On Fragrance Chemicals & Asthma

[Guest guest]

Got this from: http://www.supernet.net/~jackibar/scents.html

I found it interesting that fragrances enter the bloodstream in the same

manner as essential oils - which are by far the best perfumes to wear - if

they are unadulterated pure oils. I also use them in spray mists for room

deoderizers and air fresheners. I use vinegar & water (half & half) for all

furniture dusting, and Lemon essential oil for polishing. My son has no

adverse reaction to them, and no attacks.

Ruth

ICQ# 6883034

rrathbun@...

By the way, another little side note: It's not cats that cause asthma

attacks - it's the kitty litter. And air fresheners are used heavily by

smokers, so what really causes children of smoking parents to get more

asthma?

ASTHMA AND FRAGRANCE CHEMICALS

Toluene was detected in every fragrance sample collected by the

Environmental Protection Agency for a report in 1991: " Toluene was most

abundant in the auto parts store, as well as the fragrance sections of the

department store. "

Toluene not only triggers asthma attacks - it is known to cause asthma in

previously healthy people. According to " Air Currents " , publication of

and Handsbury's Respiratory Institute, division of Glaxo, Inc., asthma has

increased in the past decade by 31%, and in the same period asthma deaths

have increased by 31%. Women and those over 65 suffer the highest death rate

for asthma.

72% of asthma patients in a study have adverse reactions to perfumes; i.e.,

pulmonary function tests dropping anywhere between 18% and 58% below

baseline (from " Affects of Odors in Asthma, " Chang Shim, MD and M. Henry

, MD, American Journal of Medicine, January, 1986 Vol. 80)

Toluene-laced fragrance industry chemical products have become increasingly

pervasive in the last ten years - used not only in perfumes, but also in

furniture wax, tires, plastic garbage bags, inks, hairgel, hairspray, and

kitty litter. A Danish toxicological journal, " Ugeskr Laegar " , Vol 153, ISS

13, 1991, p. 939-40, found perfume in kitty litter to be the cause of asthma

in humans.

SYMPTOMS PROVOKED BY FRAGRANCES INCLUDE: watery or dry eyes, double vision,

sneezing, nasal congestion, sinusitis, tinnitus, ear pain, dizziness,

vertigo, coughing, bronchitis, difficulty breating, difficulty swallowing,

asthma, anaphylaxis, headaches, seizures, fatigue, confusion,

disorientation, incoherence, short-term memory loss, inability to

concentrate, nausea, lethargy, anxiety, irritability, depression, mood

swings, restlessness, rashes, hives, eczema, flushing, muscle and joint

pain, muscle weakness, irregular heart beat, hypertension, swollen lymph

glands, and more. (Candida Research and Information Foundation, Perfume

Survey, Winter 1989-90)

Addendum:

No agency regulates the fragrance industry. According to Baily, Phd,

Director, Colors and Cosmetics, FDA, " The fragrance and cosmetic industry is

the least-regulated industry. There is no pre-clearing of chemicals with any

agency. "

The FDA has suggested the best method " to protect sufferers from odor

sensitivities might be to curtail odor exposures under specific

circumstances through local or state regulatory action. "

[Guest guest]

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>rrathbun@...

>By the way, another little side note: It's not cats that cause asthma

>attacks - it's the kitty litter.

Now, I shall have to draw the line here....with all due respect to the

writer and the source, this is simply NOT the case. I have read many books

on asthma and have had it for 20 years. Most cat allergies are caused by

the cat....not the hair or fur, per se, but the dander that is in the urine

and that flakes off dead skin under the fur. And one book has gone so far

as to say, and I quote, " There is no such thing as a hypoallergenic cat " . I

suppose that is to divest us of the notion that hairless cats would be

non-allergenic ....no doubt most people, as I once did, believe that cat

HAIR is the problem, when apparently, it is not.

Rayna