On May 22, Pittsburg ,
Pennsylvania will celebrate “Fragrance Free
Day,” following the lead of cities like Las
Vegas
God has filled this world with a variety of pleasant-smelling flowers, foods, and other natural delights. Today, however, the word "fragrance" generally refers to synthetic concoctions found in consumer products. An article entitled Scents and Sensitivity, originally published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, notes that an estimated 3,000 chemicals or more are used in the manufacture of fragrances, A single fragrance may contain several hundred of these.
- The National Academy of Sciences reports that 95% of chemicals used in fragrances are derived from petroleum.
- Many of these chemicals are known to cause
cancer, central nervous system disorders, allergic reactions, and birth
defects.
- A large percentage (84%) of fragrance chemicals
have been tested only minimally for human toxicity, or have never been
tested at all.
- Some of the chemicals found in fragrances have been designated as hazardous waste.
- The fragrance industry isn't regulated by any
agency.
Synthetic fragrances saturate our
culture for many reasons. One is that
olfactory fatigue (the inability to detect an odor after prolonged exposure to
it) leads people to continually increase the amount of fragrance they use.
Fragranced products are also the rule rather than the exception because
manufacturers add synthetic perfumes to cover the smell of other chemicals in
the formulations.
It's unfortunate that being
fragrance-free in our culture takes some intentionality, but it's worth the
effort. Every personal fragrance-free
day contributes to better health for everyone.
Every purchase of a fragrance-free product also sends a message to
producers and distributors. Let's send
the message. Let's take this seriously.
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