One person’s scent is another person’s headache

I am impressed by human eye information within this website. Several of fantastic resources in this case. I am sure I might visit this particular place again soon.

That you are definitely a substantial writer. You absolutely find out how to write and keep the target audience engaged

I don't ordinarily comment but I gotta say thankyou for the post on this special one : D.

I live in Northern California, after over 25 years of residence in my home, a neighboring property was sold and re sold many times, currently being owned by some investor.

For the past 11 months our property which is to the east of the investor owned property, has been filled , perminated without warning with the chemical odor of laundry EXHAUST vapor, so bad that I cannot even set in my yard. At times the vapors saturate the interior of my home.

I have contacted all government resources, by phone, in writing, and currently for the last 90 days I have been living with a friend, because the health side effects, burning eyed , chemical taste, and headakes, were un tolorable. I had to seek RELIEF.

Now that I have RELIEF, I suffer loss of use, property and loss of value.

The Neighbor complained that my hedges were over grown. The City government acted immideatly charging NUNANCE.

Yet that same city government asserts that DRYER EXHAUST is not a NUNANCE. Which forces me to breath very poluted air and that acording to toxocology study contains very hazerdous substances.

The government reconizes the rights of corporate investors over individual citizen ?

This means that individual rights no longer exist. One cannot be secure from poison vapors propelled by another individual into one own private property ?

California continually ignores individual rights in favor of what is termed "for the benifit of the majority". That seems very odd, due to such continuing action over many decades allows one group to assume authority over any individual forcing breach of the federal constitution.

If there is any attorney that can help me PLEASE CONTACT ME, AT CURRENT TIME THERE IS NOT ONE OUT OF 146 CALLS TO ATTORNEYS WHICH WILL PROSITCUIT THE MANY VIOLATIONS OF LAW BEING PERPITRATED AGAINST MY SELF AND MY PROPERTY. ALL ASSERT, CORPORATE RIGHTS OVER INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS.

Shellie, no need to go to HR because of me. I asked another coworker whether she could smell my perfume. She had to stand so close that I thought she was going to kiss me before she thought she smelled my perfume. Everyone in our office uses scented candles and lotions and body wash, so there can be other issues besides the scent. I am not the reason for you to go to HR.
I do know that there was one instance when I had had a hot flash and it was my deodorant that was noticed, since I had not used perfume that day. Shouldn't there be a little sympathy for those of us dealing with menopause? The woman asked me what in the world I was wearing (blaring it out so that everyone could hear) and all I could say was "deodorant". My hot flashes don't result in "the sweats", but I usually need a hand fan at those times (God forbid I use an electric fan and then the whole office is aware). The hot flash was over by the time she noticed my deodorant. geez Leave me a little dignity. If I could work alone, I would.

I can't get a break anywhere I go. The carpet cleaner at work makes my tongue swell and I end up spitting into a tissue all day. There's a secretary that loves oil scented sticks and perfumed air fresheners. The restrooms are routinely sprayed with 3M products that clearly state on the label to use with proper ventilation. When I get home my neighbors use heavily perfumed scented dryer sheets. The vapors blow into my house and across my yard. I feel like everyone views me as the hyper sensitive vegetarian weirdo with the runny nose and puffy eyes.

I have talked civilly to the person who is making me ill, I even printed out articles on the internet. HE DOES NOT CARE, He said he
will wear how much he wants because it is right too. Three months later, I did go to my boss
and other people came forward to complain also.
He knows purposely sprays my area (thank god a couple of people caught him) and lately when I go and get my last cup of coffee, now reaks of
him. I washed it today, If figure within the
next few days, I can use scotch tape and pencil shavings to lift fingerprints, and/or capture any spores from his cologne and am ready to take legal action against him personally. (Purposely inflicting harm against another human being)

Thank you for your point about wearing perfume discreetly. That was my whole point.

Tea? What a crybaby!

