Gretchen Schaefer
202.833.7311
CSPA Clears the Air about Consumer Products and Asthma
Washington , DC ( August 30, 2004 ) -- When it comes to controlling indoor air pollution, household products are part of the solution not the problem according to the Consumer Specialty Products Association (CSPA). CSPA made the statement in response to media coverage of an Australian study that reportedly links exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the home (erroneously attributed to household products) to an increased risk of asthma in children.
“Publicity about this study suggesting that household products are part of the problem is just wrong,” said CSPA President Chris Cathcart. “There are numerous studies that document the benefits of household consumer specialty products in reducing exposures to various allergens in the home as well as reducing the risk of asthma. There is no evidence that they create problems when used properly. For example”, he added, “the study accurately notes that the most common allergy for both asthmatics and non-asthmatics was to house dust mites, and consumer specialty products play an important role in controlling dust mites.”
According to a National Academy of Science Institute of Medicine study, the overwhelming causes of both the development and exacerbation of asthma are biological contaminants. No chemical found in any consumer specialty product is known to be associated with the development or exacerbation of asthma.
The study names benzene, ethylbenzene and toluene as high-risk compounds, but these are not used in air fresheners, furniture polish or household cleaners as alleged in various media. In fact, seven of the ten compounds examined in the study were not associated with increases in asthma.
“VOCs represent a very broad category of many thousands of chemical compounds, and some can have toxic effects at high levels of exposure,” according to Cathcart. “However, VOCs used in household consumer products as solvents and as active cleaning agents are carefully chosen to be of low toxicity and are designed to minimize consumer exposure,” he added.
Additional information about the benefits of consumer products, asthma and children's health can be found at http://www.cspa.org/public/media_product_info.html .
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The Consumer Specialty Products Association is a non-profit national trade association representing approximately 237 companies engaged in the manufacture, formulation, distribution and sale of hundreds of familiar consumer products. It is organized into seven divisions: Aerosol Products, Air Care, Antimicrobial Products, Cleaning Products, Pest Management Products, Industrial & Automotive Specialty Chemicals, and Polishes & Floor Maintenance Products.
