Air fresheners
I have told you before about my chemical sensitivity.
I am unable to go into any venue that uses them.
(Also, I cannot use a taxi with the windows closed, if they have a 'smelly swinging thing', and most do.
So if you see a taxi with an old biddy hanging out of the window - it's me.)
Today I have added a third venue to my local list -
1. Empire Bingo
2. Oswaldtwistle Mills
3. The Spectacle factory on Union Rd Ossy
I went to get some minor frame repairs done to two pairs of specs.
As I opened the door I gasped for breath. I managed to explain, between gasps, why I couldn't enter.
I then went for my annual dental checkup nearby, and as I waited there I wondered where else I could get the repair done.
I decided to go back and ask to be served on the pavement - the lady obliged and told me to return in 30 minutes.
The owner of the launderette opposite kindly let me sit in his place as I waited.
There was a smell of laundry detergent in there, but it was 'low level' because the louvre windows were open and no-one was actually using the machines at the time.
Guide to Less Toxic Products
Air Freshener, Deodorizer, Odour Remover
Far from freshening air, chemical-based air fresheners and deodorizers add dangerous chemicals to the air we breathe. Air fresheners work by using a nerve-deadening chemical that interferes with our sense of smell, by coating nasal passage with an oily film, by masking an offending odour with a different odour, or by deactivating the odour.
Air fresheners are made from a number of chemicals including formadehyde, a carcinogen and sensitizer, naphthalene, a suspected carcinogen, xylene, a neurotoxin and possible reproductive toxin, butane gas, a neurotoxin, cresol, ethanol, phenol and strong fragrances. Some solid deodorizers include the pesticide paradichlorobenzene, a carcinogen which can also cause liver and kidney damage. Aerosol air fresheners release chemicals as tiny particles which can be inhaled deeply into lungs and transferred into the blood stream. Plug in air fresheners break chemicals into even smaller particles.
The key to freshening air is to remove or dilute the offending odor (by cleaning, ventilation or absorption), not to cover it with another chemical.
The Canadians and some US states have legislated against the use of 'fragrances' in public buildings.
So this thread is a plea to all those who work in places where the public have access, please advise your employers of this problem, You might not be affected YET ( I have had this for 3 years only), but be aware that the effect is culmulative, so if you are exposed too much, you may end up gasping like me.