Lourdes Salvador's Column ...Co-founder of MCS America discusses the latest Multiple Chemical Sensitivity issues.

 

Lawsuit Results in Fragrance Ban for Detroit City Employees

 

by Lourdes Salvador

Warning placards will be placed in three city buildings in Detroit, Michigan to remind workers that the use of scented products has been banned.

This change is the result of a recent federal lawsuit in which a city employee, 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 will also appear in the city´s employee handbook and will be discussed during routine ADA training. The text of the notices will read:

"Our goal is to be sensitive to employees with perfume and chemical sensitivities.  In order to accommodate employees who are medically sensitive to the chemicals in scented product, the City of Detroit requests that you refrain from wearing scented products, including but not limited to colognes, after-shave lotions, perfumes, deodorants, body/face lotions, hair sprays or similar products.  the City of Detroit also asks you to refrain the use of scented candles, perfume samples from magazines, spray or solid air fresheners, room deodorizers, plug-in wall air fresheners, cleaning compounds or similar products.  Our employees with medical chemical sensitivities thank you for your cooperation."

Becoming scent free is not as easy as it sounds. People who do not apply perfume or cologne are frequently unaware that they still wear fragrance in the form of hidden scents they carry on their body. Fragrance is added to the vast majority of lotions, soaps, hair care products, after shave, laundry products, and other personal care items.

Some employees have misunderstood the policy to mean that they are no longer allowed to practice good hygiene. This has caused comments such as, "I´d rather smell perfume than body odor." However, adding perfume to body odor does nothing more than add to odor. Sometimes the combination can be downright nauseating.

Strong perfume is usually a sign that someone does not practice good hygiene and is trying to cover up an odor, rather than bathing regularly. Perfume was used centuries ago when running water was not available for bathing. Thus, in our modern civilization where running water is readily available, perfume is nothing more than a mark that people wear for varying reasons, including status. Many have been brainwashed into thinking that perfume makes them smell good or sexy.

Quite to the contrary, the City´s new policy encourages good hygiene practice. There are many quality unscented soaps, lotions, deodorants, and hair care products on the market. There are also many natural solutions which do the job just as well for pennies on the dollar. Avoiding fragrance actually encourages routine bathing, which is a benefit to the health of staff and visitors.

Scent is not added to products to make them clean better or work better and has nothing to do with how well a product works. From a profit perspective, manufacturers generally add scent to products for branding reasons to encourage people to become addicted to the scent, therefore become brand loyal.

Many people with allergies, asthma, fatigue, and other common health problems don´t realize that the fragrances that they are always surrounded with may be the cause of their health issues. Because someone who is allergic to the scent in their laundry soap is surrounded by it every moment (clothing, bedding, towels), there is rarely an opportunity to be in a non-exposure situation where the link to improved health can be made.

Scented laundry products are among the most difficult to remove from fabrics because manufactures add a chemical plasticizer to laundry detergents and fabric softeners to hold in that "long lasting freshness". Ten to twenty washes may not be enough to remove this scent because it is chemically bound to the fabric. For people who are allergic or sensitive to the chemicals used in
these scents, a garment can rarely be decontaminated.

 

 

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Facts About Fragrances

There are 3,000 – 5,000 chemicals used in fragrance.

95% of these chemicals are derived from petroleum.

Over 80% of the chemicals in fragrance have not been tested for human toxicity.

Some of the chemicals found in fragranced products are on the EPA hazardous waste list.

The perfume industry is not regulated by any government agency and is not required to disclose the ingredients in "fragrance".

The National Academy of Sciences targeted fragrances as one of the six categories of chemicals that should be given high priority for neurotoxicity testing.

Personal Care Products to Avoid

• Perfume and Cologne
• All Scented Products - including soaps, shampoo, conditioner, and bath products
• Scented Lotions
• Scented Shaving Cream
• Scented Aftershave
• Scented Deodorants and Anti-Perspirants
• Scented Hair Spray
• Scented Hair Gel and Mousse
• Scented Hair Color
• Scented Shampoo and Conditioner
• Scented Nail Polish and Remover
• Scented Make-up
• Scented Anti-Bacterial Hand Wipes or Hand Sanitizer
• Other Scented Toiletries

Personal Care Products to Use Instead

• Scent - use essential oils if tolerated or eliminate perfume
• Fragrance Free Products - soaps, shampoo, conditioner, and bath products
• Lotion - use unscented versions or natural oils such as jojoba, coconut, and olive oil
• Shaving Cream - soap
• Aftershave - witch hazel or hydrogen peroxide
• Deodorant - peroxide, natural salt crystal, baking soda, unscented deodorants
• Hair Styling - aloe vera gel, lemon juice
• Hair Color - natural variations, peroxide to bleach, all natural henna for color
• Shampoo / Conditioner - unscented variations, baking soda, vinegar, citric acid, oils
• Nail Polish and Remover - safer variations from a health food store or go au natural
• Make-up - unscented, natural variations or go au natural

A copy of the McBride v. the City of Detroit settlement agreement may be downloaded from http://www.onpointnews.com/docs/mcbride_settlement.pdf.

