Our obsession with bringing nature’s fresh smell inside could be making the air inside our homes more polluted than outside.
Assistant Professor Nusrat Jung, from Purdue University in the United States, said bringing scent or aromas indoors with the help of chemical products, such as air fresheners, wax melts, floor cleaners and deodorants, rapidly filled the air with nanoscale particles small enough to get deep into your lungs.
Assistant Professor Jung said their research showed these nanoparticles formed when fragrances interacted with ozone, which entered buildings through ventilation systems, triggering chemical transformations that created new airborne pollutants.
“A forest is a pristine environment, but if you’re using cleaning and aromatherapy products full of chemically manufactured scents to recreate a forest in your home, you’re actually creating a tremendous amount of indoor air pollution that you shouldn’t be breathing in,” she said.
Assistant Professor Jung said the team used the latest industry-developed air quality instruments to track how household products emitted chemicals that evaporated easily, called volatile chemicals, and generated the tiniest airborne nanoparticles.
She said their “tiny house” lab had all the features of a typical home, but was equipped with sensors for closely monitoring the impact of everyday activities on a home’s air quality.
Read the full study: Rapid Nucleation and Growth of Indoor Atmospheric Nanocluster Aerosol during the Use of Scented Volatile Chemical Products in Residential Buildings.
