healthy living has a big future

The city of Zurich while providing this housing project for those with MCS is taking on a pioneering project. It is the first residential project emerging for the chemically injured in Europe. In September 2009, the financial department of the city approved a loan of 150,000 francs for the implementation of a study for the residential building with ten apartments for MCS sufferers. The MCS house is designed from the ground up biologically and scientists offer their support on the residential project.

Technical and old workmanship combined

As the Zurich newspaper explains, the focus of this particular building is one of careful choices of safe building materials and expert workmanship. This structure will even be fitted with special locks so that the inhabitants can clean off chemical substances as they enter. This pioneering project will be challenging to build because of the use of old craft techniques, some of which have been forgotten, combined with modern safe materials.

Glass fiber rods will be used, which, until now, were never tried in structural engineering. The material conducts either heat or electricity. The MCS building will also try an external wall construction of insulating bricks with a variety of biologically active inner skin with clay and lime plaster. Perhaps this project will have unusual looking materials and processing techniques which are different from normal residential projects, but it is hoped that the architectural firm which has received the contract for this innovative project will emerge with a successful outcome on all levels. In addition the firm desires to give innovative input to traditional residential projects as well.

For Christian Schifferle (video), he must sleep for two more years, through long cold nights in the car or on the cot in the forest. After the enormous efforts that he has devoted to this project, he will hopefully have a home in which he and other MCS sufferers can live without symptoms, and thus experience real healthy living. As a next step, with Schifferle’s leadership, Germany will begin safe housing projects for healthy living as well. Perhaps eventually these projects will be prototypes for healthy living buildings for MCS sufferers around the globe.

Author: Silvia K. Müller, CSN – Chemical Sensitivity Network, Sept. 10, 2010

Translation: Thank you very much to Christi Howarth

Related Articles:

• Zurich targets first MCS Housing Project in Europe and issues an invitation to tender
• Cry for help – Young woman in danger
• New Housing Non-Profit Forming with Focus on Environmental Sensitivities
• The last few months of life of Angelika who was chemically sensitive
• An Italian Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Sufferer shouts an inconvenient truth with his death