As she often does every Tuesday, Elizabeth spends a good portion of the morning getting ready for her luncheon.  She meets with the ladies at noon, and since she retired, this has become one of her most anticipated times of the week.  She decided to provide plenty of time to get ready, a little more than usual.  After all, Elizabeth has been more tired lately than normal, and especially with the slight trembling of her hands -- the "shakes," as she calls it -- Elizabeth has found it more difficult to get dressed as the years wear on.  She had laid out her clothes on the bed, picked up her bra and panties, made her way to the bathroom and turned on the bath water.  Once the water was just the right temperature, Elizabeth stepped carefully into the shower.

Like most Americans, Elizabeth is a brand-name shopper, and her bathroom is stocked with her favorite products.  As she reaches for her bar soap, Elizabeth inhales the thick, warm steam as she turns slowly in the shower, and begins to soap herself down.  Unknowing to Elizabeth, however, she is not merely cleaning her body, but she's subjecting herself to one of a series of dangerous chemicals that she'll be innocently exposed to today.  If her eyesight hasn't been getting so bad,  Elizabeth would discover by reading the label that her soap -- as does her aerosol air freshener -- contains ethanol, a chemical on the hazardous list of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  So as she lathers herself,  Elizabeth is subjecting herself to a chemical that the EPA has determined that "inhalation of ethanol vapors can have effects similar to those characteristics of ingestion.  These include an initial stimulatory effect followed by drowsiness, impaired vision, ataxia, stupor," among others.  Because  Elizabeth is using this soap in a steam environment, the ethanol vapors she's inhaling are amplified.

Elizabeth's perfumed shampoo, like her bar soap, is one she's used for years.  And like her bar soap, it contains a chemical, ethyl acetate, that has also been classified as hazardous by the EPA, which states that ethyl acetate is "irritating to the eyes and respiratory tract."  Furthermore, the EPA states that ethyl acetate "may cause headaches and narxosis (stupor)," it may have a "defatting effect on skin and may cause drying and cracking," and "may cause anemia with leukocytosis and damage to liver and kidneys."  [1]

After showering and drying herself off, Elizabeth remained in the bathroom to enjoy the warmth and steam from the hot shower; steam now saturated with at least two hazardous chemicals.  She briefly reflected back to last night, and she was glad she had done her nails then to save her time this morning.  Her nail polish remover, however, contains limonene, which has been classified as a carcinogenic (capable of causing cancer).  A warning sheet that, like the one that comes with the bar soap contains print too small to read, states that the strong chemical is "an irritant and sensitizer," and cautions users against "inhaling limonene vapor."  Once all her old nail polish was off, Elizabeth applied a fresh coating to her nails, using a polish consisting of linalool, a chemical determined to cause "respiratory disturbances."  Like many of today's perfumes, colognes, soaps and shampoos, Elizabeth's nail polish is tested on animals.  Animal tests on her nail polish have determined that animals subjected to linalool developed "ataxic gait ... had reduced spontaneous motor activity and depression ... developed respiratory disturbances leading to death." [2] 

Briefly admiring her nails as she slipped on her underwear, Elizabeth continued to enjoy the warmth and the steam from her shower.  She splashed on her favorite perfume, which contains methylene chloride, a chemical banned by the FDA in 1988.  Methylene chloride, however, is still used in perfumes because of secret trade laws that protect the chemical industry.  Methylene chloride has been proven to be a carcinogenic, and once absorbed, it is "stored in body fat, metabolizes to carbon monoxide, reducing oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood."  The effects from methylene chloride can be headache, giddiness, stupor, irritability, fatigue [and a] tingling in the limbs." [3]

Elizabeth had just her hair to brush and to spray.   Elizabeth brushed, stroked and teased it until it was just right.  She reached for her hair spray, held the aerosol can up to her side, closed her eyes and sprayed her hair, subjecting herself to a host of chemical poisons, amplified by the steam that saturates the room, all of which she inhaled with every breath.  Here she subjects herself to one of the most hazardous chemicals in her hidden arsenal of chemical killers, a-terpineol.  A key ingredient in perfumes, a-terpineol is "highly irritating to mucous membranes," and "aspiration (breathing) into the lungs can produce pneumonitis or even fatal edema."  Furthermore, a-terpineol can cause "excitement, ataxia (loss of muscular coordination), hypothermia, central nervous system and respiratory depression and headache." [4]

Turning her head from side to side as Elizabeth examined her hair in the mirror, she patted one side and dabbed at the other with her brush until it was just as she wanted.  She set the can of hair spray down, and steadying herself, turned out the light as she headed out of the bathroom toward the bedroom.

Darn these shakes, Elizabeth thought, just like the headaches that she's been getting lately and her fatigue, they seem to be getting more frequent, and her doctor doesn't seem to be able to do anything, much less to determine what may be the cause.  That's okay, she said softly to herself, just like the moth balls she's been using in her closet to preserve her woolen outfits, her good doctor has an assortment of prescription medications to make her, too, last.

As Elizabeth steadied herself as she prepared to dress, Elizabeth thought how fortunate she was to be living in such a modern age.  Not only are there an assortment of wonderful beauty products to enhance her looks as well as perfumes to make her smell good, but there's her doctor, who demonstrates care by regularly renewing her several pharmaceutical medications.  

