California lawmakers and EWG push for bill to ban toxic chemicals in air fresheners

09 May 2024 --- Lawmakers in the California Assembly’s Environmental Safety and Toxics Materials Committee have approved a new bill to ban toxic chemicals from air care products such as fresheners and scented candles. If enacted, Assembly Bill 2201 would take effect in July, 2026.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) says many air fresheners are designed to mask unpleasant odors and are advertised as improving indoor air quality, but may contain “toxic chemicals” that can increase consumers’ risk for health problems like asthma, damage to the nervous system, hormonal or reproductive harm and cancer.

Assemblymember Dawn Addis authored AB 2201, the Air Fresheners Safety Act.

“Consumers likely don’t think about the health risks associated with these very hazardous chemicals they frequently spray throughout their homes,” says Addis.

“This bill will ensure that the industry moves in the right direction to reformulate their products to better protect people, as many companies are already doing. California can and should get the worst chemicals out of air fresheners while still allowing for a viable market.”

Protecting health
The bill aims to protect the health of consumers and workers exposed to the chemicals when they are used in homes, schools, hospitals, workplaces and hotels.

The bill would not ban air fresheners and other products but would prohibit the use of health-harming chemicals in their formulations.

If AB2201 is approved, it will take effect in 2026.The EWG is sponsoring the bill and its experts testified on the bill’s behalf during the committee hearing. Following its environment committee approval, the bill was referred to the Assembly’s Appropriations Committee.

Banning substances
The bill would ensure that 33 substances on the California Department of Toxic Substances Control’s (DTSC) Candidate Chemical List are no longer in air fresheners and other products sold in the state. These chemicals include xylene and ethylene glycol.

“The chemicals identified in AB 2201 pose unnecessary, serious health risks — especially for children,” says Alexis Temkin, an EWG senior toxicologist, during her committee testimony in support of the bill.

“For instance, lilial is classified by the EU as a reproductive toxicant, based on animal studies that show that it harms the male reproductive system,” Temkin adds.

According to the EWG, methyl eugenol, found on California’s Proposition 65 list of chemicals known to cause cancer or other health harms, was reclassified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer last year as an even stronger cancer hazard based on new evidence that it can damage DNA in humans.

“These are hazardous chemicals that don’t need to be in air care products,” says Temkin.

Closing loopholes
In 2017, California enacted the Cleaning Product Right To Know Act, requiring manufacturers of cleaning and air care products to disclose toxic chemical ingredients on their websites and labels.

However, the EWG reports loopholes in the way ingredients are listed, which allows for chemicals of concern to slip through the cracks. The organization believes that AB 2201 would help get harmful substances out of air fresheners and similar products sold in California.Chemicals that harm human health can be found it scented candles.

“People deserve to know what ingredients are in the air fresheners they use in their homes. They also deserve to know that they’re formulated without chemicals that could harm their health, such as hazardous formaldehyde-releasing and paraben preservatives or endocrine-disrupting phthalate additives,” says Samara Geller, EWG’s senior director of cleaning science.

“It’s clear that consumers overwhelmingly support healthier options. If this bill becomes law, California will once again take a proactive step to prioritize public health, setting a standard that will benefit all Americans.”

The non-profit organization calls attention to manufacturers who “avoid disclosing the truth” about toxic chemicals they list as fragrances.

“Even products marketed as ‘green’ and ‘natural’ can contain harmful chemicals and misleading ingredient labels, making the need for AB 2201 even more urgent,” writes the EWG.

The DTSC’s Safer Consumer Products program recognizes air fresheners as “part of a product category needing further investigation” to identify safer alternatives. However, it isn’t clear when the department will begin its analysis and potential regulation.

By Sabine Waldeck

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