News on scents.

Over the years, I have become sensitive to perfumes. I do not suffer from headaches or have difficulty breathing. I simply do not like what I smell. When I am exposed to most scents, I smell something acrid and chemical; not flowery or otherwise pleasant. What I have figured out is that I smell the actual chemical(s) that are added to create these products be they perfumes, soaps, lotions, etc. Some people are not as lucky as I and have extreme reactions to fragrances similar to those who suffer from sick building syndrome. Many of these people have extreme chemical sensitivities. You may ask, "What the heck do chemicals have to do with fragrances?" The answer is, most scented products are made with chemicals and are not regulated by any consumer safety organization. According the information I found in the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) website "hazardous chemicals in fragrances include volatile organic compounds, some of which are carcinogenic and cause neurotoxic and respiratory effects. Another class of chemicals of concern is synthetic musks, which, according to preliminary research, may be endocrine disruptors, like phthalates. "

For sufferers of fragrance chemicals there may be relief in sight. Last month there was a court case in Detroit, in which a woman was awarded $100,000 because of her sensitivity to fragrances in her job. We are bombarded by scents every day, from deodorants to air fresheners, to perfume and lotions. For those of us who are sensitive to it, it can make us wrinkle our nose in distaste, cause headaches, trigger an asthma attack, or possibly make us too sick to work. My sister gets terrible headaches from being in close proximity to people wearing scented products. She was very excited by the finding in Detroit. What I would hope is that this will lead people to seek more healthy scents or better yet, unscented products all together. The life they save may be their own. Am I exaggerating? I don't believe so. Take a look at this report from a coalition of environmental groups including the Environmental Working Group. This report shows the types of chemicals in cosmetic products and the problems to which they are linked.

There are resources available to assist you in avoiding products that are laden with unsafe chemicals. I have posted many of them in link rolls over the past 18 months. But here are a few that are recommended by the NRDC. Less Toxic Guide and The Cosmetics Database.