[Pharmwaste] Choking on freshness - If air "fresheners" clear theair, why are we gagging?

[Matthew Mccarron]

Fragrances are in a self certification mode, much like the EU's proposed RoHS /REACH efforts.
 
International association:
http://www.ifraorg.org/ 
National association:
http://www.personalcarecouncil.org/ 
 
I've been doing some research into the Nail Salon industry.  We keep bumping into dead ends on ingredients not listed (because they are not required) and proprietary ingredients of closely guarded formulas.  In reading a fragrance discussion the other day, there were over 2500 specific ingredients in various fragrances that are basically undisclosed to USDA databases, Skindeep data base and FDA, since they are covered by various intellectual property laws.
 
I may be stating the obvious here, but I don't see it said very often and we need to change the way we approach the various industry issues:  so here goes...
 
Manufacturers and other designers need to protect their products from theft and copyright issues, otherwise they have no business.  They also have risk managers who evaluate what their products will do in the market place for many aspects of the products use and effect on the consumers of those products.  Manufacturers will try to protect themselves from lawsuits and other future liabilities, I can not blame them for that approach.  They in most cases have done quite a bit of proprietary research that is not generally available.
 
Pharms have similar issues with binders, flavors, colors, non-active ingredients, surfactants and yes, fragrances as well.  We can not locate very much health effect info on the ingredients we do know, let alone the ingredients we don't know.  Most of the research "available" is on active ingredients and some surfactant and inert materials.
 
Currently, Lifecycle analysis of products coupled with a Greener chemistry approach holds the most promise for effective planning and protection of the public health and sustaining our resources.  We need to find a way to protect the intellectual property issues, which drives innovation in all sectors and obtain and explore the effect of all the chemicals in use.  
 
Industry, the Government and Science all need to work together cooperatively, if we are going to get anywhere in our lifetimes.  The experience of RCRA and CERCLA liability fall out has left a bad taste, that impedes progress in the areas that we have been discussing for many years.  The RCRA-CERCLA solution was the best negotiated answer at it's time, it may be time for a change.  The management structures we build today (physical and legal) will set the process for the next 50 years or more.
 
We need leadership in these stakeholders, not procrastination, if we want to be more globally competitive, healthy and deliver a sustainable resource world to the future generations. 
 
 
 
Matt McCarron
Pollution Prevention/Green Business
CA Dept. of Toxic Substances Control
700 Heinz Ave. Suite 300  MS R2 - 2-3
Berkeley, CA 94710
 
510-540-3828
 
Prepare for the flu season: stay active, keep home and office areas clean, wash your hands often or use an alcohol based cleaner (not anti-bacterial) and drink lots of hot tea.


>>> "DeBiasi,Deborah" <Deborah.DeBiasi at deq.virginia.gov> 8/27/2009 6:52 AM >>>
http://www.newsreview.com/reno/content?oid=1158370 


Choking on freshness
If air "fresheners" clear the air, why are we gagging?

By Kat Kerlin 
katk at newsreview.com 

Dried oranges, cinnamon and cloves are a natural alternative to
chemically based air fresheners.  

There they are, dangling from a car rearview window, or masking scents
in a public bathroom, or emitting little smells from a home light
socket. If air "fresheners" are intended to clear the air, why do they
cause some people to gag?

According to the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commissions, some air
fresheners "release pollutants more or less continuously." For starters,
there are phthalates. Phthalates are hazardous chemicals that have been
linked to hormonal abnormalities, birth defects and reproductive
problems. When released into the air, phthalates can be inhaled or
absorbed by the skin. In a well-publicized study in 2007, the Natural
Resources Defense Council evaluated 14 air fresheners from a Walgreens
store and found phthalates in 86 percent of them, even those labeled as
"all natural" or "unscented."

The chemicals don't stop with phthalates, however. A 2008 University of
Washington study of six name-brand air fresheners and laundry products
found that each gave off at least one chemical regarded by federal law
as toxic or hazardous, and yet none of the chemicals were listed on the
product labels. Manufacturers aren't required to list ingredients,
including what can be the several chemicals labeled simply as
"fragrance" on the product. One plug-in air freshener in the study
carried more than 20 different volatile organic compounds, seven of
which are regulated as toxic or hazardous by federal law.

"Nearly 100 volatile organic compounds were emitted from these six
products, and none were listed on any product label," UW professor and
researcher Anne Steinermann told Science Daily. "Plus, five of the six
products emitted one or more carcinogenic 'hazardous air pollutants,'
which are considered by the Environmental Protection Agency to have no
safe exposure level."

In a separate study, the National Institute of Environmental Health
Sciences found that exposure to the volatile organic compound 1, 4
dichlorobenzene, which is found in some air fresheners, may reduce lung
function and exacerbate respiratory diseases.

Despite this research, regulators say there's no clear evidence for ill
health effects of conventional air fresheners, partly because of a lack
of conclusive studies.

Does this mean you have to start baking cookies every day to make your
home smell better? Not necessarily.

There are a number of nontoxic, biodegradable alternatives that are
readily found at local eco-minded stores and increasingly popping up in
the big box stores, as well. Many come in spray bottles with ingredients
such as "water, food grade enzymes, mint."


Or make your own. Some ideas include infusing a spray bottle with a
couple of sprigs of mint or lavender, using baking soda in the bottoms
of trash cans, cupboards and refrigerators, and lighting natural soy or
beeswax candles. You could also make your own natural potpourri by
combining, for example, dried orange peels, cinnamon sticks, cloves or
dried flower petals. Then-you know, as a last resort-you could clean the
source of stinkiness.

In Reno, where the air is relatively clean, the best air freshener may
be the air itself, so try cracking a window.






Deborah L. DeBiasi 
Email:   Deborah.DeBiasi at deq.virginia.gov (NEW!)
WEB site address:  www.deq.virginia.gov 
Virginia Department of Environmental Quality 
Office of Water Permit Programs 
Industrial Pretreatment/Toxics Management Program 
PPCPs, EDCs, and Microconstituents 
Mail:          P.O. Box 1105, Richmond, VA  23218 (NEW!) 
Location:  629 E. Main Street, Richmond, VA  23219 
PH:         804-698-4028 
FAX:      804-698-4032 


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