Really? EVERYBODY else has to be mindful of your chemical sensitivity? I think the real concern is why some people are actually so sensitive, maybe more research needs to go into why all the problems for some people. I have a chemically sensitive child, but I try to do what I can to prevent problems in my own home, like changing diet, using fragrance free laundry products, cleansers, etc. but I absolutely do not feel that it is my place to tell people that because my daughter is sensitive to scented fabrics, etc that they need to be mindful of what kind of laundry soap, body wash, lotion, etc they can use. I think it is our job to find a way to make life work for us, not for others to sacrifice the things they enjoy to make us more comfortable.
I am an American living abroad and at first was astounded by the assault on my senses by everything around me here. People smoke EVERYWHERE, wear perfume, etc. and they are totally unapologetic for it. I think we Americans are just so filled with our own self importance that we think everyone should accomodate the way WE do it. I wouldn't bother ever traveling outside of your little puffy American bubble, because the rest of the world doesnt really care if you dont like it, you find a way to deal with it, if thats not possible, and you physically cant work because of a smell? Maybe you should be on disability.

To "P"

There is no rationality to your note! You are completely ignorant, that is so obvious! Do some research about the chemicals in fragrances and in fragranced things and how they affect the body (and cause cancer). Additionally, it has been found that in chemically sensitive people, there is a gene or two that they don't have that allows one's body to fight off the environmental toxins furnished by these fragrance chemicals. NO, sanitizing public places will make NO difference and doctors can NOT desensitize us as they can NOT alter our genetic makeup (at least not this century)!!! People who are allergic to peanuts will not become immune to their allergy by exposure and in fact, IT CAN KILL THEM!!! AND, it has NOTHING to do with not liking someone's fragrance!!! Your statements are ABSURD and you ought to keep your ignorant fingers and brain off the keyboard!!!

I am now laid off, but I had illness (regular dizziness, feeling like passing out, headache, nausea resulting in actually losing my lunches) from several co-workers who either used excessive perfume or fabric softener or both. When I went to my boss about it, and with a doctor's note, I was treated with such great hostility and anger from the boss whom I'd always gotten along very well with (all he did for me was to move my desk 2-3 yards and the main perpetrator still walked by all the time or worked at a different computer right next to me!). Also, I was treated with great hostility and nastiness from some of the perpetrators, though they did cut down on the use a bit later on. One once sprayed a ton of perfume all around the work area when I'd gone to the restroom. I came back and had to be ill while working the rest of the day, but I'd also told the boss what she did and he said NOTHING to her except to ask if she had done it!!! If I'd been the boss, she'd have been fired for attacking another employee that way! I was always treated like I was the one doing something wrong. I suffered, that's how I dealt with it, I suffered, ALOT, for 3 years and still worked very hard only to be treated like dirt, then laid off when I was out sick for a few days due to uterine tumors that required surgery to cure (of course I could not HELP IT!!!). In other words, I was STILL getting treated with hostility when I didn't do anything wrong! I'm scared about the economy, scared about not finding another job, scared of going through that again at another job and very scarred, yes, scarred, that I was so under-appreciated and badly treated. It'll affect me the rest of my life, I think. And I will never forget!

Way to go!!! Very creative solution!

There's an awful lot of emotion and very little rationality in this thread. To the people with allergies and sensitivities: do you realize that your allergy/sensitivity was most likely caused by living in an atmosphere that was too sanitized? We only develop immunities to foreign substances when we're exposed to them. So by sanitizing all public places of fragrances we'd essentially guarantee that more people will develop allergies to fragrances.

Perhaps the better answer is for those of you with allergies to talk to your physicians about therapies to de-sensitize you to the fragrances that trigger a reaction?

As for those of you who just don't like the smell of your coworker's fragrance: maybe we don't like the look of your hairstyle or clothing choices. Maybe the clak-clak-clak of your heels gives me a headache. Maybe your screechy voice hurts my ears. Put it in perspective. Lots of things irritate coworkers, that doesn't mean we're entitled to make our problem the responsibility of someone else.

Does anyone have any suggestions for jobs one can work in a perfume, scent-free environment? I have tried several office positions but mostly everyone wears scents of some kind. I cannot find a work at home position and am severely sensitive that when exposed to perfumes, lotions,etc., I become more sensitive to a point that I can no longer tolerate anything! I have to leave my house, I have to support myself. Disability takes a year, maybe longer, and even though I am entitled to it, need a source of income meanwhile. I want to work, not go on disability.
I was exposed to a pesticide 4 years ago that gave me chemical burns in my nasal membranes, after inhaling these awful chemicals for two weeks, I had no choice but to leave my apt. altogether. Ever since I've been severely chemically sensitive and can no longer tolerate chemicals of any kind.
I can handle the illness, just need to work, any suggestions?

