But global warming tho.
Some of the most common consumer products probably release 5,000 tons of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in American homes annually, new research on the dangerous class of chemicals finds.
The research, which analyzed ingredient lists across dozens of product categories, found the most concerning levels in general purpose cleaners, art supplies and laundry detergents, while the individual product that emitted the most VOCs was mothballs.
The sum of the exposures present a health risk for average consumers and especially those working with many of the products in a professional capacity. The findings are “alarming”, said Kristin Knox, a scientist at Silent Spring Institute and study co-author.
“It just highlights that there are a lot of products that people use every day that contain many of these harmful chemicals,” she added.
VOCs are a widely used class of chemicals that can detach from or are emitted from surfaces or products and move through the air. Many pose health risks and are carcinogenic, or bond with other chemicals to form air pollution.
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Overall, the research found more than 100 products with VOCs, and 30 – including a dozen different types of personal care products – that researchers say deserve special scrutiny because the goods frequently contain VOCs and may pose the greatest health risk. VOCs can be inhaled, ingested or absorbed through the skin, and many products contained more than one kind of the compounds.
“It’s not just one product at a time, like your dish detergent, it’s the fact that we use multiple products every day and each of these products could have different [VOCs] in them, so all of this really adds up in our daily lives,” said Robin Dodson, a scientist with Silent Spring Institute and study co-author.
Why is it legal?
No one can even explain it.