cystic fibrosis and the use of air freshener

Question

Is it safe to use an air freshener (in this case fabreeze®plugin) around the home

Answer

Hi,
Thank you for this question and apologies for the delay in answering. As far as we can find out from the literature this type of air freshener contains a substance known a hydrroxypropyl beta-cylodextrim (HPBCD for short) and is used in many different types of medical treatments as well as household products such as air fresheners. No scientific studies have looked at the effect this substance has on the lungs if it is inhaled by people with lung disease.

That said there are some reports of breathing difficulties caused by inhaling air fresheners but as far as we can gather these air fresheners contain more volatile chemical substances than HPBCD which seems to be a complex simple sugar.

There are no guidleines relevant to this question. In summary we suggest you speak to your local CF Centre about this and also it is worth checking with the CF person in the home if they feel any subjective effects from your plug in air fresher then you may opt against using this.

We hope this answers your question.

Regards
Susan martin
Judy Bradley

09.07.2012