Support & Enforce Fragrance Free Public Spaces
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We’ve all been there—you walk into a store or restaurant and are bombarded with the smell of fragrance (Bath and Body Works anyone? Ugh.). Or the perfume your co-worker or nearby restaurant patron, wears makes it hard to get a breath of air without the tinge of scent. There should be a 'smell pretty section' like there is a no smoking section either inside or better still outside. There are so many scenarios where we are accosted by fragrance whether it’s a store, restaurant, workplace, gym, school, or other public place.
In fact, it turns out a decent chunk of the population is feeling the pain of fragrance. According to a new study, 34.7% of the population report adverse reactions such as migraines, asthma attacks, allergic reations or rashes when exposed to fragrance. This shouldn’t be surprising considering just how many nasty chemicals can be in fragrance.
And what’s more, we virtually have no way of avoiding some of the chemicals that may give us a migraine headache, or a rash, asthmatic or allergic reaction, because companies, whether they are a cosmetic company, a cleaning company or manufacturer of another type of scented product, do not have to disclose what’s actually IN a fragrance. (The study revealed that a whopping 64.6% of those surveyed did not know that companies do not have to disclose fragrance ingredients on a label or even a safety data sheet.)
Now, it’s easy to give the advice “just avoid fragranced products AND spaces.” But when you are exposed to scents in public places it can be almost impossible to avoid. In fact, the study specifically highlighted some of those problem situations. One in five people surveyed reported adverse reactions to involuntary fragrance exposures such as being near a person wearing heavy fragrance, entering a room with air fresheners or a room that had been recently cleaned with fragranced cleaning products.
These resources can be used to help fight this public health epidemic and advocate for fragrance free settings by you, Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs), or a group of co-workers. You can even bring the sample workplace policy into your gym or other place you frequent and suggest they adopt a similar policy.
Know that you’re not alone in wanting to avoid scents. Over 50% of those surveyed support fragrance-free workplaces. And interestingly, the study also found that 20.2% of the population want to leave a business if they smell fragrance from an air freshener or another type of scented product. And 17% will avoid using a public bathroom if it is fragranced. So speak up and ask your workplace, child’s school, etc. to go fragrance free. Your voice can make a real difference in creating a healthier environment.
Leave a comment or email WVE if you succeed in advocating for scent free spaces! And feel free to use our resources to help make your case for why everyone’s health is better off without unnecessary and uncontrollable fragrance exposures.
We’ve all been there—you walk into a store or restaurant and are bombarded with the smell of fragrance (Bath and Body Works anyone? Ugh.). Or the perfume your co-worker or nearby restaurant patron, wears makes it hard to get a breath of air without the tinge of scent. There should be a 'smell pretty section' like there is a no smoking section either inside or better still outside. There are so many scenarios where we are accosted by fragrance whether it’s a store, restaurant, workplace, gym, school, or other public place.
In fact, it turns out a decent chunk of the population is feeling the pain of fragrance. According to a new study, 34.7% of the population report adverse reactions such as migraines, asthma attacks, allergic reations or rashes when exposed to fragrance. This shouldn’t be surprising considering just how many nasty chemicals can be in fragrance.
And what’s more, we virtually have no way of avoiding some of the chemicals that may give us a migraine headache, or a rash, asthmatic or allergic reaction, because companies, whether they are a cosmetic company, a cleaning company or manufacturer of another type of scented product, do not have to disclose what’s actually IN a fragrance. (The study revealed that a whopping 64.6% of those surveyed did not know that companies do not have to disclose fragrance ingredients on a label or even a safety data sheet.)
Now, it’s easy to give the advice “just avoid fragranced products AND spaces.” But when you are exposed to scents in public places it can be almost impossible to avoid. In fact, the study specifically highlighted some of those problem situations. One in five people surveyed reported adverse reactions to involuntary fragrance exposures such as being near a person wearing heavy fragrance, entering a room with air fresheners or a room that had been recently cleaned with fragranced cleaning products.
Creating Fragrance Free Spaces
The good news is there is a movement to create fragrance free spaces. The American Lung Association has a sample workplace fragrance free policy in addition to a sample policy on fragrance free schools. The California Department of Public Health also has a fact sheet for employers on fragrance and work-related asthma or allergic reactions.These resources can be used to help fight this public health epidemic and advocate for fragrance free settings by you, Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs), or a group of co-workers. You can even bring the sample workplace policy into your gym or other place you frequent and suggest they adopt a similar policy.