A fragrance fact sheet may be downloaded from http://mcs-america.org/fragrancefactsheet.pdf

References:

Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA). Fragrance Free! Creating a Safe Health Care Environment. Courseserver.com. 2007. http://www.courseserver.com/mna/

Steinemann AC. Fragranced consumer products and undisclosed ingredients. Environ Impact Asses Rev (2008), doi:10.1016/j.eiar.2008.05.002.

 

 

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For more articles on this topic, see: MCSA News.

 

Copyrighted 2010 Lourdes Salvador & MCS America

 

 

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Forums

 

Comments (8)

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written by Someone, July 26, 2011

Easier to ban perfume for everyone than ask a few persons to rethink their profession.

By the way, I suffer from depression, I guess that means I can forbid everyone around me from displaying signs happiness because it reminds me of what I'm missing and makes me even more depressed.

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written by Someone else, July 27, 2011

While we're at it, we'll ask paraplegics to walk up stairs or find another job instead of paying for a wheelchair ramp. We'll also ask blind people to see or find another job, before paying for text-to-speech software. Amirite?

There are treatments for depression. There are no treatments for chemical sensitivities other than limiting exposure. Perfume probably wouldn't even need to be banned if so many people didn't wear so g**d**** much of it. I don't even have chemical sensitivities, that I know of, and the amount of perfume some people is enough to make my throat close up until I leave the area.

I'm a big believer in letting people do what they want as long as it doesn't affect the rights of others. But wearing excessive perfume DOES affect the health of others, simliar to smoking indoors for those who have chemical sensitivities. The fact that so many of these fragrance ingredients are considered toxic substances and the "green police" aren't concerned with people spraying it all over themselves before going out is shocking.

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written by truth, July 28, 2011

The smell of some ethnic food, that also leeches onto clothes and skin of the people who eat it, actually makes me sick to my stomach to the point that I wish I could just throw up already so the nausea would go away. Should we force them not to cook their smelly food anymore, or just ban them altogether from the workplace? According to you, yes, since it causes severe physical symptoms in me and many others.

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written by MsJan, August 10, 2011

I have now been told by my doctor that I have MCS. This last time I had it was very bad. Took over 6 weeks to feel some what better and I also spent over 500 dollars on meds. Now I am scared and afraid to be close to others thinking next time I may not get better. Friends say they understand but really do not. They sometimes do not use conditioner in their hair but sometimes do. So now I find I need to stay away from them. Not much fun knowing you will be dieing alone. I use to be able to use hand foam soap but no more, I use to use conditioner but no more, I use to use regular dog shampoo on my dog but no more, I use to be able to spray my hair but no more. Been over 20 years that I owned a bottle of perfume or deordant and about 15 years since I colored my nails due to the color seeping into them and the nails breaking badly. I use to have such nice nails that everyone would comment on. How things changed. When I worked for a grogery I use to cough so hard because of the soaps that I broke my ribs three times. I had another problem which put me on a disablity. That disability may of saved my life by years. We need to make more people understand this and sure wish the doctors and News could put more about it on TV. People need to understand that they are not only doing harm to the people with MCS but also to their own. This is not something that happens over night but if people would start thinking about what they are doing to the earth than we all may be able to live a normal life.

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written by BS, August 16, 2011

You weren't told by a real doctor that you have MCS. It doesn't exist.

QUACK QUACK QUACK

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written by Maff, August 19, 2011

A fair impression of a duck but perhaps you would like to back up your bold statement with some facts and a reasoned argument? Currently you simply appear ignorant.

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written by Norm, October 01, 2011

Sure, how about the fact that the American Medical Association DOESN'T consider MCS a valid diagnosis.

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written by realist, November 22, 2011

The AMA does not recognize it as a medical diagnosis. There's not even a real test for it. If your doctor is telling you that you have MCS, then find a new doctor.

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