Air freshener. Now, there's a contradiction in terms. Picture a scene in rural splendor where white cotton sheets billow and float on the clothesline. Then picture a lab where toxic chemicals are being used.
Because while the words "air freshener" may viscerally invoke in us the pleasure of a fresh breeze wafting through a field of flowers, the contents of commercial air fresheners are something else again.
"Well, the U.S.-based Environmental Working Group, a non-profit organization that provides information to the public about environmental toxins, identifies air fresheners as a source of indoor air pollution. When the group recently studied common cleaning supplies they found that one brand of air freshener tested released a grand total of 89 air contaminants."
Another independent test reported that about one third of air fresheners contain phthalates which are linked to possible fertility and developmental problems in rats. And air fresheners have been identified as possible sources of volatile organic compounds (VOC) which are considered environmental health hazards.
http://www.besthealthmag.ca/blog/post/are-air-fresheners-dangerous