Breathing Easy With An Electric Fragrance Device

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I love scented candles but sometimes burning them bothers my breathing. Is there an option to candles where I can still enjoy my favorite scents?

Breathing Easy With An Electric Fragrance Device

Traditionally, people turn to candles in order to enjoy a delicious scent in their homes, but what about those that can't burn candles? An electric fragrance device might be the answer for those who, due to breathing problems such as asthma, might not be able to enjoy a scented candle. For those with asthma, anything that puts even small amounts of impurities in the air might trigger an attack. Since some candles do put small amounts of soot and other elements into the air, a cleaner, electric fragrance device could be an excellent alternative to scenting a home without worrying about causing those with asthma to suffer. Strong scents can sometimes irritate the respiratory tract of those who have severe allergies. Since some electric fragrance devices allow you to control how much scent is released a setting on low may allow for a light fragrance in the air without overpowering those who have scent related allergies.

   

Comments

3/23/2007 7:22:44 PM
Kathy said:

Why scents may not make cents...

For many home sellers and real estate agents who believe the TV commercials that claim chemical sprays “sanitize” the air, plug-ins “freshen” the air and Fragrance emitting devices actually clean the air, well…this may not be music to your ears.

The savvy, health conscious home buyer has added chemical fragrances to their list of what they don’t want to smell when they are looking to buy a home. These chemical fragrances are now listed right next to mold, cigarette smoke odor and animal urine by many home buyers.

Home buyers today are more educated than ever. Even inexperienced first time home buyers understand that chemical fragrances do not clean the air, they contaminate it with toxic chemicals and more often than not these chemical fragrances make people very sick.

Home buyers have kids with asthma and allergies. They, themselves, might suffer from migraines, respiratory illness, cancer or fragrance sensitivity. Home buyers know that clean should not have a smell, not of disinfectant or chemical emitted fragrances .

So, while the location, square footage and price of your home might be perfect for your would be buyer, the smell of your home just might be the deciding factor on why an offer was not written up.

What does your house smell like?

Once plug in style fragrance emitting devices are used in a home, the oil / fragrance permeates the wallboard as well as flooring. Similar goes for the fragranced dryer sheets in the laundry room. These chemical odors then circulate in the air vent heating and cooling system and will never come out, no matter what you do.

With the growing population of people suffering with fragrance sensitivity, Asthma, respiratory conditions, various cancers and allergies, house hunting can often prove to be quite a challenge.

If you are seriously in the market to sell your home, increase your odds of getting top dollar and more offers by discontinuing the use of fragranced products. Open your windows and let the fresh air in. Clean with non-fragranced products. Your house will then be marketable to all potential buyers... even those with health issues.

After all, you do want your home to take a buyers breath away... but not literally


3/23/2007 9:58:25 PM
Julie said:

'Breathing easy' and 'fragrance' don't really belong in the same sentence. Fragrances contain harmful chemicals and pose a danger to everyone, not just those with asthma. Just because you feel fine around them doesn't mean they are not affecting you at levels that will build up over time. Even some essential oils - 100% natural - can be toxic. Please do your research before deciding to use synthetic fragranced products. They definitely should be kept away from children and anyone with a compromised immune system. If you want a nice smell in the air, put a cinnamon stick in some water and simmer it on the stove or cook with fresh herbs. But even these things can be harmful to someone with a respiratory illness, so it's always best to ask first if you don't live alone.


3/23/2007 10:04:57 PM
Lady English said:

A very light scent can cause problems to many people who have what you call " scent related allergies". Its not always how strong the scent is it is the chemicals in the scent that cause problems.Life is much healther without any chemicals. I personally have to wear a mask due to chemicals scents. Like so many others I know.


3/23/2007 10:06:23 PM
Joyce Jallo said:

All fragrances are like POISON to 30 million Americans world wide. Not a good gift!!!!!!!!!!


3/23/2007 10:09:16 PM
Enginuity said:

I have suffered from chemical sensitivities for over 10 years. Scented candles block my breathing, nauseate me, induce migraines, and stun my brain so that I seem to be intoxicated.

While I am not crazy about soot, what I react to in the candles are the chemicals including the chemicals in fragrances. Scented candles affect me whether they are still in their packages or burning. These candles and plug-in scents are a scourge on people like me with asthma, allergies, and chemical sensitivities. For anybody to be suggesting that electric candles are helpful to people like me is sheer idiocy. Please don't publish such stupid suggestions.