Also, I agree with JH. I don't use any more scent than she does, yet one day a comment was made by the lady in the next cubicle. A lady who admits to taking scented baths, wearing scented lotions, and burning scented candles at home.
If she had told me that she was allergic, my reaction would have been different, but I was hurt because I had been so careful to wear only 1 spritz on one wrist and transferring it to the other wrist. I simply told her that I don't put much on and that my husband bought it for me for Christmas, so I am going to wear it.
Next thing I know there is an office meeting, at which there is a comment from the office manager that everyone should be careful about wearing too much perfume. Oh, please. Not one person in the office ever said they are allergic to fragrances.
This person had run to the office manager just because I stood up to her. I think there are other issues here, but I have no idea what she really wants from me.

One day I was having some particularly bad hot flashes and was grateful that my deodorant did not fail me. When I went to sit down at the lunch table with some of my colleagues, one particularly brash woman asked me, "What ARE you wearing?" I was confused and told her nothing but deodorant. She complained that it was "quite strong". Mind you, neither she nor anyone else in this office has mentioned having sensitivities to fragrance.
What are we supposed to do about hot flashes? I am taking vitamin E, but at the time I was recovering from a flu and had gone off my vitamins for a few days, so the degree of the hot flashes was greater than usual.
I am not asking everyone to turn up the air conditioning just for me. Usually a handheld fan used briskly for a few seconds does the trick.
But to be ridiculed for having worn deodorant?
Come on.
All I can say to her is wait til she gets to this point.

Hi, I'm the Kim people react to strongly sometimes and thus puts on cologne to appease them.

This is such a dilemma; to want to smell pleasantly but not to want to make people ill. While I agree with someone here who says that some people who are obsessed with scented things can sometimes just be obsessive-compulsive, other people clearly are looking simply for the freedom to breathe. I really don't know if there are any of the latter in my work area; no one has said anything to us about it.
I agree with the person who wrote about employers creating a space for people who suffer from such sensitivities. Perhaps in the long run, the march toward working from home will be a great help to people with severe allergies. But there are so many things people are allergic to; in one workplace a colleague borrowed a sweater from me during the day. The next day she came in and asked me if there was any rabbit fur in it. I said yes. It turns out the very fact that she wore it resulted in fibers going home with her and her husband was very allergic. Two people I work with are allergic to certain nuts, as am I (but to different ones). A guy from work died when he ingested peanuts at a restaurant. I know someone who is allergic to any kind of red food coloring. Sometimes I wonder if we should dress as if we were in a clean room (in white suits, static-free booties, etc.) We can't know what to do if people don't speak up. I need for people to tell me precisely what it is they need, and then at least I can try to help them out.

Mike,
Unfortunately many companies do not provide a perfume free environment. I feel as more people speak up hopefully companies will begin to listen and realize the it could be cost effective to provide this type of space because of the man hours they are losing as this condition effects more and more employees.

I get migraines triggered by fragrances. It has become such an issue for me that I have started a blog about our society's obsession with fragrances and how our health can be affected by scents. http://smellinc.wordpress.com/

I am amazed at how many comments on this blog are from people who also are affected negatively by perfumes. This is an issue that many people do not understand and I hope that we can educate more people about this. I also hope scientists will study this more and perhaps cosmetic companies can make more fragrance free options as well. I don't expect people to stop wearing fragrances all together but please reconsider spraying perfume before you board an airplane and sit next to me. Can't it wait till you arrive?

You are the most inconsiderate, rude, cruel, ignorant person I have ever heard from with regard to this subject. Most perfumes are not natural. They are man made chemicals that may cause you to become ill someday if the smoking doesn't get you first. I should pray for you and I may. I hope you get sued someday soon.

My manager's perfume was so strong that not only could we smell her long after she left the room, but we could taste it as well. The pungent aroma was so thick that it caused breathing problems, headaches and stomach distress. Who do you complain to when it is your manager? HR was aware of the problem- and they even made comments, but did nothing about it. Problem solved when she took a position in another state - today was her last day and I am breathing a fresh air sigh of relief!

