Barb Wilkie's EHN Website
Last updated 2008

Posted by permission and with EHN's heartfelt thanks! May the following help others gain accommodation in their workplace, schools, healthcare facilities, in their places of worship, on public transit, in government agencies ...

You will notice additional notes by me, indented, Italicized and/or in brackets, to distinguish them from the memo as received. -- barb; January 2001; links updated March 2008

We need your help. Our company has some employees who have severe allergic reactions to fragrances and colognes, to the point that it may be physically dehabilitating and serious. Our management team is requesting that [company name] employees refrain from the wearing of fragrances, scented aftershaves and perfumes whenever possible. We understand that we are asking you to give up a personal convenience and freedom. We appreciate your thoughtfulness and empathy for your fellow employees. If you would care to view research on the effects of fragrances on individual's health, here are some links. Thank you for all that you do.

• Examples of North American Organizations Which Support Scent-Free Environments
  http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/education/CASLE/examples.html

   

• Health Risks from Perfume: The Most Common Chemicals Found in
  Thirty-One Fragrance Products by a 1991 EPA Study
  http://www.immuneweb.org/articles/perfume.html

   

  [For latest stats regarding asthma and sinusitis on Julia Kendall's "Twenty Most ..." plus some of her other works, see The Work of Julia Kendall (1935 - 1997)
  http://ehnca.org/www/ehnhompg/kendall.htm. -- barb]

   

• One Reason for the Allergy Explosion and the Increase in Asthma
  http://ehnca.org/www/ehnhompg/albrob1.htm

   

• There are increasing complaints of perfumes and fragranced products causing or contributing to health problems such as asthma, migraines, and upper respiratory irritation.
  http://www.ameliaww.com/fpin/FAQ.htm

   

  [FYI: Betty Bridges, RN is now rebuilding her site with her new domain name FPINVA, which you'll be able to visit at http://www.fpinva.org. -- barb]

   

• Guidelines on Wearing Scented Products
  University of Waterloo, Indoor Air Quality
  "Scented products indoors can have an impact on health." http://www.safetyoffice.uwaterloo.ca/hse/hygiene/scent/scent_guidelines.htm

   

  • Allergies/Sensitivities and the UW Campus
    http://www.healthservices.uwaterloo.ca/occupationalhealth/allergies.html
    
    
  • We Share The Air posters
    "Disclaimer: This information is intended for use by the University of Waterloo's campus
    community. While the material contained may be reproduced by other individuals
    and organizations the University of Waterloo does not warrant its application to other
    campuses or workplaces. Comments are welcomed and may be directed to the Safety
    Office." Write: safety at uwaterloo.ca
    http://www.safetyoffice.uwaterloo.ca/hse/hygiene/scent/scented_posters.htm
    
    

     

• The Environmental Health Network of California Files Petition with the FDA
  Sample letter
  http://ehnca.org/www/FDApetition/sampletr.htm.

   

  [Full petition information plus analyses of six popular fragrances by one lab and an analysis of one of those six by a second lab, see http://ehnca.org/www/FDApetition/bkgrinfo.htm.   -- barb]

   

• Air Quality: Sustainability Plan for San Francisco
  "Research is increasingly showing links between these factors and human
  health. Particulates, VOCs, MVOCs and radon can have a negative impact
  on human health. Some of these impacts have short-term and reversible
  health effects, while others cause more serious, long-lasting and even
  life-threatening health effects. Health problems that may result from indoor
  air quality are classified as follows: ..."
  http://www.sustainable-city.org/Plan/Air/intro.htm

  [What was given was the following URL, but that had to have been in reference to Betty Bridges'
  OVERVIEW of the Fragrance Industry . . . at her old URL:
  http://www.ameliaww.com/fpin/overview.htm]

   

  At the above link, Mrs. Bridges presents an excellent overview of fragrances and how people
  are affected by those volatizing toxins.

  For more information about sustainability, see EHN's site, General Links, page S, Sustainability
  http://ehnca.org/www/ehnlinx/s.htm#Sustainability.   -- barb

   

• Potentiation of GABAA receptors expressed in Xenopus oocytes by perfume and phytoncid.
  http://grande.nal.usda.gov/ibids/index.php?mode2=detail&origin=ibids_references&therow=350358

   

  Results suggest perfume "...changes the frame of the human mind, as alcohol or tobacco does."
  So why are fragrance products allowed in healthcare facilities, schools, workplaces?-- barb

   

• Frequently Asked Questions:
  The issue of fragrances having an impact on health is often a controversial one. These are some of the questions that are frequently asked.
  Barb notes: That "controversy" is dreamed up by the petrochemical industry and its
  mouthpieces. There is no controversy when one really studies the toxins combined and released
  to market without substantiation of safety . . . and w/o an FDA WARNING LABEL. -- barb
  
  
  [I found the link given took us to another then online version of San Francisco's
  Air Quality plan ... and then my brain kicked into gear and I realized that FAQ was actually the
  work of Betty Bridges, RN. Let me re-direct you to her FAQ page, as it could help you.http://www.ameliaww.com/fpin/FAQ.htm

  This mistake explains, in my mind at least, why I could not find San Francisco's Air Quality Plan under Betty's site, as it was first referenced above.

  Folks, these are simple mistakes to make when your copy/paste tools don't work as you expect. I've been there, done that, although wished I hadn't. -- barb]

   

• We Salute You!
  ECHO (of Connecticut) Acknowledges organizations and businesses who have implemented a fragrance-free policy.
  http://echomcsct.homestead.com/WeSaluteYou.html

   

• Sweet Poison: What Your Nose Can't Tell You About the Dangers of Perfume
  http://members.aol.com/chemxpose/perfume.html