Is Your Perfume Toxic? Avoid These Common Chemicals

You may not realize that perfumes and colognes contain many chemicals, some of which may affect your health. Those who have chemical sensitivities and/or allergies often find that perfume will bring on symptoms - which can range from mild allergic symptoms such as congestion or sneezing, to more serious symptoms such as wheezing, rash, or difficulty breathing. Following is a list of some of the common chemicals found in perfumes and the health concerns linked to them.

Shelves of perfumes. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

* Benzaldehyde is used in many cleaning products and cosmetics such as deodorant, lotion, shaving cream, and shampoo.  It is said to depress the central nervous system and cause irritation in the respiratory and digestive tracts. Some studies suggest it may even cause kidney damage.

* Acetone, the chemical found in nail polish remover, is also in many perfumes. The US Environmental Agency (EPA) lists acetone as a hazardous waste(!). Breathing acetone can have a profound effect on the nervous system, causing dizziness, sleepiness, slurred speech, and possibly even coma in extreme cases.

* Benzyl alcohol is found in perfume, air freshener, deodorant, and fabric softener (to name a few). It can affect the respiratory tract and the central nervous system, causing headache, nausea, and respiratory irritation and even failure.

* Methylene chloride is a perfume ingredient that was banned by the FDA in the late 80s, but some claim the law is impossible to enforce. The problem with this chemical is that it is stored in body fat (many chemicals are fat soluble) where it is metabolized by the body into carbon monoxide. This can lead to symptoms of oxygen deprivation, such as headache, fatigue, and tingling in the extremities.

* Limonene is found in a lot of cleaning products as well as perfumes. It is considered carcinogenic, and is a skin and eye irritant. Inhaling the vapor of limonene is considered dangerous.

* Ethanol is also found in perfumes, as well as a host of other products. In fact, ethanol is in so many products that it's hard to believe it's on the EPA's hazardous waste list - from colognes to makeup, facial cleansers, toilet bowl and shower cleaners, and more. Whether ingested or inhaled, ethanol can cause blurred vision, drowsiness, and disorders of the central nervous system.

These are only a few of the toxic chemicals found in perfumes. If you are concerned about the possible health effects of perfume but still want to apply some sort of scent, consider making your own scented spritzer or oil, or buy a commercially-prepared, non-toxic scent - several companies now make non-toxic perfumes. (For help finding non-toxic beauty products, visit www.thenaturalproductdirectory.com.)

To make your own scent, mix a few drops of the essential oil of your choice with an ounce of rubbing alcohol and 2 ounces of water. Put in a small spray bottle and use as a spray-on scent. You can also blend essential oils into a neutral carrier oil such as sesame oil that can be rubbed on the skin.

Natural Perfumes & Information On Making Your Own:
   

The Environmental (and Toxic) Impact of Dry Cleaning

Dry cleaning has been a long standing way of keeping your fine clothes in good shape. And it’s simple. You take your clothes to the cleaner, drop them off and a few days later they’re returned nice and clean. It’s convenient to be sure. However, dry cleaning also has a profound impact on the environment.

Image by mag3737 via Flickr#1 Dry Cleaning Extras Fill Landfills
Each piece of dry cleaning you pick up is hung on a nice hanger. Generally, those hangers end up in the garbage. Some dry cleaners give you a credit if you take them back and reuse them. However, most people forget to return them or just throw them away.

Additionally, all dry cleaning items come covered with plastic. This plastic gets tossed in the garbage and ends up in landfills. The end result is that there are a lot of hangers and plastic bags sitting around your local landfill.

#2 Toxins
The primary chemical used to for dry cleaning is Perchloroethylene. This toxic chemical is also known as tetrachloroethylene, perc, PCE, C2Cl4, Cl2C=CCl2, or tetrachloroethene. It’s used in more than 90% of the dry cleaners throughout the United States.

Perc is a petroleum byproduct and it is toxic to the environment. It’s colorless and clear so it’s not apparent when it ends up in our soil or water ways. Additionally, dry cleaners use chlorinated solvents, acetic acid, hydrogen peroxide, ammonia and petroleum naptha to clean stains and for other dry cleaning processes. These chemicals are also toxins. The environment is contaminated to these toxins via air born exposure. It also ends up in our soil and waterways - and guess what - eventually, back in your body!

#3 Human Complications
PERC is a known animal carcinogen. International Association for Research on Cancer has deemed it a likely human carcinogen as well. Among women who work in dry cleaning, Perc has been studied and has been shown to cause:
* menstrual irregularities,
* fertility problems,
* spontaneous abortions

Image via WikipediaPerc found in drinking water has been shown to cause liver and kidney damage. Additionally, the other dry cleaning chemicals has been shown to cause:
* Central nervous system damage
* Liver and kidney damage
* Skin irritation
* Respiratory problems
* Confusion,
* Dizziness
* Headache
* Loss of memory
* Eye, nose and throat irritation

Alternatives to Perc
While dry cleaning chemicals are quite toxic to both people and the environment, they’re not your only option. Many dry cleaners are now using more environmentally friendly methods. They include: wet cleaning and CO2 solvents.

You can also choose to not dry clean your clothing. Most “dry clean only” clothes can also be hand washed or steam cleaned. If you do dry clean your clothing make sure your cleaner uses an alternative to Perc. It’s better for your health AND the environment.