healthbriefs
Washday Woes: Scented Products Pollute the Air
S
ome scents make no sense for personal or planetary health. Using scented laundry products can release harmful—even carcinogenic—pollutants into the air, report University of Washington researchers. Their findings, published online in the journal Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health, show that air vented from machines using the top-selling, scented, liquid laundry detergent and dryer sheet contains hazardous chemicals. When researchers analyzed captured gases from dryer
vent fumes after participating households ran regular laundry cycles using liquid laundry detergent and a leading brand of scented dryer sheets, they found more than 25 volatile or- ganic compounds, including seven dangerous air pollutants. Of those, two chemicals—acetaldehyde and benzene—are classified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as carcinogens, with no established safe exposure level. Benzene is linked to leukemia and other blood cancers, according to the American Cancer Society, and studies have shown that acetaldehyde can cause nasal and throat cancer in animals.
“This is an interesting source of pollution, because emis-
sions from dryer vents are essentially unregulated,” says lead author Anne Steinemann, Ph.D., professor of civil and envi- ronmental engineering and of public affairs. “If they are coming out of a smoke- stack or tail pipe, they are regu- lated— but if they’re com- ing out of a dryer vent, they are not.”
Breast Cancer Links to Environmental Toxins
N
ew evidence that chemical pollution may be linked to breast cancer comes from a surprising source: a group of male breast cancer patients at Camp Lejeune, a Marine Corps base in North Carolina. Poisons in the camp’s drinking water, including benzene, a carcinogenic gasoline additive, perchloroethylene (PCE) and trichloroethylene (TCE), are regarded as a cause; conditions at the base are also blamed for unusual rates of leukemia and birth defects. The worst period of contamination of the base’s
water supply began in the late 1950s and continued for more than 30 more years.
Because men are simpler to study than women—their
risk of developing breast cancer is not complicated by factors such as menstruation, reproduction, breastfeeding and hor- mone replacement therapy—the epidemiologists may be able to conclusively link industrial chemicals with an increased risk of the disease for both genders.
Source: National Disease Clusters Alliance 10 NA Twin Cities Edition
natwincities.com
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