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).
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 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!