A new public health hazard is occurring in shopping malls, live vendor shows, markets, workplaces, and in a variety of public places where children are present. What is this practice? People encouraged by their uplines to spew fragrance particles into the air that infiltrate their vicinity, without their permission. I have asked those who participate in fragrance spewing not to spew fragrance through a plugged in device. I asked them to keep a check on their products. They get defensive and claim they are throwing it up anyway. I have noticed that many craft fairs and flea markets now prohibit this practice due to complaints.
My last asthma medication cost $61 for an emergency inhaler that I need to use after being exposed to the fragrance of airborne particulate devices. I think that since they contribute to asthma, they should contribute to the cost of my medication.
I have been making oils for years, around 17 years and have no reactions. I do not and would never suggest that anyone throw fragrance particles into the air. During many live shows, I have realized that it is necessary to move from my table to prevent asthma attacks from occurring. I have brought this to the attention of the perpetrators more than once. Young children begin to cough as they walk past your table. Buyers complain about the smell and it still lingers. Event managers have been notified, but their particle launch actions persist.
With the decline in shoppers using online shopping instead of a live visit to a retail store, you’d think every store, event, and mall would want to do everything possible to make it convenient for all shoppers to visit. Maybe they don’t care.
Is it any wonder why fragrance allergies are on the rise? Excessive use of fragrances is causing the latest incident pushing sensitive people to the brink of healthy breathing. Some people develop hives on exposure. Some people develop headaches on exposure, while others develop sneezing, dizziness, upset stomach, and watery eyes. The misting of airborne fragrance particles creates the atmosphere (literally) of a toxic concoction for those with weakened immune systems, respiratory problems, and allergies.
I have a problem with “Fragrance Spitting Staff” telling the general public that their products cure everything from A to Z. This is scientifically nonsense. According to the article “House of Cards: The Toxic Combination of Essential Oils and Multi-Level Marketing”: Very few MLM distributors see any money. The author claims that MLM companies can also charge prices that would never be sustainable on the open market. According to the author, for example, a company sells 2 bottles of berry juice for almost $100. What what?
Now I know why I hear them tell buyers that if the product isn’t at least $25.00, it’s not a good product. I sell perfume oil for $5.00 and going forward the essential oils I sell now are $10.00 due to lab price increase. The old adage is true: if there is demand, the price will rise to earn higher profits while demand persists.
Clear the air, please! From WEBMD: Fragrance Allergies: A Sensory Attack
The use of fragrances in products is on the rise, as is the number of people affected by them. WebMD offers ways to protect yourself if you are sensitive to odors
By Colette Bouchez
Do any of these scenarios sound familiar?
You catch a whiff of a coworker’s new fragrance, and within minutes, you have a massive headache.
You open that new bottle of dishwashing 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 house and smell freshly baked pumpkin pie. It’s only after you start sneezing uncontrollably and feel dizzy, weak, and nauseated that you realize you haven’t been baking, but rather burning a scented candle.
Your favorite fashion magazine arrives, and as soon as you take it out of the mailbox your eyes water and you sneeze non-stop. The culprit: advertising inserts for scented fragrances.
If this sounds familiar, you may be one of the growing number of people with fragrance allergies or sensitivities that can have mild to serious health consequences.
“Scent sells. So not only are there definitely more scented products in the world, fragrances themselves are also more complex. And for many people, repeated exposures can lead to a constellation of symptoms,” says Tracie DeFreitas Saab, MS , a human. Consulting factors with the West Virginia University Job Accommodation Network. DeFreitas frequently works with employers and employees on workplace environmental issues.
Those symptoms, he tells WebMD, can range from classic “allergic” reactions, like sneezing, a runny nose, and watery eyes; to headaches, inability to concentrate and dizziness; respiratory problems, such as shortness of breath 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 concern, 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 a fragrance sensitivity or allergy? Talk to others on the Health Cafe dashboard.)
Fragrances and Our World
Experts theorize that one reason fragrance allergies seem to be on the rise is that fragrances themselves have become such a big part of our world. According to the AAD, some 5,000 different fragrances, and countless other combinations of fragrances, are used in products today. And they can be a powerful and toxic concoction.
I don’t tell people that any oil will cure anything, because it doesn’t. I started making oils about 17 years ago because I have allergies to many substances. Particles spewed out by three multi-level marketing companies give me asthma attacks and headaches. If they kept a lid on their products and not SPEED 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 go near “Candle Isles”. I also have severe reactions to isles of washing and soap. A large supermarket chain has the soap island just opposite the pharmacy. If I have to wait in line, I get out until I can get in and out as quickly as possible. I have reactions from the lawn and garden departments causing numbness of the 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 containing carcinogens and toxic substances. Before 2016, the use of these substances was prohibited in the presence of children. They have since been allowed again where children are present, such as schools. These carcinogenic and toxic substances are banned in Europe and many other countries. I am allergic to cosmetic makeup. 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 get hives when using a razor with a “soft strip”. I get asthma when using scented garbage bags. I’ve noticed that when a big chain drives out the competition, there’s no choice but scented trash bags. Some colognes and perfumes bother me, but not all. Shea butter gives me hives. I have called department and grocery stores to ask them to remove the nasty scented pineapples from their pharmacy area. It never ceases to amaze me how many stores put allergy-causing products near their pharmacies.
Why can’t public places aspire to clean and clear air? Multilevel Marketing Companies can do whatever they want at home. Do not expose children, the elderly, people with sensitivities and people with respiratory problems with particles thrown without their permission.
Public commercial spaces must be free of airborne irritants that cause respiratory problems. The media cites equality for all. The same should apply to people with allergies, asthma and respiratory problems, these are disabilities that are growing in number by leaps and bounds.