Hello my fellow sufferers,

Let's try something new on this posting of comments. Lets ignore the ignorance of those that have no understanding. There is no point to make a point because until they suffer as we do, there will be no understanding in them, right?! Instead, we can have our own little support group here. :) I will start...how many of you, as have I, amost pee'd on oneself because of a coughing fit or sneeze attack? Let us embarrass ourselves...we can do it! We should get a smile once in awhile for what we go through. There is nothing we can do about it when it is happening anyway. Any takers??

I was healthy until I went to the Gulf. So should I have stayed home and not served my country. Then I could continue to work in a polluted environment and it would not effect me. Believe me people with this condition would be pleased to change places with you.If they could change they would. I see your attitude shows disregard for your fellow workers and I hope someday you gain respect for yourself that will transpose to your co-workers.

Comparing something natural to a harsh chemical is not the same thing. If your going to compare you should compare apples to apples.

Do you like breathing? Well, so do I. But fragrances, whether in the office, home or public places, make me stop breathing. Now is that just my imagination, am I a whinning sissy? No, it's called asthma, a life threating condition that when triggered can restrict breathing completely or resulting in a trip to the ER. I always carry with me or have in my office the rescue medications necessary to stop the asthma attack. And thank goodness I work in a hospital.

Try not breathing for a few minutes and see how that works out for you. This is a very serious problem for me. Luckily I have a great pulmonologist and insurance to spend the big bucks it costs monthly to combat my severe asthma.

Purfumes in the work place are a serious concern for those of us with respiratory limitations. And unlike visiting a restaurant, we are in the office 40+ hours a week and cannot escape the scents others are wearing. Now we try to talk about this with potantial employees during the interview process and explain our adverse reactions to purfumes. So far this has worked well. Every now and then someone will "forget," but they soon "remember" as when all the windows are open and the fans are turned on. It would suit me fine if men and women would stop spending their hard-earned money on purfumes. To those of us who are adversely sensitive, it is nothing more than toxic waste.

ALSO... i get a bad reaction.. really bad from the smell of fish or seafood cooking.. is it fair to me to tell people at a restaurant they cannot eat seafood..? or to tell one of my co-workers they cannot have seafood when we go out for lunch. i mean it's all the same thing... i get migraines and nauseous and have regurgitated a few times from the smell of seafood cooking.. especially if its being pan seared..

Look everyone needs to make SOME type of concession here, if the people who want to wear perfume use it lightly then the people who are allergic or do not like it need to make the concession of asking to be moved to a perfume free section of the office... and people who do not smoke that get lung cancer.. i mean smoking isn't the only thing that causes lung cancer.. i do not smoke anymore but i would never give anyone the death stare for smoking..it's their right to smoke, just like it is your right not to smoke.. you have more of a chance of getting melanoma from the sun then getting lung cancer from someone smoking outside in a designated area... or from Radon in your basement...

Sorry Rebecca. I just noticed that statement was originally made buy Dennis. I should have read on before commenting.

Rebecca buy a dictionary. Your statement "People who cannot handle fragrances at work? What a bunch of sissy kids…….what’s next, the color clothes people wear?" puts you in the idiot category with Dave. Not to mention your poor grammar and punctuation.

Many of us do ask people to tone down the frangrances but are perceived as trying to change or control those around us. I am quite certain that if the people who wear these massive amounts of scent had to deal with the severe pain, fatigue and/or breathing problems of those of us who are chemically sensitive they would stop wearing the offending scent.

Once i start sneezing due to the presence of some fragrent human (and it doenst stop after they leave), sometimes I am able to stop my sneezing when I have a smoke... weird solution, but it works for me :)

I couldn't agree with you more!!! I have had this problem for years and I use to always say that it was only a matter of time that some one will sue over this same issue and look what happened in Detroit. Wish I would have done that because many, many times this same problem has arisen for me too. I work in a doctor's office and we see a lot of women. Each one thinking that she has to out due the other woman's scent....talk about stink? And yes when a person is sensitive to smells (any kind of smells) it can trigger a migrain and it will last all day. I am sorry, but if someone wants to wear this stinky stuff then do it in the privacy of your home. I have the right not to smell it too in the workplace and it's time that coworkers understood this and stopped making jokes about those of us who are bothered by their scents. Even air fresheners stink and when used put terrible chemicals into the air that you breathe.

