MCS
Volume 2, Issue 12,
December 2007
Most children send letters to Santa
Claus requesting new toys and games, while adults request gifts of diamonds,
jewelry, new clothes, tools, and the latest electronic gadgets. However a large subset of the population is
asking for something entirely different for Christmas… scent free laundry and
clean air to breathe.
An estimated 45.4 million people in
the United States report fragrance and chemical sensitivity (Kreutzer et al,
1999); 26.7 million have been diagnosed with asthma (Mannino et al, 2002); and
50 million suffer from allergies (AAAAI, 1996-2001).
Many of these individuals have unique
viewpoints in common… how to safely clean clothing and promote cleaner, less
polluted air. They are not merely
concerned with the products that they personally use, but with the products
that their neighbors use, citing that fragranced laundry products pollute the
air and may cause harmful effects on humans, especially small children and
pets. MCS America interviewed some of
these people along with the general public.
Kathi, who suffers with multiple
chemical sensitivity (MCS), states, “My neighbors’ choice of laundry products
can make a difference whether I can spend time outside my house on my deck,
whether I can have my doors/windows open to let in outside air, and whether I'm
made ill (when) leaving my house to walk somewhere. I can end up spending two or three days sick
in bed from an exposure from someone's dryer vent spewing fabric softener.”
Jan adds, “The fragrance spewed from
dryer vents permeates the air for a few blocks surrounding a home. I'm
not free to go for a walk whenever and wherever I choose. I may get an
immediate headache, muscle pain, fatigue, and impaired cognitive
abilities. Sometimes I take the fragrance home with me because it
penetrates my clothes, hair and skin.”
Toxicity
of Fragrances
At first this may sound fantastical;
however, scientific studies have confirmed many of these effects (Anderson
& Anderson, 2000; Anderson & Anderson, 1998).
Fabric softeners and scented laundry
products pollute the neighborhood air and may cause respiratory toxicity
(Anderson & Anderson, 2000). They
also leave residues on clothing that may cause healthy individuals sharing the
same airspace to suffer sensory irritation, pulmonary irritation, inflammation
of interalveolar septae of the lungs, and airflow limitation (Anderson &
Anderson, 2000).
Laundry that has been dried with a
fabric softener dryer sheet was shown to emit sufficient chemicals to elicit
sensory irritation in healthy mice (Anderson & Anderson, 2000). Simply placing a fabric softener dryer sheet
in a room overnight was shown to result in an atmosphere that caused marked
sensory irritation (Anderson & Anderson, 2000).
While fabric softeners may cause
effects in otherwise healthy individuals, the effect is magnified for those
with asthma, allergies, and chemical sensitivity. Barb confirms, “When my neighbor’s young
daughter wanted to play at my house with our puppy, I had to stay far away from
the fragrances in her clothes.” Multiple
chemical sensitivity, asthma, and allergies can be extremely socially isolating
for this reason, as these products are in the majority of shared public air
space from other users.
Fragranced laundry products are
“toxic, no doubt about it”, said Jan. A
child presented with a partial thickness burn secondary to prolonged contact
with a liquid biological laundry detergent (Howieson et al, 2007). An experiment on a volunteer confirmed that
it was highly plausible that the standard laundry product indeed caused the
child’s burns (Howieson et al, 2007). “A
non-perfumed, non-enzyme product may be found less irritating” (Scowen,
1996). Kathy concludes that “fragranced
laundry products are definitely not safe.”
Joyce knows that fragranced laundry
products contain very toxic ingredients that directly affect human
health. “They're not safe, because if you look at the chemical
make-up of these fragrances and the similarity to gasoline, you understand
exactly why.” Scientists have revealed
that “residues of common washing detergents in cotton underclothes play an
important role in the winter deterioration of dry skin” (Kiriyama et al, 2003).
Now, these studies provide a basis
for human complaints of adverse reactions to fragranced laundry products
(Anderson & Anderson, 2000; Anderson & Anderson, 1998; Howieson et al,
2007; Scowen, 1996; Kiriyama et al, 2003).
