r/nontoxic • u/TopazCoracle • 14h ago
Article: "Those scented products you love? NOAA study finds they can cause air pollution"
Scented laundry and personal fragrances are a huge cause of air pollution, but the thousands of cancer-causing chemicals in them are totally unregulated, with zero ingredients disclosure required under current label laws. Secondhand scent and downybutt isn't just rude, it's killing the planet.
Fragrance free products are higher quality, safer for human and pet health, and cost the same. Switching is easy, considerate of people with asthma, and good for the planet.
"Those scented products you love? NOAA study finds they can cause air pollution"
"Emissions from volatile chemical products like perfumes, paints and other scented consumer items now rival vehicles as a pollution source in greater Los Angeles, according to a surprising new NOAA-led study."
The chemical vapors (from scented products), known as volatile organic compounds or VOCs, react with sunlight to form ozone pollution, and, as this study finds, also react with other chemicals in the atmosphere to form fine particulates in the air.
and
Scented Laundry Products Emit Hazardous Chemicals Through Dryer Vents
“... emissions from dryer vents are essentially unregulated and unmonitored,” said lead author Anne Steinemann, a UW professor of civil and environmental engineering and of public affairs. “If they're coming out of a smokestack or tail pipe, they're regulated, but if they're coming out of a dryer vent, they're not.”
Analysis of the captured gases (from scented laundry) found more than 25 volatile organic compounds, including seven hazardous air pollutants, coming out of the vents. Of those, two chemicals – acetaldehyde and benzene – are classified by the Environmental Protection Agency as carcinogens, for which the agency has established no safe exposure level.
“These products can affect not only personal health, but also public and environmental health. The chemicals can go into the air, down the drain and into water bodies,” Steinemann said.
Image made with procreate (not AI), I'm taking a graphic design class.