Fragranced consumer products: Chemicals emitted, ingredients unlisted

Abstract

Fragranced consumer products are pervasive in society. Relatively little is known about the composition of these products, due to lack of prior study, complexity of formulations, and limitations and protections on ingredient disclosure in the U.S. We investigated volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from 25 common fragranced consumer products—laundry products, personal care products, cleaning supplies, and air fresheners—using headspace analysis with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Our analysis found 133 different VOCs emitted from the 25 products, with an average of 17 VOCs per product. Of these 133 VOCs, 24 are classified as toxic or hazardous under U.S. federal laws, and each product emitted at least one of these compounds. For “green” products, emissions of these compounds were not significantly different from the other products. Of all VOCs identified across the products, only 1 was listed on any product label, and only 2 were listed on any material safety data sheet (MSDS). While virtually none of the chemicals identified were listed, this nonetheless accords with U.S. regulations, which do not require disclosure of all ingredients in a consumer product, or of any ingredients in a mixture called “fragrance.” Because the analysis focused on compounds emitted and listed, rather than exposures and effects, it makes no claims regarding possible risks from product use. Results of this study contribute to understanding emissions from common products, and their links with labeling and legislation.

Introduction

In the U.S. and other countries, exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) occurs mainly indoors from the use of common products (Wallace, 2001, Edwards et al., 2006). Fragranced products can emit a variety of VOCs (e.g., Wallace et al., 1991, Cooper et al., 1992, Cooper et al., 1995, Nazaroff & Weschler, 2004), and some of them, such as limonene, can dominate VOCs found in homes (Wallace, 1987, Edwards et al., 2001a, Edwards et al., 2001b, Gokhale et al., 2008). Exposure to fragranced products has been associated with health effects such as asthmatic exacerbations, headaches, mucosal symptoms, and contact allergy (e.g., Millqvist & Löwhagen, 1996, Kumar et al., 1995, Kelman, 2004, Elberling et al., 2005, Caress & Steinemann, 2004, Caress & Steinemann, 2005, Johansen, 2003, Rastogi et al., 2007). On the other hand, many studies have evaluated the safety of fragrance ingredients (e.g., Bickers et al., 2003, Ford et al., 2000, Cadby et al., 2002, Smith, 2003, Smith, 2004, Smith et al., 2004), and additional studies have found no evidence that fragranced product exposure is associated with indoor air health risks or asthma ((IEH) Institute for Environment and Health, 1996, Opiekun et al., 2003, (IOM) Institute of Medicine, 2000). Yet fragrance-free policies have been implemented that restrict the use of scented products in workplaces and other environments (e.g., (CDCP) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health and HumanServices, 2009, (USAB) United States Access Board, 2000, (CCOHS) Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, 2010). Given these phenomena, the question emerges: What is emitted from these products? A challenge in answering this question is that emissions from widely used products have not been well characterized and reported. Another challenge is that ingredient disclosure requirements and practices vary, and products may list numerous ingredients, some ingredients, only general terms, or no ingredients. Consequently, information on product labels and material safety data sheets (MSDSs) is generally insufficient to understand product constituents, and their potential relationships with exposures, effects, and policies. This article investigates and provides results on fragranced consumer product emissions, and compares these findings to ingredients listed and legislation, which can contribute to our understanding and consideration of these issues.

“Fragranced consumer products,” as termed in this article, refers to products with a fragrance or scent, such as air fresheners, deodorizers, laundry detergents, fabric softeners, dishwashing detergents, hand sanitizers, personal care products, baby shampoo, and cleaning supplies. These products are widely used by individuals, industries, and institutions. For instance, an estimated 37% of the households in America use a best-selling laundry detergent (MarketResearch, 2007); one analyzed in our study. Product formulations are typically complex. In addition to the “product base” mixture, a single “fragrance” in a product may contain up to several hundred substances (Bickers et al., 2003) among more than 2600 substances, both natural and synthetic, documented as fragrance ingredients (Ford et al., 2000, Bickers et al., 2003). Formulations are also confidential, and no U.S. regulation requires the disclosure of any ingredient in a fragrance mixture, or of all ingredients in consumer products (Steinemann, 2009).

Despite the ubiquity of fragranced consumer products, relatively few prior studies have investigated the array of VOCs they emit. Wallace et al., 1991, Cooper et al., 1992 analyzed 31 fragranced consumer products, such as perfumes, fabric softeners, and air fresheners. Rastogi et al. (2001) tested 59 domestic and occupational products, such as soaps, cleaning supplies, and laundry products, for 19 target fragrance compounds associated with hand eczema. Jo et al. (2008) investigated VOC emissions of 26 gel-type air fresheners from the Korean market. Some studies (e.g., Destaillats et al., 2006, Sarwar et al., 2004, Singer et al., 2006), which analyzed secondary emissions,¹ also examined specific VOCs (such as terpenes) emitted from a select set of fragranced products (such as air fresheners).

The research reported in this article is, to the best of our knowledge, the first study since the early 1990s to elucidate the range of VOCs emitted from a variety of widely used fragranced consumer products in the U.S. It builds upon and extends the recent work of Steinemann (2009), and previously noted studies, by testing a larger assortment and number of fragranced consumer products, calculating headspace concentrations, and comparing more extensively the identified VOCs with product labels, MSDSs, and regulations. While studies over the past decades have investigated VOCs emitted from consumer products in general (e.g., Knöppel & Schauenburg, 1989, Kwon et al., 2008, Sack et al., 1992), this work is one of the few to investigate fragranced consumer products in particular.

In this study, we (1) identify the range of VOCs emitted from 25 fragranced consumer products, (2) estimate their headspace concentrations, and (3) determine whether and how identified VOCs are listed on product labels and MSDSs. An overall goal of the study is to provide recent data on chemicals emitted by common consumer products, and to compare these emissions with ingredients listed, which can contribute to broader discussion.