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ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECT AND HEALTH RISK OF FRAGRANCE AND PERFUMES |
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The use of fragrances and perfumes is almost a part of the normal daily living of humans with different products coming with varying flavours, sizes and shapes. They are designed to add a ?pleasant? scent to the air (food smells in shopping malls and floral scents in stores), cover up poor air quality and insufficient fresh air ventilation (odours, cigarette smoke, exhaust, pesticides, mould, and chemicals outgassing from furniture, carpet, drywalls, equipment, cleaning products, etc. The use of Misleading ?brainwashing? advertising words such as: floral, natural flavour, hypoallergenic, natural scent and the name of flowers make you think the product is safe to use when it may not be. Some unscented and fragrance free products contain masking fragrance to cover up the smell of other ingredients. Despite the widespread, constant exposure to fragrance chemicals, including the unknown number of them in thousands of products, there is minimal government regulation and monitoring on their safety. Fragrance manufacture is a boom industry and one which is still on the increase. Thousands of tons of synthetic fragrance are produced each year but with very few legislative restrictions are imposed.
A Norwegian study found synthetic musk fragrance compounds in outdoor air, even in a remote area. Fragrances are dispensed through ventilation systems and individual units in many public areas, including airplanes and buildings (offices, restaurants, hotels, airports, hospitals, nursing homes, etc. Every year more and more commonly used chemicals are found to be hormone disrupters, and it is presently unknown what percentage of the hundreds of fragrance chemicals has these properties. Fragrances often contain large amounts of phthalates, a group of toxic chemicals that are known oestrogen and testosterone hormone disrupters. Phthalates are used to impart an oily moisturizing film to help dissolve and fix other ingredients in fragrances. Adult humans are reported to absorb up to 60% of products directly applied to the skin. Toxins in perfumes and other body products absorbed through our skin typically end up in our bloodstream and are transported to our organs. Some even suggest that synthetic fragrance has more in common with diesel fumes than natural scent. This is because they are showing all the tell-tale signs of persistent organic pollutants they are volatile compounds, produced in enormous numbers, which bio-accumulate, do not readily break down in the environment, and are being found stored in the fat of animals – including that of humans. Many of them are hormone-disrupters, carcinogens, and cause harm to the aquatic environment, where they are found in increasing numbers.
There is wide cause for concern as to the health of those who use them. Studies have shown that the synthetic fragrance chemicals are being found in breast milk, with one comparison study measuring levels as having increased five fold in the last ten years alone.
Up to 100 chemicals may be used in an average perfume, most of which are petro-chemicals i.e. derivatives of the petroleum industry with many suspected to be harmful. In 2004, Pat Thomas from the ?Ecologist? magazine analysed a typical and well-selling fragrance product, listing the ingredients and possible effects of the chemicals used.
In conclusion, a variety of fragrance-free products are available in the market place just make the effort and read the labels carefully. If you cannot pronounce the ingredients, don?t buy it. People have power and can force manufacturers to change and offer fragrance free products. REFERENCES.
http://lauratrotta.com/the-health-and-environmental-impacts-of-wearing-perfume/
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/toxic-effects-of-perfume.html
http://www.pollutionissues.co.uk/synthetic-fragrances-environment.html
http://healthimpactnews.com/2013/is-your-perfume-poison/
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15 Comments
Thank you very much for this @Olasayo and @Diamond. @Saika, thanks to you too, please I would like to know more about the 'attar' fragrance you talked about.
Posted 21-08-2016 22:51
Very many of us cause problems for ourselves through what we buy and use with our money.
We need to sensitize the people the need to be aware of the side effects of perfumes and other hydrocarbon derivatives that they use and provide alternatives.
Posted 19-08-2016 09:43
Okay I'll take your advice and informed others.
Posted 19-08-2016 06:20
yes that's so true! perfumes have adverse effects on human as well as environment. I don't use any perfumes or deodorant because of allergic effect on skin. I only use 'Attar',so much natural with beautiful fragrance works the same as the perfumea do and also ecofriendly. :-) Thanks to share your information.
Posted 19-08-2016 06:20
Olamide, your artilce caught my attention right away :) Haha I don't really use perfume but I think it's still important to know about this to inform other perfume users... (to be honest I can just tell it releases bad chemicals into the air- ugh how I hate the perfume smell! haha) Thank you for your imformative article! It was very interesting to read :)
Posted 18-08-2016 13:11
Thanks for sharing the interesting article Olamide
Posted 18-08-2016 09:19
Thank you Adam and my very good friend, Joshua. I hope you still have projects for me @Joshua.
Posted 17-08-2016 21:47
First of all, I love the suggestion on if we don't know how to pronounce the names of ingredients, we shouldn't use it. Simple, easy to remember, and sure to be of good use.
On another note, this is also a huge case for other similar products such as detergents, for one. Perfumes is a good place to start campaigning with due to its wide spread usage, but we should also spread the news on other chemicals. Thank you for such a well written report.
Posted 17-08-2016 19:28
Good report! You are right, not so many people know about perfumes. I know wealthy people can use up to about 3 different brands of perfumes at a time. The effect is not acute usually but chronic and it accumulates into huge health problems. It even increases air pollution at a point in time. Thanks!
Posted 17-08-2016 08:47
Not many people are aware of the potential risks of using perfumes and fragrances. Thank you all for your warm comments. Peter, Arushi, Clyde, Yvonne and Minjoo, you guys are the best. I love y'all.
Posted 17-08-2016 03:02
Thanks for sharing useful information to perfume lovers like I.
Posted 17-08-2016 02:33
Thanks for an interesting article. You are absolutely right that everyone fancies perfumessome even spend hefty amount to go for the branded, expensive ones while others go for affordable ones. Not only that, many expatriates while going back to their home country during vacation, buy perfumes as gifts in large quantities. Perfumes have chemicals which are harmful not only for environment but also for our own health. Infact chemicals used in such products are one of the main reasons of increasing carbon emission and depletion in ozone layer.
Posted 17-08-2016 02:17
This is an interesting piece.
Posted 16-08-2016 22:30
Thanks for the post Olamide. It's always good to know what you're buying.
Posted 16-08-2016 21:28
Olamide, thanks for informing us about the potential danger that fragrance and perfume has. As being one of the perfume lovers, it surprised me that there are a lot of chemicals that are not yet proved to be safe. Thanks for sharing!
Posted 16-08-2016 20:32