Bonita feels that fragranced laundry
products “are full of multiple toxic chemical ingredients that have no business
being in the marketplace.” In addition
to fragrances, laundry products contain many other questionable ingredients,
including carboxylates, sulphates, phosphates, sulphonates, polyphosphates,
sodium silicate, carboxymethyl cellulose, sodium carbonate, sodium silicate,
sodium sulfate, solvents, xylene sulfonate, colorants, opacifiers, florescent
dyes, protease, and lipase (Bajpai, D and Tyagi, 2007).
When simple and natural baking soda
and borax cleans clothes, there really is no need for the toxic soup laundry
products have become. There are many
safe and natural ways to clean clothing.
Why are fragrances used in these products?
Purpose
of Fragrances
Manufacturers use fragrances to
differentiate their brand from other brands in an effort to increase
sales. Proponents for scent-free laundry
remind us that fragrances are not necessary to clean clothing. “The purpose behind it is to make profit, and
people fall for (their) ads,” said Ellie.
It’s “a marketing strategy to make money,” added Jan.
Others think that fragrances are
added to offset the unpleasant smells of the chemicals in products and indeed
“scent free” products are not really fragrance free. As Bonita explains, “They are put in to
mask smells,” both chemical and
odiferous.
The purpose of fragrances in laundry
products is hard to understand for many people.
Kathi simply states, “I do not understand a purpose.” Linda agrees, “There is no good purpose to
chemical fragrances. Clean does not
smell.”
It is true that fragrances don’t
clean, nor do they deodorize; they just add a scent in an attempt to mask
an odor. Clothes that are truly clean
will have no odor at all.
When a strong fragrance is present,
the natural tendency is to wonder what odor the fragrance is there to
mask. “When I smell a strong fragrance
on a person or in a room, I wonder what’s so dirty that they are trying to
hide. Fragrance is just repulsive!”
states Beth.
Still others, like Joyce, believe
that there is more than meets the eye when it comes to fragranced laundry
products. She says she believes the
purpose of fragranced laundry products is “to make us sick, to increase
diseases, and to profit the pharmaceutical and chemical companies.”
Indeed the pharmaceutical and
chemical industries do have a vested interest in selling their products. They also have the financial and political
power to suppress evidence that shows that their products are harmful to
humans. Though science is supposed to be
objective of the researcher’s viewpoint, it is often biased based on the views
of researchers and the funding source for the study. Studies with which these researchers disagree
are often referred to as “junk science” on the basis of their staunch beliefs
and undisclosed conflicts of interest.
Many journals ask that researchers reveal their affiliations, however
not all journals require this and affiliations may not be fully disclosed.
With no real purpose for fragrances
other than industry profits and consumers misled by advertisements, the air
often just plain stinks. Worse, these
fragrances are unhealthy. Childhood
asthma is increasing at an alarming rate, along with the increased use of
fragranced laundry products and other environmental and industrial
contaminants.
Obtaining
Cooperation to Clear the Air
Many want to clear the air of these
unnecessary and unsafe fragranced products in favor of unscented and safer
alternatives; however, the proposal is often met with strong resistance by
those who are unaware of the dangers and who have been misled by advertisements
designed for industry profit. Those most
severely affected by these products often encourage friends, coworkers, family,
and neighbors to switch to safer products, a frequently daunting proposition.
Jan says, “It’s easier to tell
someone a loved one has died than it is to ask someone to change
personal/laundry care products.”
Kathi has purchased unscented laundry
products and given them to neighbors, trying to get them to switch. “I have tried to talk people into switching
for my benefit, and the benefit of others.
I have sent people information by email about the toxicity of fragrance
and how bad it is for people in general, and particularly babies and children.”
Steve identifies the reality, saying
the “problem is the products are 100% legal, so they technically don't have to
switch. Most say nothing (to their
neighbors), especially if you share the same landlord and don't want to risk
eviction or trigger a dispute.”
