Three environmental and health groups are suing the federal government in an attempt to put labels onto air fresheners that use a potentially harmful substance.

Phthalates can damage the reproductive system and interrupt normal development by mimicking your body's hormones, but they were found in more than a dozen common household air fresheners tested by the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Phthalates were only one of the potentially harmful chemicals identified in the air fresheners; others have been linked to cancer and asthma.

About three out of four households use air fresheners. It is a $1.72 billion industry which has grown 50 percent since 2003.