Hello John, I am responding to yours because I have a question. Have you ever been sick? You must be a naturally healthy person. I am wondering because you don't seem to know what any of us 'Whiney Babies' have been through. I am probably being silly doing this because I am sure you will have a lovely response to this as well. A thought I would like to share is this...maybe there was no 'one on one' because she couldn't get close enough to do so. I have the same problems as these others and don't say anything because people are offended that I can't breathe and I don't need to say anything. I so violently cough that at times I get to the point of gagging and have a vomited and passed out, depending on what is surrounding me at the time. That is only a few of my reactions...I actually have the reaction of crying when there is nothing to cry about. It is just an allergice reaction. It saddens me that you have such disdain for others who can't help having a chemical reaction to the planet and what man has put there. I hope that you never have to find out how this can affect a person's life. I wouldn't even wish this on someone like you. To get through life as easily as you seem to makes me envy you. Please take care.

I have suffered with MCS most of my life. Had to retire at 52 as a result as could no longer tolerate meeting rooms, airplanes, etc. For those that suufer you need to understand that each time you are exposed increases the severity of the next reaction. So over the years the allergy gets worse the more you are exposed.

To: Donna with the "Toeitis", Wicked and Cubbiegal who think that we don't like their scents, I wish that's all it was. I and so many others suffer from migraines triggered by perfumes, colognes and other chemical scents. My migraines are NOT A CHOICE, I would choose to not have migraines and have the ability to be around scents.

To: Candle Lady, Brit, bluerumor, John Meurer, SaRa, Heidi, Mike, Jodi and Brad, not only do you not get it, it's sad that you are so selfish and ignorant, I wish you could go through what I've had to endure for over 10 years now, my migraines feel like I'm being stabbed in my temples. As I wrote before I do not choose to have migraines, why would anyone choose that?

What I've ended up doing is, politely asked friends, co-workers, etc. not to use scents around me (or not to get close or hug me) when they're wearing these scents. On the subway, now that I live in NYC I get up and move to another part of the train when a "scented" person sits next to me/gets near me. The only times I can't escape it are on airplanes, I pray before I fly (hoping to not get a "scented" person near me), I take two Aleve two hours prior to all flights and have my Maxalt on me. Sometimes all of this doesn't work so I have to endure horrible migraines for 72 hours because that's how long they last. Now do you think it's merely an opinion? It's not! I wish I never got migraines. BTW Dennis, it's cologne, not "colon" and you're ridiculous by comparing this to a ban on the color of clothing people wear.

RE: Scent

lets get on with life and forget about it, shift changes or getting to work greeting every co-worker will always bring along people applying from Avon, Mary Kay to God knows what people put on them selfs the smell will always be there , I would hate to see McBride Home and and to see what chemicals, cleaning products used...Interesting

Dave

Sharon-

My comment was not rude. It was well thought out, and I do understand your plight. But you cannot expect others to change, you have to find a solution that will work for you.

Hey Ernest, you undereducated, overworked, underpaid, foul-stenched clothed manual laborer - man up. How annoying to hear of your whiny tales over some heat and dead rats. It's all in your head. Go hammer some nails and drink a beer. You'll feel just fine. REALITY - you chose your job, and just because you can't get one for lack of brain cells, doesn't mean you should bash those that express real concerns.

It sounds like it was a good thing that this topic was posted. Lots of discussion.

I have some co-workers that have asthma & they have had to go home many times because of the inconsideration of others. Some of the things that have triggered asthma attacks for them; paint fumes, perfume, cleaning products, air freshner (especially aerosol), lotions with heavy scent just to name a few. These same people also happen to have a lot of environmental allergies aside from the asthma issues; while it may at times be inconvenient for those of us that work with them it has never been DIFFICULT to be considerate of their needs.

Also, my first cousin who was in otherwise very good health died from an asthma attack which then caused her to have cardiac arrest while in her early 50's - by NO means would I want that to happen to another person that I know; AND I would especially NOT want to be the reason for someone having an asthma attack.

