| Abstract [eng] |
Rationale. Home fragrance (HF) release dozens of chemicals into the indoorair. Pleasant smells may affect health, may change the quality of indoor air and contribute to the "cocktail" effect of chemicals and the exposome, that can influence epigenetic changes in humans. The high prevalence of HF use and the largely unexplored field in Lithuania raise questions as to whether our health professionals have the knowledge to adequately assess the impact of this phenomenon on public health and to take preventive action, if necessary. The aim of this paper is to assess the experiences and knowledge of future health professionals - students of VUMF- on the use of HF and their opinions on their impact on public health. Objectives: 1) to theoretically analyse the issue of odours and odorants; 2) to determine the attitudes of VUMF students towards HF and fresheners and their use; 3) to assess the knowledge of students about the impact on public health; 4) to substantiate the relevance of the issue, two experiments were conducted: a study of the exposure using absorbent silicon wristbands method. and a study of the chemical composition of HF.Methods: instant quantitative research - data collection by questionnaire online survey of VUMF students, data processing and analysis of the respondents (n=95) by Excel and SPSS software. The silicone wristband method was chosen for the detection of airborne odourants and the analysis of absorbed chemicals by GC-MS. Compositional analysis by GC-MS of different types of HF and fresheners (n=7) sold in Lithuania.Results. Only 10.5% of the respondents are familiar with the hazardous substances found in HF and fresheners; respondents have almost no knowledge of the regulations governing safety and safe product use. Respondents over 24 years of age perceived most components of fresheners as more hazardous, but only solvents and functional additives were considered more hazardous by a statistically significant margin (p<0.01; p<0.05); they were much more likely to agree that fresheners have a negative effect on the nervous system (p<0.05). Public health students were much more likely than medical or pharmacy students to agree that respirators need to be regulated more strictly (p<0.05) and that respirators should not be used in the environment of pregnant women and children (p<0.01); they were much more likely to agree with the idea that respirators should only be made from natural ingredients (p<0.01) than medical students. The wristband experiment confirmed that dozens of odorous chemicals are present in indoor air, and that endocrine-disrupting phthalates and synthetic musks are present where synthetic fragrances are used in a reed diffuser form. Chemical analysis of HF and fresheners‘ samples (n=7) revealed the presence of phthalates, synthetic musks and other substances on ECHA's List of SVHC, which are dangerous to the health of pregnant women and children. Conclusions: students lack knowledge about hazardous chemicals in products and health effects. The prevalence of HF use among the group was extremely high. Most of the students use HF on a daily basis and mostly because of the desire to enjoy pleasant smells. Older students tend to be more strict than younger students about the health effects of some ingredients, more in favour of natural materials such as essential oils and stricter regulation to protect pregnant women and children. Fragrance products should not be used during the perinatal period or in children's environments; that items made of synthetic materials should be avoided, especially those that emit odours for long periods of time and/or continuously; and that the use of combustible fragrances should be minimised and that rooms should be ventilated either during or immediatelly after use. |
