Healthy Homes Asia

It seems these days everyone and everything has a fragrance.

People spray all parts of themselves liberally with some form of scent, including perfume, deodorant, mouthwash and more.

Our homes, cars, offices and shops are filled with dozens of smells oozing from personal, cleaning and laundry products and an overwhelming range of deodorizers.

This means that every day, we are exposed to hundreds of chemicals used to scent these products.

Our exposure is not limited to what is personally used. Fragrance chemicals are volatile and get into the air quickly. Each time we breath, fragrance from each scented item used by each person enters our lungs…

Today, most fragrance chemicals are synthetic compounds synthesized from petroleum products, or byproducts of other industries such as turpentine.

These chemicals are used because they are readily available and cheap.

Most fragrances synthesized in a laboratory have only been in widespread use in the last few decades and have been tested very little. Material safety data sheets and chemical information on these chemicals often state:

THE CHEMICAL, PHYSICAL, AND TOXICOLOGICAL PROPERTIES HAVE NOT BEEN THOROUGHLY INVESTIGATED.

These chemicals are known to be skin sensitizers, skin irritants, and respiratory irritants. They are used in products applied to the skin and their very function is to be inhaled for their odor qualities.

Fragrance chemicals are often heat, light, and air sensitive. They break down in the air and often the resulting chemicals are more toxic than the original compound.

These chemicals can also combine with others in the air to form totally new compounds. So what is in the air is constantly changing.

The safety of fragrance chemicals has not been established individually, even less information is available on the effects of combinations of sometimes hundreds of different substances.

We have used natural (plant or animal) sources to generate fragrances for a much longer time and so know much ore about their beneficial and negative effects. Obviously toxic natural materials have been eliminated from use over the centuries.

However, there is no legal definition for ‘natural’ and no guarantee that just because it is made of natural materials it is safe. A range of factors other than the source of the materials determine safety.

How much of the increasing incidence of asthma, migraines, allergies, and other illness today has been triggered by perfumed products?

Fragrance is considered a trade secret and so companies are not required to list the many synthetic chemical compounds they contain. So you can’t even check to avoid what you know is harmful.

What if all you needed to do to create a more nurturing environment for you and your family was to

• Be aware of the potentially harmful ingredients commonly used in soaps, shampoos, moisturizers and other personal care products, including in those labeled ‘gentle for baby’
• Take a list of these ingredients with you when you go shopping to make sure you don’t buy products containing them, and
• Identify companies committed to using only safer, effective ingredients, and use only their products.
• Invite your local shops to add more chemical free food and non-toxic personal care products to their shelves. In some countries you'll need to take a magnifying glass with you to read the labels!

Would that be easy? Give it a go. See what a difference YOU can make.

Read more at The Fragranced Products Information Network a grassroots organisation established in 1997 to provide information and education on the dangers of our highly scented world.

by Dr Samuel Epstein -  This highly regarded qualified medical expert speaks out about this product hazard, and gives some guidelines for meaningful protective action. This book is a transparent truth of the consumer industry.

Enter your email below and we'll send you our free multi-lingual pocket guides of ingredients to avoid in food, personal care/ beauty/ household products, so you can make the safest choice for you and your family.

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