2 Nov 1999

Dockets Management Branch
The Food and Drug Administration
Department of Health and Human Services, Rm. 1-23
12420 Parklawn Dr.
Rockville, MD 20857

by email: fdadockets@oc.fda.gov

Dear Sirs,

I am writing in regards to Docket Number 99P-1340/CP 1, the petition to declare Calvin Klein's Eternity eau de perfum "misbranded."

Fragrances, as cigarette smoke once was, is all pervasive in our society. Worse, since people wear scented products, be they perfumes or colognes, or fragranced hair products, after shave preparations, dry cleaned clothing, and use air fresheners in places where cigarette smoking was never allowed, those of us who are adversely affected by the chemicals found in these products are forced to withdraw from family, friends, the workplace, doctor's appointments, school, and society in general. When we are forced into contact with people, we suffer an amazing array of symptoms.

In my case, I get asthma-like attacks (despite not having asthma): wheezing, burning throat, burning and gummy eyes, and burning nose, often losing my voice within a few seconds of exposure. I have to carry a filtration mask around with me so that I can slip it on when someone walks by or I have to go into someplace where fragrance is in the air. I can't walk through a mall because of what people are wearing and stores are selling. Movies and concerts are equally risky; being as expensive as they are, I can't afford to take a chance of having to leave shortly after the film or concert begins because someone walks in with a fragrance even my mask can't sufficiently filter. Along with the mask not being terribly comfortable, I am also faced with having to deal with people's reactions to my wearing masks: glares, snickers, and parents yanking their children away. It also tends to put off customers when I try to wait on them when wearing a mask because of a fragrance they or someone else in the store is wearing. I, at least, am one of the lucky ones: fragrances do not trigger seizures in me, and it is legal to wear a mask in California. In many states, it is illegal to wear a mask, even if medically necessary, and people in all states are literally collapsing from seizures and paralysis.

Just as the public was taught the dangers of smoking through health reports and labeling on packages, so, too, does the public need to know about the dangers of fragrances, both to the wearer and to those around them. Please: require warning labels on ALL perfumes that have not been extensively tested for systemic effects as well as skin testing.

Melissa Kaplan

Health can be snatched away at the rate of parts per billion. -- Nicholas Ashford