Are There Hormones in Your Air Freshener?

"Three environmental and health groups have sued the federal government in an attempt to force it to label air fresheners that use a potentially harmful substance.

Phthalates, which in laboratory animal tests damage the reproductive system and interrupt normal development by mimicking the body's hormones, were found in more than a dozen common household air fresheners that the Natural Resources Defense Council tested. The risk from low-dose exposure via air freshener isn't known. People are also exposed to phthalates from a variety of other sources, primarily plastics. The Sierra Club and the Alliance for Healthy Homes have joined the lawsuit.

Phthalates were only one class of potentially harmful chemicals identified in the air fresheners. Others have been linked to cancer and asthma.As with exposure to any harmful substance, any risk is generally most acute for fetuses, babies and children whose organs are still developing."

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