Using Dryer Sheets May Be Causing You Health Problems
Laundry and the dryer are part of everyone's home life, and one of the products most used for this purpose is the dryer sheet. This common household product is laced with toxic fragrances, and the results are wreaking havoc on people’s nervous systems, leading, in several cases, to neurological diseases like dementia. Although it’s impossible to completely get rid of all the toxins in your environment, it is possible to lessen your exposure to them.
Some people have the time and space, and
happen to live in the correct climate for drying clothes on a washing
line, but most of us have to make use of a dryer. Many people pop in
dryer sheets without concern, because they make laundry soft, fragrant,
and static free. Few people suspect what this product really contains.
What happens when you use drier sheets?
What happens when you use drier sheets?
To get your clothes fluffy and smelling of
aromatic fragrances, certain chemicals are added to the sheets. These
fragrances are known carcinogens and may cause liver damage. These
chemicals can easily be transferred to your skin and absorbed. When they
get into your bloodstream, they interfere with your nervous system,
leading scientists to link these toxins with neurological diseases like
dementia and Alzheimer’s. With repeated exposure, you become
desensitized to their potency, but your body is not immune.
How come this isn't better regulated?
Regulation here is less stringent than with
food. New research suggests wearing fragrances is quite similar to
eating them. The FDA and other regulation agencies don’t consider
cosmetics as much of a health risk because they don’t assume products
applied to the skin are necessarily getting into the bloodstream.
Consequently, manufacturers vaguely list their ingredients. This
assumption is undermined by the success of the nicotine patch, which is
applied directly to the skin, and which has been approved as a treatment
for nicotine addiction.
What’s in my dryer sheets and how does this affect my body?
• Alpha Terpineol can cause central nervous
system disorders, loss of muscular coordination, headaches and central
nervous system depression.
• Benzyl alcohol can cause headaches, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, upper
respiratory tract problems, central nervous system depression, and in
some severe cases, death.
• Camphor causes dizziness, confusion, nausea, twitching muscles,
convulsions, and is a central nervous system stimulant.
• Ethyl acetate may cause headaches and narcosis (stupor).
• Linalool causes central nervous system disorders. Animal studies
showed it causing loss of muscular coordination, depression, and reduced
spontaneous motor activity.
• Pentane can cause nausea, vomiting, dizziness, drowsiness, headaches,
and loss of consciousness. If you repeatedly inhale the vapors, pentane
can cause central nervous system depression.
• Chloroform is carcinogenic and neurotoxic. Along with Camphor, and
Ethyl Acetate, these 3 chemicals are all listed on the Environmental
Protection Agency’s Hazardous Waste list, which was created to warn of
common cosmetic chemicals that are dangerous to one’s health.
What should I use instead?
Opt for more natural products, organic if
possible, that can leave your clothes smelling pleasant without damaging
your health. The best practice is to check the label to see what
ingredients are in the product. Another option is to stop using dryer
sheets altogether.
Healthy natural products can be expensive solutions and aren’t always
easy to find. For the more frugal-minded you can make your own woolen
dryer balls. They do the same job as dryer sheets. They also halve the
drying time and seldom need replacing. Just throw in 3 to 6 of these
balls into your dryer, with a few drops of essential oil for a non-toxic
fragrance. Remember to tie them tightly.
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