It's Not Easy Breathing Green

THURSDAY, March 8, 2012 — A new study brings discouraging news for even the most label-conscious consumers. Many everyday household products, from shampoos to laundry detergents, contain hormone disruptors and chemicals associated with asthma. Some of which aren’t even listed on the labels.

The study, funded by the Silent Spring Institute and published in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives, looked at conventional household products in addition to ones marketed as safer “alternatives.”

Compounds associated with asthma for which the researchers tested included phthalates, fragrances, glycol ethers, and ethanolamines. But as this study revealed, you might not always find these compounds listed on the labels.

Researchers found potentially harmful chemicals in all 42 conventional product samples and in 32 of the 43 alternative product samples. They recorded the highest concentrations in vinyl products like pillow protectors and shower curtains, fragranced products like air fresheners and dryer sheets, and sunscreen.

The substantial amounts of the phthalate DHP found in pillow protectors is especially worrisome for people with asthma, says study author Robin E. Dodson, ScD, a research scientist at Silent Spring Institute.

“Asthmatics may try to use pillow protectors, including vinyl pillow protectors, to try to reduce their exposure to dust mites,” she says in a video released by Silent Spring Institute about the study.

“Unfortunately these phthalates, or DHP, has also been linked to respiratory symptoms.”

This isn’t the first time household products have been linked to respiratory problems. Recent research found that air fresheners, scented candles, and laundry protects can worsen asthma symptoms and even trigger asthma attacks.

Earlier research from Silent Spring Institute and the Centers for Disease Control have found many of this study’s “target chemicals” in people’s homes and bodies, according to Silent Spring Institute’s release about the study.

It looks like they may have figured out how those chemicals got there.

“This study adds to the evidence that safety testing for consumer product chemicals is inadequate and needs to be modernized, and that consumers need better information about exactly what is in the products they use every day,” says study author Julia Brody, PhD, executive director of Silent Spring Institute.

Don’t give up on product labels just yet. Keep on reading. And until they get as thorough as these experts recommend, do what you can to limit your exposure to products that seem to trigger your asthma symptoms.
First of order of business: Swap your vinyl pillow protector for a cotton one and see what happens.