| Title: | "Fragranced consumer products: effects on autistic adults in the United States, Australia, and United Kingdom" |
| Address: | "1Department of Infrastructure Engineering, Melbourne School of Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010 Australia. ISNI: 0000 0001 2179 088X. GRID: grid.1008.9 2College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4811 Australia. ISNI: 0000 0004 0474 1797. GRID: grid.1011.1 3Climate, Atmospheric Sciences, and Physical Oceanography, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093 USA. ISNI: 0000 0001 2107 4242. GRID: grid.266100.3" |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s11869-018-0625-x |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1873-9318 (Print) 1873-9326 (Electronic) 1873-9318 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Fragranced consumer products, such as cleaning supplies, air fresheners, and personal care products, can have adverse effects on both air quality and health. This study investigates the effects of fragranced products on autistic individuals ages 18-65 in the United States, Australia, and United Kingdom. Nationally representative population surveys (n = 1137; 1098; 1100) found that, across the three countries, 4.3% of adults (n = 142) report medically diagnosed autism (2.3%), an autism spectrum disorder (2.4%), or both. Of these autistic adults, 83.7% report adverse health effects from fragranced products, including migraine headaches (42.9%), neurological problems (34.3%), respiratory problems (44.7%), and asthma attacks (35.9%). In particular, 62.9% of autistic adults report health problems from air fresheners or deodorizers, 57.5% from the scent of laundry products coming from a dryer vent, 65.9% from being in a room cleaned with scented products, and 60.5% from being near someone wearing a fragranced product. Health problems can be severe, with 74.1% of these effects considered potentially disabling under legislation in each country. Further, 59.4% of autistic adults have lost workdays or lost a job, in the past year, due to fragranced product exposure in the workplace. More than twice as many autistic as well as non-autistic individuals would prefer that workplaces, health care facilities, and health care professionals were fragrance-free rather than fragranced. Results show that vulnerable individuals, such as those with autism or autism spectrum disorders, can be profoundly, adversely, and disproportionately affected by exposure to fragranced consumer products" |
| Keywords: | Asd Autism Autism spectrum disorder Autistic Fragrance Fragranced consumer products Health effects Indoor air quality Volatile organic compounds; |
| Notes: | "PubMed-not-MEDLINESteinemann, Anne eng Netherlands 2018/12/14 Air Qual Atmos Health. 2018; 11(10):1137-1142. doi: 10.1007/s11869-018-0625-x. Epub 2018 Sep 25" |