The real question, since these
products are legally sold, is whether it is reasonable to ask others to alter
their personal habits to accommodate an individual. Barb believes it is reasonable if others want
her to participate in any activities with them.
Jan firmly believes that it is
reasonable to ask others to change their personal habits when they invade her
air space. Bonita tells people “Stay
away from me and don't come to my scent-free safe house! I pick my friends by whether or not I
can be around them without getting sick.
My nose can tell right away!”
Kathi is a bit more modest in her
view, while standing firm in her boundaries, stating “I don't think there is a
problem asking them. I'm not sure
whether I have the right to expect them to change. Certainly lots of people have no intention of
changing to accommodate me. And, I just
can't be around those people.”
We asked users of these products if
they believed their choice of products affected others. Karen stated “yes.” Donnie added, “Yes, unless the products are
fragrance, toxic chemical, and allergen free.”
Le agreed “Yes, I do, but I didn't always. Many of my choices may
also affect others in one way or another.”
Yet Le would have to give baking
soda, vinegar, or other natural laundry products a test before agreeing to use
them and Karen flat out said “no.”
Karen’s appalling comment was “I’ve heard they contain toxic chemicals
but I will still continue to use the products I like that contain
fragrances. I’m pretty healthy, so I’m
not concerned about it for myself.”
We asked several people how they
would react if someone told them that the laundry soap or fabric softener
residues on their clothing was making them sick?
Karen said, “I try to stay away from
that person.” Le agreed, “I may change
my laundry soap, or limit my contact with that person, or I may do both.” The social ramifications, therefore, often
lead to painful and unwanted isolation for affected individuals. Usually, affected individuals want contact
with others, not isolation from them.
The fact is that others often take offense to their request for the use
of safer laundry products. Affected
individuals are left alone and insulted instead of accommodated. A simple solution is to use unscented laundry
products, or better yet, baking soda and/or borax. Not only would that be helping someone who
needs to share the airspace, but it would be healthier for everyone.
Conclusion
Though most who have not suffered ill
effects from fragranced laundry products realize that the fragrances are
unnecessary for cleaning, they have not accepted the science that shows how
dangerous these products are for everyone, even those with excellent
health. Therefore, they often fail to
take protective measures and use safer products. People who develop multiple chemical
sensitivity and asthma are generally not born with it, but rather develop it
later in life after a chronic or acute toxic exposure. No one is really safe from the dangers these
products present. Is it really that difficult
to use safer products?
The truth is we only have one
body. Once it becomes damaged and sick,
we don’t get a second chance. If we buy
only safe products and reject unsafe products, manufactures will have to
produce more of what we wish to purchase in classic supply and demand
fashion.
Give the year-round gift of wearing
scent free laundry to others who share your airspace! Your friends will thank you!
Merry Christmas!
-LS
References
American
Anderson, RC, & Anderson,
JH. Acute toxic effects of fragrance
products. Archives of Environmental
Health. 1998;53(2):138-46.
Bajpai, D and Tyagi, VK.
Laundry Detergents: An Overview. Journal of Oleo Science.
2007:56(7):327-340.
Howieson AJ, Harley OJ, Tiernan
EP. Laundry detergent and possible nonaccidental injury. Eur J
Emerg Med. 2007 Jun;14(3):163-4.
Kiriyama T, Sugiura H, Uehara
M. Residual washing detergent in cotton clothes: a factor of winter
deterioration of dry skin in atopic dermatitis. J Dermatol. 2003
Oct;30(10):708-12.
Kreutzer R, Neutra RR, & Lashuay
N. Prevalence of people reporting sensitivities to chemicals in a
population-based survey. Am J Epidemiol. 1999 Jul 1;150(1):1-12.
Mannino, DM, Homa, DM, Akinbami, LJ,
Moorman, JE, Gwynn, C, Redd, SC. Surveillance for Asthma ---
Scowen P. Advising parents on
washing babies' clothes. Prof Care Mother Child. 1996;6(6):161-2.
Copyrighted © 2007 MCS