Published on 12, July, 2020
Hyper-sensory children can feel chemical scents, not just smell them, as a painful reaction in the gut, they can become asthmatic from off-gassing emissions or a combination of particulates naked to the eye. They can suffer neurological problems and feel assaulted by perfumes, cleaning agents, wood glue, paint, plug-ins and candles.
I happened across a company who spells out why Chemically designed scents are toxic. Thought this would be a great resource! There is also a link at the bottom of the page with a wealth of research papers involved.
https://oneseedperfumes.com/blogs/news/world-environment-day-why-your-perfume-may-be-polluting-more-than-your-car
An excerpt:
HEALTH EFFECTS OF PETROCHEMICAL VOCS
VOCs (Volatile organic compounds) interact with sunlight and other particles in the air to create the building blocks of smog, namely ozone, which can trigger asthma and permanently scar the lungs, and are linked to heart attacks, strokes and lung cancer. Air pollution has also been linked to dementia and restricted brain development in children. According to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), immediate health effects include headaches, eye, nose and throat irritation, loss of coordination, asthma exacerbation and nausea.
Research suggests that 35% of us experience intolerance or allergic reactions to synthetic perfumes, such as migraines, headaches, breathing problems, asthma and anxiety.
Harmful VOCs are not always immediately toxic, but have compounding long-term health effects which develop slowly. Possible longer-term effects include liver, kidney, and central nervous system damage, and cancer.
Exposure to air pollution is the fifth ranking human health risk factor globally, after malnutrition, dietary risks, high blood pressure, and tobacco. A recent study suggests that adverse human health effects occur below current U.S. standards for ‘safe’ emissions, so our reliance on 'safe standards' of pollution is not actually protecting our health or the environment.
FRAGRANCE EMISSIONS VS VEHICLE EMISSIONS
Even though fifteen times more petroleum is consumed as fuel than is used as ingredients in industrial and consumer products, the amount of chemical vapours emitted to the atmosphere in scented products is roughly the same, VOCs emitted from petrochemicals products like perfumes, paint, pesticides and glues now contribute to half of fossil fuel VOC emissions in thirty-three industrialised cities.
...It might be wise first to assess your use of synthetic fragrance (think perfume, candles, air fresheners and anything synthetically else scented).
Yes, our rivers are so polluted that in 2019, not one of the 4769 rivers,streams and lakes assessed by the Environment Agency met the legal water quality standards to receive "good" chemical status! These findings were published and reported in 2020.
Preventing the continued release of harmful substances into our waterways from domestic wastewater as well as from industrial discharge and agriculture should be a priority.
NAS79256 said:When I walk near my local beck, there is a discharge into it from the local sewage treatment plant... and what can you smell for hundreds or yards in the direction that the wind is blowing? Not pooh, but fabric conditioner and washing powder!
I can also smell artificial laundry smells when I walk near the local river. I think it must be from industry. Our rivers are so polluted, and it's changing what can grow there.
I can relate to everything you say! I also find them overwhelming and distressing and don't understand how other people think they smell good. I also get headaches and feel nauseous if I am forced to inhale them. I do think however that we smell them as they actually are, whereas they have become desensitised to them. I suppose we are all smelling the same thing but our brains interpret them differently. Smells happen at maximum volume to me too - it is very distracting - and I have not yet learnt to control my emotional response to them. If anything, it is getting worse. My favorite smell in all the world is just "fresh air" and it is sadly so hard to find!
It has been very clear to me for a long time that synthetic fragrances are harmful. It is not just that they smell horrible and make me feel unwell, it is also that they are getting stronger and stronger and more and more persistent in the environment. They are carefully designed and chemically engineered to be "unstoppable!", and they are!
I don't want this stuff on my skin, where it will penetrate into my bloodstream, any more than I want to breathe it in, where it will also enter my bloodstream via my lungs. People just don't realise, they think it is just a "smell" (which they can not smell very well apparently, my theory is that they have damaged their senses of smell through overuse of these products), and that it ends there. It doesn't. A "smell" is a physical substance that you inhale, which passes into your body. These things should not be in our blood, in our tissues and organs!
I just don't understand how widespread the use of synthetic fragrances has become, when they are so unappealing in every way imaginable! They are almost impossible to escape. When I go in my garden I can be so assaulted by smells from people's washing, shower gels and perfumes etc (in addition to cigarette smoke, traffic fumes and fumes from all the petrol machinery that men so love to use) that I often can not smell the fresh air. How ironic that so many of the sources of noxious chemical odours are adorned with pictures of nature and given names such as "spring fresh" and "heavenly blossoms"!
