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.
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