Good Lord, Elizabeth thought, observing herself in the mirror as she buttoned her blouse, where would we be today without these modern wonders?

 

*       *       *

Once distilled from flower essences, the overwhelming majority of perfumes today are complex mixtures of synthetic chemicals.  Francesca Lyman, a MSNBC contributing editor, wrote in 'Scents and Sensitivities' that the American Academy of Dermatology that thousands of different fragrances are used in perfumes and skin products, in hundreds of chemical combinations.  [ 1 ]  Furthermore, Lyman continued, perfume companies aren't required to list their ingredients, but merely label them as containing "fragrance."

Andrea DesJardins, writing for 'Sweet Poison: What your Nose Can't Tell You About the Dangers of Perfume,' points out that advertisers and marketers are well aware of the powerful connection between scent and memory, as well as scent and emotion, and that they use this frequently in their promotions.

"The result is that fragrance is considered a 'normal' component of our everyday lives," DesJardins states. "Many consumer products contain fragrances. These products include personal products (i.e. perfumes/colognes, shampoos, conditioners, hairspray, shaving cream, make-up, baby care products, deodorants, soap, feminine products, etc.), and household products (i.e. cleaners, air fresheners, bleach, laundry detergent, fabric softeners, etc.)."  Furthermore, of the estimated 5,000 chemicals used in fragrance products, less than 20 percent have been tested and reported as toxic by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). [5]

In addition, Lyman writes, the approximately 95 percent of perfume ingredients that are synthesized from petrochemicals give off volatile organic compounds (VOC's).  According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), VOC's can make one nauseous, have been proven to irritate the eyes, nose and throat, contribute to headaches, and can be responsible for loss of coordination, damage the liver, kidney and central nervous system. [6]  Due to the overall average weakened immune system in Americans' health (mainly due to pollution, a diet of decreased nutrients, and food laced with chemical toxins), allergic reactions to users of fragrances are on the rise.  Donald Belsito, a dermatologist at the University of Kansas Medical Center, said that he has seen an increase from 9 percent to 12 or 13 percent of dermatitis (inflammation of the skin) patients who used perfume over the last decade.  Additionally, the American Medical Association (AMA) has stated that perfumes can trigger migraines.  [7]

 ‘Let's face it, chemical science could undoubtedly get a can of turpentine to smell like jasmine.  If users of perfume knew what this particular jasmine contained, would they splash it on themselves?’

The Environmental Health Network, a California-based advocacy group, has petitioned the U.S. government that warning labels be required on synthetic fragrances that have not undergone adequate testing.  A laboratory that specializes in tests for the fragrance industry was commissioned by the group, and it found at least 41 fragrance ingredients they determined to be "toxic to the skin, respiratory tract, nervous and reproductive systems, [and in some cases] known to be carcinogens" (capable of causing cancer). [8]  

Those who are affected by perfumes, however, need not worry about losing their jobs due to others wearing fragrances.  Thanks to the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1992, it is against the law for employers to discipline people who have been diagnosed with chemical sensitivities.  Julia Kendall, co-chair, Citizens for a Toxic-Free Marin, writes:

"The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1992 guarantees access to disabled to institutions, such as government agencies, libraries, doctor's offices, retail stores, and many others. Multiple Chemical Sensitivity/Environmental Illness is recognized as a disability by The Social Security Administration and HUD. Fragrances are a ‘barrier to access’ to MCS/EI disabled, since breathing is affected. Breathing is a ‘major life activity’ as defined by the ADA. Fragrance bans meet the ‘reasonable accommodation’ clause of the ADA, since elimination and substitution are not expensive."  [9]

No product is more needless and more overused in our society than the many perfumes purchased daily.  It goes beyond reason that so many people have been hypnotically seduced into thinking that they aren't complete unless they spray and douse themselves with perfumes and colognes, but that many of their products need to be scented, including -- can you believe it? -- toilet paper!  Unfortunately, very few people who use perfume question the chemical ingredients in their fragrances, much less the health effects on themselves and others.  Let's face it, chemical science could undoubtedly get a can of turpentine to smell like jasmine.  If users of perfume knew what this particular jasmine contained, would they splash it on themselves?

Probably not.  Accordingly, the same caution should be used when patronizing the unregulated perfume merchants.  If you can't find a particular fragrance that doesn't contain chemicals, then simply go without; you're not going to shrivel up and die.  On the contrary, you'll be doing yourself and many others a big favor:.
 
                                                                        

Sources:

1.  Ecomall, 'Sweet Poison: The Dangers of Perfume.'  Julia Kendall, co-chair, Citizens for a Toxic-Free Marin. "Health Risks of Twenty Most Common Chemicals Found in Thirty-One Fragrance Products."  http://www.ecomall.com/greenshopping/hrfragrance.html

2.  Kendall, ‘Sweet Poison: The Dangers of Perfume.’

3.  Kendall, ‘Sweet Poison: The Dangers of Perfume.’  

4.  Kendall, ‘Sweet Poison: The Dangers of Perfume.’

5.  MSNBC, July 2003, 'Scents and Sensitivities.  What to know before buying a loved one perfume.'  Francesca Lyman.

6.  'What Your Nose Can't Tell You About the Dangers of Perfume.'  Andrea DesJarins

7.  Lyman, 'Scents and Sensitivities.'

8.  ibid'

9.  Julia Kendall, "Making Sense of Scents," 'Sweet Poison'