Clear the Air, Please!

A new public health hazard is going on in malls, live vendor shows, markets, work places, and in a variety of public places where children are present. What is this practice? Persons encouraged by their up-lines to spew fragrance particulates into the air infiltrating those in close proximity, without their permission. I have asked those partaking in fragrance spewing, not to spew fragrances through a plugged in device. I asked them to keep a lid on their products. They become defensive and state that they are spewing it anyway. I have noticed that many craft shows and flea markets are now prohibiting this practice due to complaints.

My last asthma medicine cost sixty-one dollars for an emergency inhaler that I need to use after being exposed to fragrance being spewed from devices that put particulates into the air. I believe since they contribute to asthma, they should contribute to the cost of my medicine.

I have been doing oils for years, somewhere around 17 years and do not have reactions. I do not, nor would I ever suggest that anyone spew fragrance particulates into the air. During many live shows I have found it necessary to move from my table to keep asthma attacks from happening. I have brought this to the perpetrators attention more than once. Young children start coughing walking by their table. Shoppers complain about the smell and still they persist. Managers of the events have been notified but their particulate spewing actions persist.

One would think with the decline of shoppers using on-line shopping as opposed to a live visit to a retail store that all stores, events, and malls would want to do everything possible to make it comfortable for all shoppers to visit. Maybe they don't care.

Is it any wonder why fragrance allergies are on the rise? Fragrance overuse is causing the last straw incidence to push sensitive people over the edge of healthy breathing. Some people develop hives with exposure. Some people develop headaches with exposure, while others develop sneezing, feeling dizzy, becoming sick to their stomach, and watering eyes. Misting fragrance particulates in to the air creates the atmosphere (literally) of a toxic brew to those with weakened immune systems, respiratory problems and allergies.

I have a problem with the "Fragrance Spewing Personnel" telling the general public their products cure everything from A - Z. This is scientifically hog-wash. According to the article "House of Cards: The Toxic Combination of Essential Oils and Multi-Level Marketing": very few distributors of MLM's see any money. The author states MLM companies can also charge prices that would never be sustainable in the open-market. According to the author, for example, one company sells 2 bottles of berry juice for nearly $100. Say What?

Now I know why I hear them telling shoppers if the product is not at least $25.00 it is not a good product. I sell perfume oil for $5.00 and going forward the essential oils I sell are now $10.00 due to the laboratory price increase. The old adage holds true: If there is a demand, the price will be increased for higher profits while the demand persists.

Clear the Air, Please!From WEBMD: Fragrance Allergies: A Sensory Assult

The use of fragrance in products is on the rise -- and so is the number of people affected by them. WebMD offers ways to protect yourself if you're sensitive to scents

By Colette Bouchez

Do any of these scenarios sound familiar?

You catch a whiff of a co-worker's new fragrance, and within minutes, you have a whopper of a headache.

You pop open that new bottle of dish-washing liquid, and by the time you've washed the pots and pans, your hands and arms are covered in hives.

You walk into a friend's home and smell freshly baked pumpkin pie. Only after you start sneezing uncontrollably and feeling dizzy, weak, and sick to your stomach do you learn she hasn't been baking -- she's been burning a scented candle.

Your favorite fashion magazine arrives, and as soon as it's out of the mailbox your eyes are watering and you're sneezing nonstop. The culprit: scented fragrance advertising inserts.

If this sounds like you, you may be one of a growing number of people with fragrance allergies or sensitivities that can have mild to severe health consequences.

"Scent sells. So not only are there definitely more fragranced products in the world, the fragrances themselves are also more complex. And for many people, repeated exposures can bring about a constellation of symptoms," says Tracie DeFreitas Saab, MS, a human factors consultant with the Job Accommodation Network at West Virginia University. DeFreitas frequently works with employers and employees on work environmental issues.

Those symptoms, she tells WebMD, can range from classic "allergic" reactions, such as sneezing, runny nose, and watery eyes; to headaches, inability to concentrate, and dizziness; to respiratory issues, such as breathing difficulties and wheezing; to skin reactions, such as itching, hives, and other rashes.

According to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), fragrances are considered the leading cause of cosmetic contact dermatitis. As a health problem, this sensitivity alone affects more than 2 million people, and studies suggest that sensitivity is on the rise.

(What do you do when faced with fragrance sensitivity or allergy? Talk with others on the Health Cafe board.)

Fragrances and Our World

Experts theorize that one reason fragrance allergies appear to be increasing is that fragrances themselves have become such a prominent part of our world. According to the AAD, some 5,000 different fragrances -- and countless other fragrance combinations -- are used in products today. And they can be a powerful, toxic brew.

I don't tell people that any oil cures anything, because it doesn't. I started doing oils around 17 years ago because I have allergies to many substances. Spewed particulates from three Multi-Level Marketing firms causes me to have asthma attacks and headaches. If they kept a lid on their products and did not SPEW them from a plugged-in device, I could probably tolerate their presence in close proximity to me, but not next to me.

I have asthma when I get close to "Candle Isles". I also have severe reactions to laundry and soap isles. One large grocery chain has the soap isle right across from the pharmacy. If I have to wait in line I leave until I can get in and out as quickly as possible. I have reactions from lawn & garden departments that cause me to have numb lips, asthma, dizziness, feeling lethargic and headaches that can last up to 24 hours after exposure. Some of the lawn and garden products have been cited as having carcenegous and toxic substances. Prior to 2016 these substances were banned from use where children are present. Since that time they are again allowed where children are present, like schools. These carcenegous and toxic substances are banned in Europe and many other countries. I have allergies to cosmetic make-up. I have allergic reactions to certain dyes. I wash everything before I wear it, sleep on it or have it next to my skin. I break out in hives when I use a razor with a "Soft Strip". I get asthma when scented trash bags are used. I have noticed that when a large chain forces out the competition there are no choices other than scented trash bags. Some cologne and perfumes bother me, but not all of them. Shea Butter causes me to have hives. I have called department and grocery stores to ask them to remove the obnoxious scented pine cones from their pharmacy area. It never ceases to amaze me how many stores put allergy causing products in close proximity to their pharmacies.

Why can't public places strive for clean, clear air? The Multi-Level Marketing Companies can do what they want at home. Don't expose children, older adults, those with sensitivities and those with respiratory problems with spewed particulates without their permission.

Public retail spaces should be clear of irritants in the air that cause breathing problems. The media cites equality for all. The same should apply for those with allergies, asthma, and respiratory problems, they are disabilities growing in vast numbers by leaps and bounds.