Stink Police to Enforce Dis-Odorly Conduct

0 Comments | Insight on the News, Dec 25, 2000 | by John Elvin

Adding its weight to a trend that has been building momentum for the last decade, the federal Access Board has adopted a policy against the wearing of perfume or cologne at its meetings. Also banned are scents generated by soap or shower gel, and anything else that might fall into the realm of "personal fragrances." The Access Board is an independent federal agency that enforces a variety of laws and rules on disabled-access standards.

"It's a complex issue," according to a statement from the board. Truly, it is: Experts say there are some 5,000 fragrances used in everyday products from shampoo to detergent. To identify them, one has to become familiar with terms such as hydroxycitronellal. They are blamed for nausea, sneezing, sinus problems, migraine headaches, dizziness and many other allergic reactions and ills, including life-threatening respiratory problems. "Different people are affected by different products in different ways," the board notes.

Participants at future board functions will be asked to refrain from wearing perfumes and other fragrances. In preparing to attend, they should shun scented deodorants and other smelly body lotions. Signs will be posted outside meetings warning of the policy.

While this action by the board may be of little concern to those who have no intention of attending its meetings, the significance is far greater. As the board notes, there are implications "in the larger scheme of things." Chances are, given Washington's legislative lust, "multiple chemical sensitivity" (MCS) will be declared a serious disability and signs now appearing at Access Board meetings will be mandatory in most public places. Some experts believe the allergic reaction to scents is a form of hysteria, genuinely discomforting to the sufferer but rooted in delusion. And there are those who say MCS is just another junk-science concoction promoted by power-seeking party poopers.