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Characterization of air freshener emission: the potential health effects

Cited 37 time in Web of Science Cited 52 time in Scopus
Authors

Kim, Sanghwa; Hong, Seong-Ho; Bong, Choon-Keun; Choi, Myung-Haing

Issue Date
2015-10
Publisher
Japanese Society of Toxicological Sciences
Citation
Journal of Toxicological Sciences, Vol.40 No.5, pp.535-550
Abstract
Air freshener could be one of the multiple sources that release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the indoor environment. The use of these products may be associated with an increase in the measured level of terpene, such as xylene and other volatile air freshener components, including aldehydes, and esters. Air freshener is usually used indoors, and thus some compounds emitted from air freshener may have potentially harmful health impacts, including sensory irritation, respiratory symptoms, and dysfunction of the lungs. The constituents of air fresheners can react with ozone to produce secondary pollutants such as formaldehyde, secondary organic aerosol (SOA), oxidative product, and ultrafine particles. These pollutants then adversely affect human health, in many ways such as damage to the central nervous system, alteration of hormone levels, etc. In particular, the ultrafine particles may induce severe adverse effects on diverse organs, including the pulmonary and cardiovascular systems. Although the indoor use of air freshener is increasing, deleterious effects do not manifest for many years, making it difficult to identify air freshener-associated symptoms. In addition, risk assessment recognizes the association between air fresheners and adverse health effects, but the distinct causal relationship remains unclear. In this review, the emitted components of air freshener, including benzene, phthalate, and limonene, were described. Moreover, we focused on the health effects of these chemicals and secondary pollutants formed by the reaction with ozone. In conclusion, scientific guidelines on emission and exposure as well as risk characterization of air freshener need to be established.
ISSN
0388-1350
URI
https://hdl.handle.net/10371/172449
DOI
https://doi.org/10.2131/jts.40.535
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