Background Material: Cleaning Products and Indoor Air Quality Actions to Reduce Exposures

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This page updated October 09, 2008.

CLEANING PRODUCTS AND INDOOR AIR QUALITY
ACTIONS TO REDUCE EXPOSURES

The use of certain common cleaning products and air fresheners can cause an increase in indoor concentrations of both gaseous and particle air pollutants when those products are used in the presence of ozone. In a recent study funded by the California Air Resources Board (ARB), investigators found that chemicals directly emitted from the products generally were not a problem, but that indoor chemical reactions of the substances emitted produced formaldehyde and ultrafine particles, pollutants of serious health concern. Fortunately, people who use these products can take simple steps to reduce the production of air pollutants and their exposure to them. The fact sheet linked below provides more information on the research results and lists actions you can take to reduce your exposure to pollutants when using cleaning products.

	Cleaning Products Fact Sheet (October 2008)
	Indoor Air Chemistry: Cleaning Agents, Ozone and Toxic Air Contaminants (Final Research Report)

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