Using Common Scents

NEA Today, Apr 2006

While we may enjoy the way some personal products smell, like perfumed body sprays and aftershaves, exposure to too many can trigger sinus problems and asthma attacks-both to users and the people around them.

Fragrances are usually just an unknown "cocktail of chemicals," says Stacy Malkan of Health Care Without Harm (www.hcwh.org), which recently brought 72 popular body products, including hair sprays and deodorants, into a lab to analyze their contents. Most items tested-including all of the fragrances-contained phthalates, which are associated with serious birth defects. Japan and the European Union already have phthalates bans in place, but legislation in the United States has lagged, allowing companies to protect ingredients as trade secrets. The NEA Health Information Network is collecting data about fragrances and modes of application that cause problems for NEA members and encourages you to fill out a questionnaire at www.neahealthinfo.org/programs/environmental/iaq.htm.