Fear of Plug-in Air Fresheners ...

[Bayleaf]

Or, FoPiaFs, as I'm now calling it!

Had a lovely lunch out last Tuesday with some friends - a very rare treat for us. That night I had the worst migraine I've possibly ever had. It took several days and several pills to shake it off, and I had other symptoms too.

The only two things that could have caused this was, half a glass of average rosé wine, with the three course meal. I don't often drink wine, but can't imagine it would have triggered such a mammoth migraine. Or, right above me on the wall beside the fire, I noticed there was one of those fancy air fresheners pffing vanilla smells out into the room. The vanilla smell was quite strong when we first sat down, and that's when I searched around wondering where the culprit was - to my right, high up on the wall. Just before we started eating, the strong was so intense, I guess it had just done it's thing, and I was in direct line of where all that toxic stuff fell. The smell was really overwhelming and thankfully the smell of the food soon overpowered the vanilla, and maybe it didn't go off again.

I've since read up about these gadgets, and as well as being possible triggers to headaches/migraines, it can also irritate eyes and cause breathing problems to some people. That also explains my really itchy eyes and breathlessness during the latter part of last week. I was working on Friday, and by Friday night I felt ruddy awful again, my head threatening another migraine.

So now I have a real fear of these god-awful smelling things.

Just looked up the main "ingredients" .....
"According to Made Safe, an organization that rigorously screens products for potential health hazards, air fresheners can emit endocrine disruptors and carcinogens like benzene, formaldehyde, phthalates, toluene, acetaldehyde and more."

[Pathca]

Years ago my mum had an allergic reaction to an air freshener block that went in a vacuum cleaner

[niemeyjt]

I have had a couple of days of rare-for-me headaches - followed by a sore throat - despite all the stuff they are pumping into me.

So, is there a bug going round of some sort?

[Lori]

I've never liked those air freshener things. They all smell so strong and not normal. Wouldn't ever buy one.

So many chemicals !

Now that they've advised us to purchase less plastic packaged foods/drinks, I'm giving that a try. Have you noticed that there is next to nothing available in glass anymore. Try finding bottled water, there are very few fruit juices sold in glass. The canned vegetable selection is primarily just that, canned.

I mean nearly everything is packaged in some sort of plastic. Tetra paks, hard plastic, soft plastic, etc. And I recently saw a French doctor warning us not to lick the foil top of the yogurt container because it holds chemicals that can be passed to your body .... Seriously, ... Okay, then why do they use this in the packaging ????

[hughnique]

Plug in air fresheners, never felt safe and of course they have been the cause of several fires, claims that they last up to 80 days are absolute bullshit, more like 8 if you are lucky, and being as normally the refills cost more than the complete item, seems a bit ludicrous. What I have recently bought are a couple of these machines that use essential oils mixed with water, and they sit there for up to 3 hours, on a timer just puffing out a cloud of scented vapor. Please don't tell me they are a health problem as well??

[Blaze]

I've never liked air fresheners and I've never seen/felt/smelt the necessity to have one, particularly a plug-in. I don't like rooms that smell of artificial vanilla or cinnamon. We do have a pup that farts for Britain, really smelly ones (the vet assures us that it will pass ...) but they can be easily defused by lighting a match.
And we have windows that open in every room

Along the same lines as plug-in air fresheners are the plug-in mozzie killers - never fancied one of those either.

That also explains my really itchy eyes ....

I haven't knowingly been in contact with anything I can thin of, but my eyes are giving me hell at the moment, itchy, flaky eyelids, running eyes. It's happened before at this time of year so is probably plant-related. I've tried all the allergic eye drops and found the best thing is a good rinse 4 or 5 times a day with good old Serum Phy. Fortunately no headaches - poor you, Bayleaf, hope they go soon.

[exile]

Are they a health problem?
Potentially, yes. Essential oil means just what?

a natural oil typically obtained by distillation and having the characteristic odour of the plant or other source from which it is extracted.

according to Oxford Dictionaries. Extracted from a plant- so that is all right then. I will remind readers that Hemlock, deadly nightshade and many other plants are very toxic, even deadly - although I would doubt these products would ever be used in such a situation, some have historically been extracted for good purposes - and often bad.

Toxicity
The potential toxicity of essential oil is related to its level or grade of purity, and to the toxicity of specific chemical components of the oil.[5] Many essential oils are designed exclusively for their aroma-therapeutic quality; these essential oils generally should not be applied directly to the skin in their undiluted form.[5] Some can cause severe irritation, provoke an allergic reaction and, over time, prove toxic to the liver. If ingested or rubbed into the skin, essential oils can be highly poisonous, causing confusion, choking, loss of muscle coordination, difficulty in breathing, pneumonia, seizures, and possibly severe allergic reactions or coma.[5]

Some essential oils, including many of the citrus peel oils, are photosensitizers, increasing vulnerability of the skin to sunlight.[38]

Industrial users of essential oils should consult the safety data sheets to determine the hazards and handling requirements of particular oils.[5] Even certain therapeutic-grade oils can pose potential threats to individuals with epilepsy or pregnant women.

Essential oil use in children can pose a danger when misused because of their thin skin and immature livers. This might cause them to be more susceptible to toxic effects than adults.[5]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essential_oil


Having presented all of that, we do use them sparingly and in our cases without obvious negative reactions. So by all means use them but with caution.

[Bayleaf]

I've never liked air fresheners and I've never seen/felt/smelt the necessity to have one, particularly a plug-in. I don't like rooms that smell of artificial vanilla or cinnamon. We do have a pup that farts for Britain, really smelly ones (the vet assures us that it will pass ...) but they can be easily defused by lighting a match.
And we have windows that open in every room

Along the same lines as plug-in air fresheners are the plug-in mozzie killers - never fancied one of those either.

That also explains my really itchy eyes ....

I haven't knowingly been in contact with anything I can thin of, but my eyes are giving me hell at the moment, itchy, flaky eyelids, running eyes. It's happened before at this time of year so is probably plant-related. I've tried all the allergic eye drops and found the best thing is a good rinse 4 or 5 times a day with good old Serum Phy. Fortunately no headaches - poor you, Bayleaf, hope they go soon.

I usually know outdoor triggers that can affect me, so take avoiding action as necessary. This was different, and eyedrops/washing/antihistamine did little to bring relief. After three days, all the itching stopped, thank goodness. No other symptoms. My head is still feeling a little delicate, as the migraine on Tuesday night was so severe, with nausea etc, that my poor little brain cell feels bruised!

[Sparkle]

I don't use air fresheners but I do use lavender essential oil which I dip a cotton wool bud into and then wipe it all around the velux windows in our loft. I read earlier in the year that if you want to keep spiders, flies, mossies etc from entering your home try this method. So I did and it works perfectly. I like the velux open overnight and if there's a slight breeze we get a lovely waft of lavender. Whether this is toxic thing to do or not I don't know but I don't like the thought of creepy crawlies or winged things wandering around our bed at night!

[Polly]

Bayleaf, it sounds an awful experience! i hope that all is well now.

Whenever we’ve arrived anywhere in France with such nasty stuff, it’s been immediately dumped outdoors! I don’t recall anywhere in the UK that’s had them, but the same would happen to such nasty stuff - I really hate those chemical smells!

I do use lavender essential oil in our bedroom, both in the UK and France, bought from a lavender farm close to us in the Gard. I also use lime essential oil in our hall and kitchen in our home in the UK, but windows and doors are usually open in the Gard and as much as possible in the UK.