Want your air freshened??? Think again.

But you knew that, right? You already knew that commercially produced air fresheners were hazardous to your health, didn't you? You knew because you've been reading labels, haven't you? You're so good.

And to help you with your battle, here is some more ammunition:

Our friends at Seventh Generation have recently written about the unsafe chemicals found in these products:

"Used in 75% of American households, air fresheners are big business, generating sales of about $1.72 billion a year. Found in everything from plug-in, fake candles to peel-and-stick evaporating disks, these products don’t actually eliminate odors but merely use one of several strategies to make you think they’ve vanished. Some products simply cover up bad smells with stronger chemicals. Others use a nerve-deadening agent to reduce your ability to smell in the first place; some even coat the inside of your nasal passages with a film that stops smells from getting through."

Read the rest of the article...

And then there's an article, aptly titled Air Freshener or Air Poisoner?, from a few months ago in Green Living Online:

"A study recently published in American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, found the regular use of sprays increased the risk of asthma by 30 to 50 percent. The study was done by the European Community Respiratory Health Survey, and followed 3,500 people in 10 European countries."

Here's the article.

I live between two families that both are huge fans of air fresheners. When their front doors open, we get a blast of that stench. It is so strong that I can't smell the cut grass as I'm going over it with my lawnmower. It is so strong that just a few moments in my neighbor's house coats me with that nasty smell. I've tried talking to both of these families. I've tried showing them research. They simply don't want to know. They have other, more important things to worry about. Actually, that's really true. But, in my not-so-humble opinion, they would improve their ability to handle these other problems if they weren't breathing poison. That's my two cents, what's yours?

The solution

Because I was a hippie in the 1960's (Google it if you don't know what "hippie" means), I understand about

IF YOU'RE NOT PART OF THE SOLUTION, YOU'RE PART OF THE PROBLEM.

See, the deal is, if you don't do anything to get rid of toxic chemicals in your own environment, you are helping make the problem continue. If you keep using fragranced products, you put that toxic junk into the air and you harm yourself and others. That is the problem. So, every tiny step you take, every little bit of toxic chemical you eliminate from your life, every person you influence (even a wee bit), helps make this a cleaner world. It may not seem like much. But it is.

If individuals did not believe they could make any difference in this world, we'd certainly be doomed. Absofuckinglutely.