Non-combustible air fresheners : exposure and health risk assessment

Abstract : As part of the French National Plan on Indoor Air Quality, an exposure and health risk assessment was performed for several types of widely used non-combustible air fresheners, including sprays, gels, oils and liquids. The assessment was based on the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emissions of 25 air fresheners, characterized in a 1 m3 test chamber, combined with a national online survey about household uses. Results obtained showed that chronic limonene exposures could exceed the French health based Lowest Concentration of Interest, for a reasonable-worst-case type scenario, mainly for active diffusers. Substances of concern also included, to a lesser extent, linalool and eucalyptol. No exceedance was identified for short term exposures (1 hour). These results suggest that good practice – use reasonably, ventilate the room after use, avoid direct inhalation, etc. – and reducing the emissions of high-emissivity products could be necessary to insure a safe use.