Neurotoxicity household products

It is estimated that 28% of all chemicals used in commerce could be neurotoxicJ42l Common household products including air fresheners, fragrance products, marking pens, and mattress covers contain known neurotoxins. I43 461 The neurotoxic effects of marking pens are attributed to chemical mixtures. I46l Aspertaine, saccharin, artificial food colors, benzyl alcohol, and other excipients used in pharmaceutical preparations and foods are neurotoxins. I47 48 ... 

Many household products contain neurotoxic chemical mixtures. These include fragrance products [111], marking pens [112], and air fresheners [113]. These products contain mixtures of lipophilic and hydrophilic chemicals and exposures in home use are typically far below the TLVs of any of the individual chemicals. Exposures to these products, however, in test chambers produce unpredicted behavioral abnormalities in laboratory animals including altered gait, loss of balance, hypoactivity, tremors, and other symptoms. Though no specific human neurotoxic effects have been noted, these studies suggest that neurotoxic impacts on people are likely. 

Bifenthrin is the active ingredient in an insecticide sold for home use. Bifenthrin alone is not toxic to rodent nerve cells at 10 3 M concentration. A household use product containing bifenthrin, however, was shown to be neurotoxic at concentrations of 10 6 and 10 7 MJ341 The authors conclude that the enhanced toxicity of bifenthrin is attributable to the inert additives in the commercial product. 

Many household and commercial neurotoxic products are intentionally inhaled for recreational purposes. The volatile solvents contained in these products are rapidly absorbed and carried to the brain, producing a feeling of euphoria. The practice, also known as glue sniffing or huffing, is widespread among adolescents and has resulted in numerous permanent neurological injuries and deaths when excessive quantities of neurotoxic solvents have been absorbed. 109 110 Table 18.5 lists volatile chemicals that are frequently abused by intentional inhalation and the products that contain these compounds. 

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