P is for Perfume

ABCs for healthy living are quick takes on simple strategies for creating a healthier life.

Do you know what is in your favorite fragrance?

When you see the word fragrance or perfume listed on the ingredient label for a cleaning product, personal care item, or cosmetic this means the product may contain up to 300 chemical ingredients which do not have to be listed individually, but can be covered by using just one word: perfume or fragrance. The fragrance industry gets away with this by calling the ingredients a trade secret. Manufactures can add anything under the heading trade secret and keep consumers in the dark about what they use.

Researchers have found that these secret ingredients include synthetic substances manufactured from petroleum derivatives and coal tar, benzene, phthalates, and volatile organic chemicals (VOCs).These chemicals are so bad that the U.S. National Academy of Science has grouped them with pesticides, heavy metals, and solvents as chemicals that need priority study as causal agents of neurotoxicity.

Every time you use a product that contains the word fragrance you inhale toxic particles into your lungs and they end up in the bloodstream where they have the potential to damage every organ in your body on a cellular level.

Studies show that, even at low levels,the harmful ingredients in fragrance cause fatigue, headaches, skin irritation, eye irritation, migraines, nausea, tingling and numbness in the arms and legs, dizziness, increased asthma symptoms, respiratory distress,central nervous system damage, and have been inked to liver and breast cancer.

Fragrance is harmful to the health of both users and their families. Its toxic effects linger in the air hours after use. It has the potential to compromise your health, the health of your children, and the health of anyone around you.

Fragrance has been called the new second-hand smoke because it is harmful to both users and bystanders.The response of public awareness to the dangers of fragrance lags behind public awareness of cigarette smoke. Researchers hope that will change quickly as more people become aware of how hazardous fragrance is to human health.

When I decided to move toward healthy living, I got rid of all the products in my home that contain the word fragrance. Some products are obvious: perfume, cologne, scented candles, and air fresheners. Some are not so obvious, So I read labels on everything I used and found fragrance listed as an ingredient in makeup, cosmetics, laundry detergent, toilet tissue, hairspray, household cleaners, soap, and many other household products I used every day.I ditched everything I found that had fragrance listed as an ingredient. I never use perfume, artificial air fresheners, and scented candles.I have found fragrance free versions of products I use every day like household cleaners and personal care items.

If you want to create a healthier life for yourself and your family, stop using products that contain the word fragrance.

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