Home > News & Events > NIH Radio > August 2006 Audio Reports

NIH Radio

Chemical in Air Fresheners, Other Household Products, May Reduce Lung Function

Right Click to Download MP3 File

Brief Description:
A study by the NIEHS showed that exposure to a chemical in many air fresheners, toilet bowl cleaners, mothballs and other deodorizing products may lead to modest reductions in lung function.

Transcript:
SCHMALFELDT: Everyone enjoys fresh, clean-smelling air and sparkling clean bathroom fixtures. But are we trading off proper lung function in the process? That's the question raised in a recently published study conducted by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, which showed that exposure to a chemical in many air fresheners, toilet bowl cleaners, mothballs and other deodorizing products may lead to modest reductions in lung function. NIEHS researcher Dr. Stephanie London was the lead investigator in the study. She said that even a small reduction in lung function may indicate some harm to the lungs, and she offered this advice to people, especially those who have children with asthma or other respiratory problems.

LONDON: To the extent that someone is inclined to try to lower exposures whenever possible — especially people who have more sensitivity than others because of lung problems — they may wish to try to reduce their exposures to the extent possible.

SCHMALFELDT: The suspect chemical is a volatile organic compound, known as 1,4 dichlorobenzene. Dr. London said researchers will take a closer look at the health effects of this compound

LONDON: It doesn't say very specifically that it's this compound, per se. This compound is probably measured a little bit better than some of the other compounds, so it may be that's why it shows up. So we are interested in looking at whether this particular compound is responsible for the finding.

This page was last reviewed on August 11, 2006 .

[ Q&A About NIH | Jobs at NIH | Visitor Information | FOIA ]
[ Telephone & Service Directory | Employee Information | Información en español ]

[ Contact Us | Privacy Notice | Disclaimers | Accessibility | Site Map | Search ]

National Institutes of Health (NIH)
9000 Rockville Pike
Bethesda, Maryland 20892

Department of Health
and Human Services