Too many smelly candles? Here's how odors affect the air quality in your home
There's nothing wrong with wanting your home to smell nice and fresh - and from candles to diffusers, there's no shortage of home fragrance products to help you achieve this .
But having endemic scents in our indoor air can have a huge impact on air quality, leading to a host of potential problems.
Quality indoor air is an ongoing concernPeople in high- and middle-income countries spend 85-90% of their time indoors. The average person inhales up to 20,000 liters of air per day, and exposure to air pollutants in stagnant air indoors can pose risks to our health and well-being, causing symptoms such as eye irritation, respiratory problems and even headaches.
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), levels indoor air pollutants are generally more than three times higher than outdoors. The sources of indoor pollution can be many: cooking, heating, scented cleaning products, as well as the products we use to deodorize our living or working spaces: candles, diffusers, room sprays, gels, pearls and others products.
< p class="dcr-1b64dqh">The sole purpose of home fragrances is to make the air pleasant. This means that we intentionally release a mixture of chemicals into an indoor environment and potentially reduce indoor air quality. Go VOC Friendly
Air fresheners emit over 100 different chemicals, including volatile organic compounds ( VOC). They are airborne chemicals that include broad classes of organic compounds: terpenes such as limonene (the smell of lemons), alpha-pinene (the smell of pine trees), and beta-pinene; solvents such as ethanol, formaldehyde, benzene, toluene and xylene; and many other compounds.
These VOCs react with ozone and other indoor oxidants to generate a range of oxidation products, which are potentially toxic molecules. The level of exposure and concentration determines potential toxicity.
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There's nothing wrong with wanting your home to smell nice and fresh - and from candles to diffusers, there's no shortage of home fragrance products to help you achieve this .
But having endemic scents in our indoor air can have a huge impact on air quality, leading to a host of potential problems.
Quality indoor air is an ongoing concernPeople in high- and middle-income countries spend 85-90% of their time indoors. The average person inhales up to 20,000 liters of air per day, and exposure to air pollutants in stagnant air indoors can pose risks to our health and well-being, causing symptoms such as eye irritation, respiratory problems and even headaches.
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), levels indoor air pollutants are generally more than three times higher than outdoors. The sources of indoor pollution can be many: cooking, heating, scented cleaning products, as well as the products we use to deodorize our living or working spaces: candles, diffusers, room sprays, gels, pearls and others products.
< p class="dcr-1b64dqh">The sole purpose of home fragrances is to make the air pleasant. This means that we intentionally release a mixture of chemicals into an indoor environment and potentially reduce indoor air quality. Go VOC FriendlyAir fresheners emit over 100 different chemicals, including volatile organic compounds ( VOC). They are airborne chemicals that include broad classes of organic compounds: terpenes such as limonene (the smell of lemons), alpha-pinene (the smell of pine trees), and beta-pinene; solvents such as ethanol, formaldehyde, benzene, toluene and xylene; and many other compounds.
These VOCs react with ozone and other indoor oxidants to generate a range of oxidation products, which are potentially toxic molecules. The level of exposure and concentration determines potential toxicity.
Sign up for our list of must-read, pop culture, and weekend tips, every Saturday morning
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