Everyone wants to come to a home, which smells fresh and clean thus the reason why people love using scented candles, air fresheners and room sprays. Unfortunately, a new study about the toxic levels of air pollution these products leave behind suggest that using them can be extremely hazardous to our health.
In the recent episode of the BBC series, "Trust Me, I'm a Doctor," environmental and chemistry experts conducted an experiment and measured the chemical levels in six homes in the U.K. According to the study, limonene-the ingredient which provides citrus air fresheners, candles, cleaning products and other fragrance products their scent, becomes unsafe when it combines with the ozone in the air.
In addition, they found out that every two molecules of limonene generated one molecule of formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is widely known for being cancer-causing and has also been associated with respiratory conditions and skin irritation.
The experts continued to experiment and provided the homes with houseplants-Golden Pothos, English Ivy, Dragon Tree and Spider Plant since some studies suggest that plants can absorb chemicals as mentioned by the Huffington Post. The plants were left in the house for four weeks before taking new air samples.
The results showed that though the limonene levels rose possibly due to the fact that the homeowners were burning scented candles with the windows and doors shut, the amount of formaldehyde present in the air decreased. And while the study might make you want to toss out your scented candles and cleaning products right away, lead researcher, Alastair Lewis, a professor of atmospheric chemistry at the University of York, says that there is actually no need to.
As he explained, "Fragrances have been used for thousands of years and we're certainly not suggesting that they should be avoided," however, due to modern offices and houses having limited air exchange, he simply suggests that people moderately use these kinds of products to restrain the buildup of harmful chemicals, like formaldehyde.