3/23/2007 10:25:26 PM
Caryn Martinez said:

I hate to burst your bubble, but fragrance molecules, and the substances that carry them, that are propelled by an electric fan are just as likely to trigger an asthma attack as fragrance molecules and carriers released by a burning candle. Remember that asthma is not triggered by a particular odor, but rather by particular substances. The same holds true for migraine disorder and seizure disorders. Electric air scenters are just as harmful to people with asthma, migraine disorder and seizure disorders as scented candles.


3/24/2007 4:17:04 AM
Angel De Fazio, B.S.A.T. said:

There is no such thing as a "light fragrance" for those with scent related allergies. Asthmatics are not the only segment of the population who have problems with fragrances. Disabilities such as toxic encephalopahty, MCS, chemical injury to cite a few are even more restrictive when it comes to "so called light fragrances".

Your reference regarding those with asthma "small amounts...might trigger an attack". There are a preponderence of respiratory irritants in fragrances that will definately elicit an asthma attack at any level. With the alarming increase regarding childhood asthma, these devices will not only exacerbate their condition, but, create an accessibility issue into places that beleive your misinformation regarding "lower levels".

If you are going to "recommend" alternatives, please fully research your facts as to what levels are really safe for those illnesses/diseases/disabilities that you are trying to mitigate.


3/24/2007 6:20:54 AM
Renate said:

These devices are a waste of electricity. They are not 'clean' and they will definitely give some people asthma attacks. Artificial fragrances contain pthalates. From moscowfood.coop: Pthalates are known endocrine disruptors, and lab animals exposed to pthalates have exhibited a variety of birth defects and lifelong reproductive impairments. One recent study found and increased incidence of abnormal genital development in boys whose mothers were exposed to pthalates. While you may see pthalates listed as ingredients on a cosmetic label, it is much more likely that a manufacturer will conceal their presence under the generic term “fragrance.” In fact, most synthetic fragrances contain pthalates.

Routinely poisoning household air makes it more and more difficult for me to go anywhere, and people living in these poisoned homes are likely to develope multiple chemical sensitivity from the continued exposure and end up ill too.


3/24/2007 6:26:54 AM
Steve Bard said:

How does filling one's space with toxic volatile organic compounds (VOCs)--even at minute doses--improve one's breathing? This is utter non-sense. Toxins are toxins, whether delivered by candle or electricity. This is a disgusting product, just as dangerous to one's health as VOC-laden toxic "fragranced" candles. Yuck!


3/24/2007 6:33:43 AM
Suzy said:

With all due respect, this is a terrible tip for those with both asthma and scent sensitivities. Putting synthetic fragrances into the air around a sufferer of either ailment is guaranteed to cause an adverse reaction, regardless of whether the device producing the fragrance is "on low" or running full blast.
Most (if not all) synthetic fragrances are composed of a variety of petrochemicals, which are unhealthy for anyone, but especially so for asthmatics and those with environmental illnesses or allergies. This is the main problem with scented candles, and the problem is not solved by replacing the wax with an electronic device.
To be honest, the number of people who "enjoy" those scented candles is diminishing (thankfully), replaced by those who must deal with their negative health effects (unfortunately). There is no need to fill the void.
Fresh, clean air is the best smell of all.


3/24/2007 6:57:12 AM
Kathi Petersen said:

You do realize that the chemicals from scented candles and electric fragrance devices are deadly to people with asthma, not to mention people without asthma ...


3/24/2007 7:30:37 AM
Eli said:

This is ridiculous.

Fragrance of ANY kind in any amount is a known asthma trigger as well as aggravating many other health conditions such as migraines, MCS/EI, emphysema, many kinds of dermatitis etc etc.

Sadly some folks will fall for this device as a 'good idea' and end up sick.


3/24/2007 7:48:10 AM
Suzy said:

With all due respect, this is a terrible tip for those with both asthma and scent sensitivities. Putting synthetic fragrances into the air around a sufferer of either ailment is guaranteed to cause an adverse reaction, regardless of whether the device producing the fragrance is "on low" or running full blast.
Most (if not all) synthetic fragrances are composed of a variety of petrochemicals, which are unhealthy for anyone, but especially so for asthmatics and those with environmental illnesses or allergies. This is the main problem with scented candles, and the problem is not solved by replacing the wax with an electronic device.
To be honest, the number of people who "enjoy" those scented candles is diminishing (thankfully), replaced by those who must deal with their negative health effects (unfortunately). There is no need to fill the void.
Fresh, clean air is the best smell of all.


