Deodorants: A Surprising Contributor to Urban Smog Levels

Did you know that your deodorant can contribute to air pollution levels comparable to urban smog?

The Hidden Dangers of Personal Care Products

Modern personal care products, designed to mask body odors, prevent sweating, moisturize, style our hair, and cloak us in pleasant fragrances, contain a myriad of chemical compounds.

These compounds not only raise health concerns but also interact with environmental substances, creating new pollutants with largely unknown toxicities.

Alarming Study on Chemical Emissions

Researchers at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) have studied emissions from various commonly used personal care products and their reactions in a typical indoor environment. They identified over 200 types of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), some of which react to form secondary organic aerosols—whose health impacts are not easily dismissed.

“Some molecules ‘nucleate,’ meaning they form new particles that can coagulate into ultrafine particles capable of efficiently depositing in our lungs,” explains Dusan Licina, an engineer at EPFL.

The Additional Danger of Ozone Reactions

In many modern homes and offices, at least one or two sources of ozone (O3), typically from printers, photocopiers, or air purifiers, are present. This molecule readily reacts with VOCs, like monoterpenes, creating new potentially hazardous substances.

The Need for Alternative Solutions

In light of these findings, Dusan Licina advocates for reducing our reliance on these products or switching to natural alternatives with less chemically reactive fragrance compounds.