Air fresheners can trigger allergies, asthma

This is no news to me!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45181988/ns/health-allergies_and_asthma/

By Joseph Brownstein
updated 11/6/2011 12:53:38 PM ET

People with asthma or allergies may want to avoid air fresheners and other chemicals used to spread fragrant scents through their homes, and their doctors should be aware of the hazards.

"The chemicals in some of these products can trigger the nasal congestion, sneezing and the runny nose," Dr. Stanley Fineman, an allergist with Emory University and the Atlanta Allergy & Asthma Clinic. "With the asthmatics, there's really good data showing their lung function changes when they're exposed to these compounds."

[...]

A 2009 study by Caress and Anne Steinenmann at the University of Washington found that nearly a third of people with asthma also have chemical hypersensitivity, and more than a third reported irritation from scented products.

"The more you're around, the more likely it is to cause an attack," Caress said. "People with asthma, many of them should try to avoid artificially fragranced products."

Caress said that advice can apply to products that may be labeled "natural" as well. "Some people have natural allergies to things like wood, so they might have trouble with things like that as well."

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