Know that you’re not alone in wanting to avoid scents. Over 50% of those surveyed support fragrance-free workplaces. And interestingly, the study also found that 20.2% of the population want to leave a business if they smell fragrance from an air freshener or another type of scented product. And 17% will avoid using a public bathroom if it is fragranced. So speak up and ask your workplace, child’s school, etc. to go fragrance free. Your voice can make a real difference in creating a healthier environment.
Leave a comment or email WVE if you succeed in advocating for scent free spaces! And feel free to use our resources to help make your case for why everyone’s health is better off without unnecessary and uncontrollable fragrance exposures.
People also, for some reason, seem to really wrap up their personal taste and identity in these scents. I have tried as tactfully and politely as possible to compromise with people in telling them that they are using something that is giving me a physical reaction and making me feel ill, only to be screamed at, told I’m just trying to boss them around, and all sorts of other nasty, selfish, defensive reactions. Once a co-worker even doubled down on the already large amount of perfume she wore, until even the people without sensitivities were getting headaches from it and management had to step in.
I have an issue with my neighbor in my apartment building using a large plug-in device. The scent was coming through the wall, filling up my apartment. The device was moved, but now the scent comes in through vents and under the door, and the entire hallway will be saturated. On another floor, I gag even when the elevator stops there. There are at least three people I know of using heavy air fresheners and candles all day, every day. I have complained to building supervisors several times, but they don’t take it very seriously. Although they have banned smoking in the building, even within apartments, they don’t view scent on the same level. Extremely frustrating.
All of these things make this a difficult battle to fight . I’m hoping increasing awareness and the Lung Association’s programs will help change that.
I wish we could blanket the internet with the info, but for now I will just try to share with family and others who don’t understand — maybe seeing it in print will help.
I have had many adverse reactions to scents as a side effect of a severe case of Lyme disease 10 years ago; these reactions include rashes and asthma and even dangerous drops in BP upon exposure. The holidays are often especially bad — it seems everyone wants to smell like fake gingerbread. Sometimes when I’ve ordered things online, they arrive with “free” scented samples — it isn’t free if you have to use an Epipen. I then send the vendor a note about lawsuits related to fragrance sensitivity (in some cases, it has actually been deemed “assault”). I have managed to get a few local grocery stores (including some branches of Whole Foods and Shaw’s) to either leave their cinnamon-scented items outside or get rid of them altogether (that which floats in the air will also eventually settle on produce– yuck).
Let’s keep fighting for fragrance-free zones in public settings!
I’ve been fighting this losing battle for over 20 years, and it’s worse now than before. It used to mostly be room deodorizers and people wearing perfumes and colognes, and that was bad–but now, added to those, the laundry industry has made it nearly impossible to avoid fragrances. Deodorants are also a bigger problem than before.
I had to stop attending concerts, movies, churches, etc…my dentist’s office staff sprays the surfaces of each room with Lysol after each patient, and I can smell it outside the building before opening the door. The Hallmark store is so scented now with fragranced products that you can smell it on the sidewalk two stores away. Even the guys who come to my home to service my medical respiratory equipment wear cologne! Argh!
No one seems to care about it if it doesn’t personally affect them.
As an asthma, allergy, migraine sufferer, fragrances has been torturing me every day, at my work from other employees, patients, during my days off at the shopping places and restaurant, post office, my doctors offices, etc.I can’t stand cigarette smoke either. Fortunately, the smoking is banned in public. Fragrances must be banned too.
I had achieved a Fragrances Free Workplace policy in my office, but nobody enforce it. I had a settlement with an employer who refused to follow ADA. They probably still think they just had a problematic employee.
Even my kind parents and younger sister living in other country cannot understand this situation. I don’t blame them because of limited resources for them.The world had became such a cruel place since my initial symptoms. People wearing fragrances or laundry with scented sheet around me are bully. Communication is useless 99% time. They think this is their own businesses.
American Medical Association, has voted between money and evidence. this is truly life long hardship. Spreading the ban policy, every public place include school, health care offices, workplace, all public places.
It took years for people to push for second-hand smoke bans in workplaces and public areas. If we really want to fight second-hand chemical fumes, we need to push for legislation that will protect us. Kindly asking others for their support and compliance by refraining from wearing perfume won’t get us anywhere. I continually asked for help from our HR Dept.for three years and not only did my coworkers not care how their love of perfume was affecting my health, they became hateful and angry toward ,me. I was absolutely shocked to observe what appeared to be addictive behavior. They truly seem addicted to the chemicals they douse themselves in every day.
Is there any hope of getting legislative support on this?