Barb Wilkie's EHN Website
Last updated 2008

• Addendum to the Twenty Most Common Chemicals Found in Thirty-One Fragrance Products by a 1991 EPA Study
  http://www.immuneweb.org/articles/perfumeadd.html

• Ninety-five percent of chemicals used in fragrances are synthetic compounds derived from petroleum. They include benzene derivatives, aldehydes and many other known toxics and sensitizers -- capable of causing cancer, birth defects, central nervous system disorders and allergic reactions. "Neurotoxins: At Home and the Workplace," Report by the Committee on Science & Technology, U.S. House of Representatives, Sept. 16, 1986. (Report 99-827)
  
  
• Chloroform was found in tests of fabric softeners: EPA's 1991 study.
  
  
• A room containing an air freshener had high levels of p-dichlorobenzene (a carcinogen) and ethanol: EPA's 1991 study.
  
  
• An FDA analysis (1968-1972) of 138 compounds used in cosmetics that most frequently involved adverse reactions, identified five chemicals (alpha-terpineol, benzyl acetate, benzyl alcohol, limonene and linalool) that are among the 20 most commonly used in the 31 fragrance products tested by the EPA in 1991!
  
  
• Thirty-three million Americans suffer from sinusitis (inflammation or infection of sinus passages). Note: Written in 1992. The figure in 1999 was 35 million -- see "Sinusitis Strikes Back" at http://abcnews.go.com/sections/living/MensHealth/menshealth_29.html -- barb
  
  
• Ten million Americans have asthma. Asthma and asthma deaths have increased over 30 percent in the past 10 years. Note: Written in 1992. In August 2002, CDC's FastStats reports: "Approximately 17.6 million adults (18 and over) were told that they had asthma (1997)" October 2002: 24.7 million now have asthma, according to the ALA Calif.http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/asthma.htm-- barb
  
  
• Headaches cost $50 billion in lost productivity and medical expenses and 157 million lost work days in 1991. "Focus on Fragrance and Health," by Louise Kosta, The Human Ecologist, Fall 1992.
  

Additional information from WHO -- barb

1. LIMONENE :

Concise International Chemical Assessment Document, No. 5
1998, iv + 32 pages [E, with summaries in F, S]
ISBN 92 4 153005 7
Sw.fr. 13.-/US $11.70; in developing countries: Sw.fr. 9.10
Order no. 1380005

A concise assessment of the risks to human health posed by exposure to limonene, a chemical released to the atmosphere in large amounts from certain trees and bushes as well as from anthropogenic sources. In industry, limonene is used as a solvent in degreasing metals prior to industrial painting, for cleaning in the electronic and printing industries, and as a solvent in paint. The compound is also used as a flavour and fragrance additive in food, household cleaning products, and perfumes.

The document is part of a new series of brief reports aimed at the characterization of hazards and dose-response for exposures to selected industrial chemicals. With this goal in mind, documents focus on studies and findings considered critical for risk characterization.

In experimental animals exposed to limonene, the liver is the principal target organ; exposure affects the amount and activity of different liver enzymes, liver weight, cholesterol levels, and bile flow. Studies indicate that limonene is not genotoxic and has no teratogenic or embryotoxic potential. No case reports or epidemiological studies were available for the evaluation of health effects in humans.

For the general population, food is identified the principal source of exposure. The report established a guidance value for the ingestion of limonene of 0.1 mg/kg body weight per day. The report further concluded that, at current estimated levels of intake, limonene in food does not represent a significant risk to human health.

2. METHYLENE CHLORIDE:

Methylene Chloride
Second edition

Environmental Health Criteria, No. 164
1996, 242 pages [E, with summaries in F, S]
ISBN 92 4 157164 0
Sw.fr. 46.-/US $41.40; in developing countries: Sw.fr. 32.20
Order no. 1160164

Evaluates the risks to human health and the environment posed by exposure to methylene chloride. Due to its volatility, stability, and properties as a solvent, methylene chloride is widely used in aerosols, paint removers, the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, polyurethane foam manufacturing, and metal cleaning. Virtually all atmospheric release of this chemical result from its use as an end-product by various industries, combined with the use of paint removers and aerosol products at home. The general public is exposed to methylene chloride primarily through the use of consumer products, such as paint removers, which can result in relatively high indoor levels.

The most extensive sections evaluate the toxicity of methylene chloride in experimental animals and humans, giving particular attention to studies indicating carcinogenic potential in some species. Studies indicate that methylene chloride is rapidly absorbed through the lung and gastrointestinal tract, is distributed throughout the body, and rapidly excreted via the lungs. The main toxic effects in exposed humans are reversible central nervous system depression and carboxyhaemaglobin formation. Studies have also reported liver and renal dysfunctions, haematological effects, and neurophysiological and neurobehavioural disturbances. Although several studies have investigated the link between human exposure to methylene chloride and cardiovascular disease and cancer, the report cites several inadequacies in these studies and concludes that no firm link with either cardiovascular disease or cancer can be made.

Concerning risks to the environment, the report concludes that, with the exception of accidental spills, use of methylene chloride has no significant impact on the environment.

EHN has a section on MSDS at
http://ehnca.org/www/ehnlinx/m.htm#MSDS