No matter which side of the issue you want to be on - just remember - the world & all that is in it - does not revolve around YOU & what you WANT.

Re: One Person's Scent . . .
To Matthew: How fortunate you are not to be affected by the all-pervasive odor of someone's perfume or cologne, or the strong scent of cleaners or soaps. American's are spoiled? Perhaps, but breathing is a prerequisite for life. You have no idea what you are talking about, and your attitude is unbelievably arrogant. Do stay healthy!

Perfume Lover - again, another rude person assuming just because she loves a certain scent it should be ok with everyone else. Just the fact that she can say "going into a store, it has to be pretty bad for me to..." - well, guess what, what you choose IS pretty bad to others.

I guess that the person who suggested that small amounts of exposure will help in getting over the sensitivities think that same concept applies to anything...like arsenic? Just pointing out that what one solution to a FOOD allergy is not the same for a CHEMICAL allergy. The long list of chemicals in the makeup of a perfume or room spray is astonishing. Most people don't even realize what toxic chemicals are in the daily soaps and shampoos we use. But what is important here is the results of exposure to either (food or chemical) by someone deathly allergic is the same...death. And obviously some people are too callous to care about anyone but themselves....And good point someone made about non-smoking people getting lung cancer. I wonder....???

I am so pleased to have noticed in recent years that people do not wear the perfumes that they ones wore. It is no longer in style. And people have probably clued in to what these fragrances are really about! There are organic candles that do not have the dangerous toxins in them. Some people think they should wear strong synthetic deodorants that have aluminum in them. Those also smell terrible. But most people have really clued in and don't even Wear perfumes. Some guys Still Wear colognes though!! [Clueless]

"Dennis | Jun 21, 2010 | Reply

People who cannot handle fragrances at work? What a bunch of sissy kids…….what’s next, the color clothes people wear? If you cannot handle someone’s COLON, tell them about it face to face like an adult instead of whining to your manager like a 2 year old girl. Want to know why so many are unemployed these days? A lot of it has to do with employers being sick of trying to accomodate the snot nose generation that gets bothered all day and every day by everything. Employers are finding it more cost effective and easier to do without the “babies” they had and let go during the downturn."

Well, Dennis, I certainly hope I don't have to handle someone's colon.

We are not sissy, snot nosed, or other otherwisee babies. I for one am a grown adult with grown children who spends a lot of time teaching my children about how their actions impact others and how the actions of others impact us.

I just had this very problem at work regarding pefumes. A once-a-month meeting sent me into a two-day migraine. I think the manager forgot to tell the others not to wear perfumes, though I had already mentioned it to them. She sent out another reminder, and I offered to sit further away from the group to give myself some breathing room, just in case.

I won't completely speak for others here, but we are not whiners. We have a physical reaction to specific factors in our environment. We need a way to function and be well. I do everything I can to NOT impose my problem on others. On the other hand, I do appreciate when others are sensitive to my needs.

Just curious, would you tell a paraplegic in a wheelchair to quite being a sissy and use the stairs? No, because they physically require an accommodation for the sake of function.

For me, it is no different. You bet I'll do what I can, but I can only do some much. Perfumes even get past my mask, and I cannot use my oxygen where there is a source of perfume as it mixes with the room air to delivery the oxygen. So do that math...I have to be able to escape the perfume if I want to function.

Not exactly sissy stuff.

Dave - I second it, you're an idiot.
Mary - You are probably sensitive to the fact that you've been told you smell - oh well.
As for a lawsuit - I'm quite sure, being in legal myself, that she pursued all remedies first before filing a lawsuit. And what she was awarded was definitely fair. People are so rude in the workplace. Wear your perfume at home. Clean your desk AFTER everyone leaves. Air fresheners are not meant for desks in common place. I have politely asked co-workers to not wear their perfume to no avail. I asked a file clerk that needed behind my desk to come back when I was at lunch because her hairspray (2 tons!) was "affecting me". She then went and told everyone I told her that she stinks - I never said those words. It's hard to continue to be polite about such a blatent violation of space and rights. I saw an ad for the first time a few weeks ago "NO SCENTS POLICY" - wow, if only I could get my office to jump on that one.