3/24/2007 9:42:23 AM
Betty K said:

Soot isn't the only thing you have to worry about from candles. Electric scents are no less toxic than scented candles. Fragrances (scents) are made from more than 3,000 chemical fragrances and combinations --80 to 90 percent are synthesized. When you heat fragrance chemicals, whether you burn them in a candle or votive or plug them into an electric outlet, they are still toxic. In studies, 72% of people with asthma have asthma attacks triggered by fragrances. And that is only the people with asthma! A significant number of people have negative health effects from fragrance -- not just those with asthma. Manufacturers don't have to tell you what is in the scent of their plug-in, perfume, etc., but I will. Here is just a small sampling: There turpentine oil, C2-C5 petrochemicals, benzene, phenol, toluene, xylenes, cresols, naphthalene, and cyclopentene. The real question is do you really want to trade your health to be able to breathe in these chemicals?


3/24/2007 2:04:26 PM
Nadine, RN said:

I have asthma & have been injured/poisoned by chemicals which is what fragrances are made of. This is really misleading folks into thinking this is safe for us. It's not just the soot, it's the CHEMICALS! Not just the fragrance, but the CHEMICALS that make up the scent. Wake up & read the medical info about anything scented & respiratory irritation, aka asthma, reactive airway, emphysema.


3/24/2007 5:47:04 PM
sharon said:

Yes it's true. Some people become deathly ill from just a tiny whiff of fragrance. I would suggest that if you really want to do anything for anyone, that you get rid of the toxic chemicals that fragrances are made of.


3/25/2007 7:11:58 AM
Three said:

Electronic fragrances utilize chemicals that can be very irritating as well. If a person can't tolerate candles they will want to double check the option of using electronic fragrence to "freshen Up' a room or home. I find that when my house is clean.. it smells clean. I use all natural sources to scent my home, by making my own using fresh, dried, and boiled herbs and spices that were grown organically to reduce pesticides from being released into my home. I am highly sensitive to man made fragrences and I would not like to see someone with sensitivities like mine to find out the hard way that their home has been contaminated with a product that increases health problems. Just my 2 cents.


3/25/2007 9:18:26 AM
Bil Thurston said:

Women who plan to have children (and probably men too) should not use such toxic products. No child should be exposed to these chemicals because of the increased risk of developing ADHD, MCS, asthma, allergies, cancer and such later in life. Want a fresh scent? Try washing.


3/25/2007 3:29:30 PM
Donna Marie said:

I have to tell you that this suggestion is in VERY poor taste. Why? Because air fresheners and anything product like them is VERY harmful to people with asthma and other lung disorders. It is also harmful to people seemingly healthy. I suggest you do research on the toxic effects of air fresheners before you hand out health-harming advise such as this. My suggestion would be to completely remove this tip from your site before some person unknowingly harms themselves because of this advice.


3/26/2007 11:48:17 AM
Carol Blake said:

Please remove your suggestions for people with allergies and or breathing problems. There is no safe amount of toxic artificial scents!
Even when someone claims they use only natural scents, it is most often combined with a artificial or even natural irritant as a perservative. Perfumes from plants and such are not a problem for those who are not allergic.
But many natural plants are loaded with pesticides, herbicides, growth chemicals, as well as toxic fertilizers. There is no safe way to fill up a room, and certainly not the entire house with such toxic's
{There is not safe way to be shot in the head no matter how small the gun, you will be injured.}
Please don't say something is safe for all when it truly is not.


4/3/2007 11:35:54 AM
J. Masanz said:

"Breathing Easy With An Electric Fragrance Device"... "Since some electric fragrance devices allow you to control how much scent is released a setting on low may allow for a light fragrance in the air without overpowering those who have scent related allergies."

This is absurd... people who have "scent related allergies" cannot tolerate even small amounts of these toxic chemicals.


4/16/2007 9:54:57 PM
ladyenglish said:

PLEASE make more notice in your advertising that fragrances can and often do bring on a reaction. The housewife who buys them then invites guests over is often unawware of possibale reactions so she ends up feeling upset when she has to call 911 for a guest who is having reaction due to a fragrance smell she bought from you. PLEASE advistise it more that it can and does happen. Health is far more importaint than profits




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