Could your granite countertop be dangerous?

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A study of top-selling laundry products and air fresheners foundthe products emitted dozens of different chemicals. All sixproducts tested gave off at least one chemical regulated as toxicor hazardous under federal laws, but none of those chemicals waslisted on the product labels.
"I first got interested in this topic because people weretelling me that the air fresheners in public restrooms and thescent from laundry products vented outdoors were making themsick," said Anne Steinemann, a University of Washingtonprofessor of civil and environmental engineering and of publicaffairs. "And I wanted to know, 'What's in these products thatis causing these effects?'"
Manufacturers of consumer products are not required to disclose theingredients, so Steinemann analyzed the products to discover theircontents.
"I was surprised by both the number and the potential toxicityof the chemicals that were found," Steinemann said. Chemicalsincluded acetone, the active ingredient in paint thinner andnail-polish remover; limonene, a molecule with a citrus scent; andacetaldehyde, chloromethane and 1,4-dioxane.
Nearly 100 volatile organic compounds were emitted from the sixproducts, and none were listed on any product label, she said.Plus, five of the six products emitted one or more carcinogenic"hazardous air pollutants," which are considered by theEnvironmental Protection Agency to have no safe exposure level,Steinemann said.
The study is detailed online in today's issue of the journalEnvironmental Impact Assessment Review.
Steinemann chose not to disclose the brand names of the sixproducts she tested. But in a larger study of 25 cleaners, personalcare products, air fresheners and laundry products, now submittedfor publication, Steinemann found that many other brands containedsimilar chemicals.
Steinemann studied three common air fresheners (a solid deodorizerdisk, a liquid spray and a plug-in oil) and three laundry products(a dryer sheet, fabric softener and a detergent), selecting a topseller in each category. She bought household items at a grocerystore and asked companies for samples of industrial products.
In the laboratory, each product was placed in an isolated space atroom temperature and the surrounding air was analyzed for volatileorganic compounds, small molecules that evaporate from theproduct's surface into the air.
Results showed 58 different volatile organic compounds above aconcentration of 300 micrograms per cubic meter, many of which werepresent in more than one of the six products. For instance, aplug-in air freshener contained more than 20 different volatileorganic compounds. Of these, seven are regulated as toxic orhazardous under federal laws. The product label lists noingredients.
This study does not address links between exposure to chemicals andhealth effects. However, two national surveys published bySteinemann and a colleague in 2004 and 2005 found that about 20percent of the population reported adverse health effects from airfresheners, and about 10 percent complained of adverse effects fromlaundry products vented to the outdoors. Among asthmatics suchcomplaints were roughly twice as common.
Manufacturers are not required to list the ingredients used inlaundry products and air fresheners.
Personal-care products and cleaners often contain similar fragrancechemicals, Steinemann said. And although cosmetics are required bythe Food and Drug Administration to list ingredients, no lawrequires products of any kind to list chemicals used in fragrances.
"Fragrance chemicals are of particular interest because of thepotential for involuntary exposure, or second-hand scents,"Steinemann said.
"Be careful if you buy products with fragrance, because youreally don't know what's in them," she added. "I'd liketo see better labeling. In the meantime, I'd recommend that insteadof air fresheners people use ventilation, and with laundryproducts, choose fragrance-free versions."
The European Union recently enacted legislation requiring productsto list 26 fragrance chemicals when they are present above acertain concentration in cosmetic products and detergents. Nosimilar laws exist in the United States.
"I hope this study will raise public awareness, and reduceexposures to potentially hazardous chemicals," saidSteinemann.