Although not everyone is aware of it, most fragrances used in products today are actually made of synthetic petro-chemicals and are bad for your health. Like lots of other chemicals in our environment today, even if you are not chemically sensitive,* it is wise to reduce your exposure whenever possible. There is evidence that these chemicals are building up more and more in our bodies along with the rise of chemicals used since WWII. They can cause all sorts of adverse reactions, including headaches, nausea, sinus inflammation, throat swelling and respiratory distress, swelling and pain in joints, blurred vision, dizziness, irritability, memory loss, brain fog, cancer and more.
*Chemical sensitivities can be defined as when people have adverse physical reactions to low levels of everyday chemicals. This is actually quite common in America today. It is estimated that 20 to 30 percent of the population has a reaction to one or more synthetic chemicals, and often one of the things they react to is fragrance. These people often look perfectly healthy, so this makes it harder to understand or believe, but chemical sensitivities are indeed quite real.
Fragrance Today is Largely Petrochemical Based and Quite Toxic
Did you know that many of the ingredients in perfumes and fragrances are the same as some of the ingredients found in gasoline? Scents used to be made from flowers and plants, but today’s fragrances are largely made up of petrochemicals. It may be hard to believe that the government would allow it, but many of these synthetic fragrances are actually quite toxic to humans. Very few studies are ever done on these chemicals before they are used in these various household products. Fragrances are found not just in perfumes, but also in scented products like laundry detergents, dryer sheets, air fresheners, after-shaves, cosmetics, shampoos, lotions and other personal care and cleaning products. Many people assume that these products are safe for everyone just because they are so widespread, but we cannot assume that this is the case by looking at past experiences.
Leaded gasoline and paint, and cigarettes, for example, were assumed to be safe for years. In fact, when it was first proposed that smokers not be allowed to smoke in public places, many people fought this based on individual rights. Many years later, however, most people now accept the fact that they do not have the right to harm other people’s health by smoking nearby in public places. It took years for this to be accepted, and it probably will take many more years for people to accept the fact that synthetic fragrance use in public places is also a health hazard and should be banned.
Reducing Fragrance Use Can Help Others With Asthma or Other Health Problems
Another reason to cut down on the chemical load you are exposed to even if you are not currently sensitive to chemicals is the fact that anyone can become sensitive from chemical overload. This overload can and does happen with repeated, low-level exposures — not just high-level exposures. In addition to the possibility of becoming chemically sensitive yourself, many immune-system related diseases like cancer and auto-immune illnesses are related to the chemical build up in our bodies, so cutting back on chemicals in your household will also reduce your risk of developing these diseases. Furthermore, even the American Medical Association recognizes that scented products can aggravate asthma and respiratory problems, so cutting back on your use of fragrances can help family members, visitors, co-workers and/or schoolmates with these problems. When you wear scented products, including clothes washed in scented detergents, you breathe those chemicals in all day long. So do the people you come in contact with. In fact, they specifically make laundry detergent scents to last and stick to the clothes. That is why it’s not just a personal choice to use or wear these products, just like it’s not just a personal choice to smoke near others and expose them to secondhand smoke. Your scented products impact the air space of others and can make other people sick, even if you don’t smell them. In fact, just because you don’t smell the product after a while doesn’t mean it has worn off — often your nose just becomes used to the smell and you no longer notice it.
Search Out Fragrance-Free Products
The solution is to look for products that are fragrance-free, including cosmetics, laundry detergents, aftershaves, air fresheners, etc, and to not wear synthetic (most) perfume unless you are sure it will not be bothering anyone. Many chemically sensitive and asthmatic people will appreciate it, and actually, so will your body. Many people who never thought they were sensitive to chemicals are surprised to see their health improve when they reduce their own exposure to everyday household chemicals. Often headaches, fatigue and memory problems improve as well as other symptoms that you may not associate with exposure to chemicals that you use every day. You don’t have to change everything overnight, buy why not buy fragrance free products as you run out of your scented ones and start down the road to better health?
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