Fragrance Sensitivity- When Smells Hurt!
They're popping up everywhere: fragrance-free alternatives to health and beauty products, cleaning solutions, air fresheners, even laundry detergents and fabric softeners. It isn't necessarily because people dislike the waft of a hazy tropical, cherry blossom, or clean linen scent. It's actually because an increasing number of the general population are reporting their sensitivity to some of these chemically manufactured scents. Sensitivities that are causing very real symptoms that can trigger reactions ranging from slight discomfort to life-threatening emergencies.
It can be difficult to see the potential harm that can come from what we personally might consider an inoffensive luxury. But when you consider how much a fragrance allergy impacts the everyday life of some people, you might begin to understand their frustration, their emotional stress, even their physical pain at the general lack of understanding they often face when out in public—including in the workplace. [Read this article to learn how fragrance sensitivity has been classified as a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act.]
For this post, we interviewed Amy who faces extreme health challenges on a daily basis because of her fragrance allergy. Her personal account is both sobering and enlightening.
How She's Affected
We asked Amy what exposure to scented products does to her. Her response was that it immediately brings on a range of dangerous physical reactions often also reported by other sufferers:
wheezing and chest/lung pain and worsening asthma attacks
relentless bouts of coughing that sometimes lead to vomiting
bronchitis and pleurisy
exhaustion after an episode (which can understandably last on into the next day)
debilitating migraines
And those are just the respiratory reactions. Research shows that some people also experience moderate to severe skin allergy symptoms such as dermatitis, an inflammation of the skin that often presents as an itchy red rash.
But the effects are not only physical for Amy. The way her body reacts brings emotional distress as well. A simple trip to the store, a family outing, a social event with friends--all require planning, heavy medication beforehand, and the knowledge that the duration of time outside the safety of one's own sanitized home will be very limited.
To someone not affected by a fragrance allergy, it may hardly seem worth the effort to leave home at all. But to someone who lives with such a life-altering allergy, those coveted moments of normalcy can make all the difference in the world.
And speaking of normalcy…
How She Manages
Amy lives on what can only be described as "high alert" all the time. Safeguarding herself and her health is first and foremost. From donning a protective face mask when out in public, to using (and sometimes making her own) natural soaps, lotions, and personal care products in private, Amy has learned how to navigate this loss of functionality. Even with her best efforts, though, it doesn't always work. And it's tiring--even sad, Amy admits.
But the responsibility doesn't have to fall only to those living with these allergies. With some forethought and education, all of us can contribute to making life easier and more comfortable for those whose allergies make it difficult to simply exist and live among us.
Listening to the voiced concerns of people who suffer, taking their health issues seriously, then educating ourselves on what we can personally do is key. That extends to the workplace--familiarizing ourselves with office policy regarding the use of scents and abiding by whatever reasonable accommodations our employer has seen fit to put in place to make the shared work space healthy for everyone.
Depending upon the severity of the person’s condition, it may not fully take away what ails them. But working together to lessen their discomfort shows major sensitivity on our part.
Written By: Chela Hardy and Leeta Harlem