Are household air fresheners safe to use in a nursery given the risk of endocrine disruption?
No. Household air fresheners often contain semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) that are linked to endocrine disruption and developmental risks in children.
What's actually in it
Household air fresheners are a major source of chemicals that slowly off-gas into your air in indoor air. These chemicals do not just stay in the air: they coat surfaces and enter the lungs of everyone in the room.
Many of these products contain hormone-disrupting chemicals (EDCs). These are substances that mimic or block your body's natural hormones. When used in a nursery, these chemicals can lead to long-term health issues for infants and children.
What the research says
A 2026 study in J Hazard Mater identified these these chemicals as a priority for risk screening in residential environments due to their presence in indoor air.
The risks are not just theoretical. A 2026 study in Environ Int found that exposure to 15 different hormone-disrupting chemicals before and after birth is linked to visual impairment in children by age 3.
Other peer-reviewed research highlights how these chemicals damage health. A 2026 study in Environ Pollut confirms that these multicategory hormone-disrupting chemicals cause hormonal shifts that increase the risk of serious health conditions. Furthermore, a 2026 study in Environ Toxicol Pharmacol specifically linked Bisphenol S, a common chemical in these environments, to metabolic and neurobehavioural disruptions.
The research at a glance
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