But the science behind the viral claims that these staples expose people to chemicals\u00a0linked to cancer is a bit more nuanced.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/134184083.jpg\")
While many claim dryer sheets and fabric softener cause cancer, the science behind these products is more nuanced.<\/p>\n
Dryer sheets or liquid softeners used to freshen fabrics won\u2019t directly cause illness, as they don\u2019t intentionally contain active ingredients known to be carcinogens.<\/p>\n
Rather, certain ingredients in these products can release volatile organic compounds<\/a> (VOCs) into the air, which can be harmful under certain conditions and have short- and long-term health risks.<\/p>\n Namely, consumers should keep an eye out for fragrance ingredients, impurities or manufacturing byproducts.<\/p>\n A study from 2011<\/a> and one from 2016<\/a> found that dryer vents emitted VOCs when fragranced laundry products were used.<\/p>\n Two of the emissions identified, acetaldehyde and benzene, are classified as carcinogenic hazardous air pollutants by the Environmental Protection Agency.<\/p>\n However, further research wasn\u2019t conducted to determine if the emissions cause cancer in people.<\/p>\n Other items may contain blends of VOCs, including phthalates and benzyl acetate, which is often used for a floral scent.<\/p>\n Phthalates have been shown to disrupt endocrines<\/a>, or natural hormones like estrogen and testosterone, potentially causing reproductive, neurological or developmental issues.<\/p>\n A review of studies<\/a> also suggests that compounds in scented products \u2014 such as phthalates and parabens \u2014 have possible links to health concerns like cancer.<\/p>\n However, more research is needed to better understand those links.<\/p>\n Manufacturers may also group multiple chemicals under the name \u201cfragrance\u201d or \u201cperfume\u201d on labels, resulting in unintentional exposure to harmful chemical mixtures.<\/p>\n Unlike detergents, which wash out, softeners are designed to stay in clothing, increasing exposure in two ways: inhalation of the vapors and skin absorption as clothes and bedding make contact with skin.<\/p>\n While there isn\u2019t strong evidence directly linking dryer sheets and fabric softeners to cancer, there could still be some risk.<\/p>\n But experts warn risk factor when using certain laundry products depends on several factors, such as frequency, dose and duration of exposure.<\/p>\n \u201cBut because fragrance-related emissions aren\u2019t always obvious from the label, many experts recommend minimizing unnecessary fragrance exposure when practical,\u201d Dr. Krushangi Patel, a medical oncologist at City of Hope, told Parade<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s not uncommon these days to browse online and see claims that yet another common household item causes…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":758922,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[687,10652,97,147081,3284],"class_list":["post-758921","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-cancer","tag-chemicals","tag-health","tag-laundry","tag-study-says"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/758921","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=758921"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/758921\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/758922"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=758921"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=758921"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=758921"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/soft-laundry-droping-dryer-sheets-134182997.jpg\")
Laundry products that contain fragrances could release chemicals that are loosely linked to harmful health outcomes. Shotmedia \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n