Frgrance Free Should Be Every Day!
www.WomenForAHealthyEnvironment.org
Do any of these scenarios sound familiar? You smell a co-worker’s new perfume and almost immediately develop a headache. You walk into an elevator or newly waxed hallway and you feel dizzy, weak or sick to your stomach. You walk into the office restroom and start sneezing (someone has sprayed the air freshener). The culprit is often “Fragrance.”
This mystery ingredient is found in hundreds, if not thousands, of consumer products ranging from personal care items such as soaps, lotions and shampoos; to room deodorizers and carpet cleaners; to laundry detergents and fabric softeners. Due to loopholes in Federal regulations, companies are not required to identify the chemicals that make up this ingredient based on provisions for trade secrets. Synthetic fragrance can include a selection of over 3,000 different chemicals, the majority of which have not been tested for safety.
Perfumes were originally used to mask odors when running water was not available. Today perfumes and other scented products are used to elicit an emotional response. Manufacturers generally add scent to products for branding reasons. Consumers become addicted to the scent, therefore become brand loyal. However, scent has nothing to do with how well a product works. Last fall WHE launched a campaign requesting Procter & Gamble to fully disclose of fragrance ingredients in its Febreze line of products. Over 7,000 people took action and signed our petition. We know this is an issue that affects many of us each and every day.
Exposure to fragranced products can pose significant health risks as demonstrated by compromised respiratory conditions (breathing difficulties), neurologic responses (such as dizziness and headaches), skin irritations (hives and itching), and allergic reactions (runny nose and watery eyes). Fragrance often contains phthalates (pronounced thal-ates), which bind the scent in a product to make it last longer. Scientific studies have demonstrated phthalates impact to our hormones and reproductive development.
Other studies suggest that phthalates are linked to asthma and skin disease in children.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 18.7 million people are affected with asthma in the United States and it is estimated that one in five has tested positive to one or more allergens. Many of the fragranced consumer and personal care products we use contain sensitizing agents that trigger serious health effects.
What’s not healthy for us is also not good for our environment.
Over the past 50 years, the United States Food and Drug Administration indicates that 80-90% of fragrances have been synthesized from petroleum, and some of the commonly found harmful chemicals in fragranced products include acetone, phenol, toluene, benzyl acetate, and limonene. Fragranced products such as air fresheners contain Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), chemicals that keep the fragrance molecules airborne so the fragrances linger longer and reduce our indoor air quality.
It’s especially important to be mindful of fragrance in the workplace and school settings. It has been estimated that indoor environmental quality-related health issues cost businesses in the range of $20–70 billion annually due to lost productivity, decreased performance and absences from illness.1 For some individuals, breathing in fragrances is similar to breathing in secondhand smoke.
Recent legal actions have forced employers to clean up personal air space. In 2010 Susan McBride was awarded $100,000 by the United States District Court under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) when a co-worker’s perfume created a breathing problem. The settlement names the City of Detroit, all employees, and agents of the City as those who must abide by the new fragrance free policy. Notices about the new scent free policy appear in the city’s employee handbook and are discussed during routine ADA training. This woman took action; often times many suffer in silence from exposures to fragrance.
Below are simple steps for developing a fragrance-free workplace:
1) Request employees to refrain from wearing scented products (especially those products where the sole purpose is to produce a scent) and avoid the use of strongly scented personal care products.
2) Reduce the employee’s exposure to the fragrance (may need change in office location) and create modified work schedules when necessary.
3) Telecommute a few days/week if possible (also good for the environment!).
4) Purchase an air purifier.
5) Use fragrance-free janitorial products.
6) Avoid unscented products – they contain chemicals that mask the scent – and synthetic musks such as tonalide and galaxolide that impact both our health and environment.
7) Designate areas of a public facility as non-scented/fragrance-free zones.
Educate employees by placing posters around the office to educate all employees about fragrance sensitivity
9) Discuss a fragrance-free workplace policy with your human resource department.
10) Visit the WHE website for examples of fragrance-free workplace policies.
To download a brochure, view WHE’s fragrance-free workplace presentation, or contact us to develop a policy, visit: www.WomenForAHealthyEnvironment.org/pages/fragrance-free-day.
1. http://blogs.cdc.gov/niosh-science-blog/2009/04/indoor/