When I walk near my local beck, there is a discharge into it from the local sewage treatment plant... and what can you smell for hundreds or yards in the direction that the wind is blowing? Not pooh, but fabric conditioner and washing powder! Doubtless too, those nightmarish "scent booster" things that are in plastic bottles in the laundry aisle of supermarkets, that people add on TOP of all their detergents and softeners just to make the situation worse. No wonder so many people have asthma now!
It terrifies me when I think of the scale of the problem all across the world and enrages me when I think of how unnecessary it is. I believe that it is capitalism that has done this, playing on people's doubts and insecurities (and their need to be the same as everyone else to be accepted in society) in order to create a market for something that people do not actually need but now can not seem to live without.
We need fresh air, clean water and healthy soil, capable of sustaining life. We do not need to be showered with all this synthetic junk. In my opinion it should all be banned with immediate effect. We can't leave it up to people to choose whether or not to use these products, we simply need to stop manufacturing and selling it. The majority of the population love it and care not one bit whether or not it is harmful to them or the environment. It is actually really upsetting!
oh yes, I agree
I've been telling people for years, that what we inhale in cities is worse than smoking cigarettes
Many people with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have difficulty in perceiving everyday sensory information, such as problems with hearing, seeing, and smelling. This is commonly referred to as sensory integration disorder or sensory sensitivity disorder. Such a problem can have a very profound effect on all aspects of a person's life. And yes, these children are sensing perfume molecules that can lead to the disorder. I often buy perfume at https://www.decantx.com but choose pure white fragrances. They don't cause us reactions.
I lost my sense of smell at an early age, due to poor personal hygiene. Therefore, I went the opposite direction.
I do use Shea Butter on my face, after coming back from a shave. Also, I have two bars of lavender soap; from Holland and Barrett.
I despise all perfumes and aftershaves and spray-on deodorants and air fresheners so much. They give me headaches and make me feel unwell. I don't know how much of that is the nocebo effect, but regardless, to me they smell awful - artificial chemical smells that are obnoxiously strong. I find them really overwhelming and get distressed when I have to be near someone wearing them.
I don't understand how anyone thinks they smell good. Are they smelling something different to me? I know there's a thing where your body eventually stops reporting on a smell that's been there a while, so maybe people aren't aware how strong their own perfume is, but I find that doesn't happen for me. All smells are always happening at maximum volume for me, and it's so distracting.
I worked all my working life in laboratories and have worked with lots of organic solvents, including chloroform, phenol and stuff that smells like rotting fish (trimethylamine), but some perfumes smell even worse!
It sounds like you should do the research. Post your findings here. As per this post, air quality and particulates DO have an affect on humans, but it might take an autistic to put all this together.
Yes - and bicarb. is cheap too. I haven’t tried Dr Bonners - i will investigate! I think at least 85% of what you find in supermarkets is basically bad for you in one form or another. The problem is that they can make more money from selling people toxic and unhealthy rubbish.
Yes Desmond.
I'm shutting up. Take care xx
Chemtrails.
I can't help thinking they are poisoning us. I'm super sensitive to everything. Some say it's a super power but I feel I'm not taken seriously...a conspiracy theorist.
Yes I am but it's scary to mention incase people think you are a weirdo. I watched planes this morning hazing up the sky...I couldn't breath well today.
I'm unclear here what you're inferring. Would love to know all of the thoughts around this! Are you referring to air pollution?
No body is looking into the sky.
Same - with these cleaning products. Eco Zero is the only laundry liquid I've found that doesn't wreck my gut. Dr Bronners is nice find for hand soap and all purpose cleaning. But who knew bicarbonate of soda could clean... literally everything.
I wear Creed Aventus. Yes i do bubble up and start melting but the look on their faces when i go into anaphylactic shock is worth it.
I am so sensitive to artificial scents. Even when outside if someone walks past me I can smell their soap or cologne - and it’s really unpleasant to me. At home (where possible) we use more natural cleaning products like white vinegar, Bicarbonate of Soda and essential oils. The amount of strong chemicals people use in the home is staggering - really toxic liquids that they spray all over the place. And weedkiller and pesticides in the garden too. Really not healthy at all.