Your fragrance is killing me

Every day, I arrive to work early, take a deep sigh of fresh office air, and bask in the views of endless rows of desks. Luckily, my work has an open office space design which replaces the traditional cube with rows of desks divided by low glass walls, allowing me to see hundreds of feet away and whether Joe Schmo is at his desk.

I like the design. It allows for more free conversations and a sense of equality among employees—even our Senior Vice President has a desk.

But while open space stimulates idea exchange, it also meshes personal space and airflow, a deadly combination for someone who’s overly chatty or who’s overindulged with their fragrances.

To those who use too much perfume, for the sake of the receptors in my nose and my health, please stop spraying ad nauseam.

What kills me, maybe literally, are the coworkers who’ve had their olfactory senses burned off by years of perfume exposure and can no longer sense their own fragrance.

They may never know their perfume is strong, nor do they likely know it’s messing up our hormones.

Your fragrance is messing up my hormones

While smell alone with potent perfumes can drive me crazy, it’s not the only consideration for my health.

Each squirt of fragrance contains a proprietary mix of chemicals with one in particular that will never be labeled but should always be considered.

Introducing the class of chemicals called phthalates. While these compounds act as solvents, allowing everything to mix together well in the perfume liquid, they’ve been associated with hormone disruption, asthma,  sperm damage, ovarian problems, and developmental disorders (the list goes on…).

Phthalates have these actions because they mimic normal hormones, like estrogen and testosterone. When your cells (specifically cell receptors) can’t tell the difference between your hormones or synthetic ones, it disrupts the normal workings and communications within the body.

Stop intoxicating my air 

Phthalates have a significant potential to cause problems. Phthalates are in perfumes. The transitive principle tells us that by reducing perfume, one can reduce health problems.

I could recommend choosing perfumes with no phthalates, but then I’ll still be suffocated by an overuse of phthalate-free fragrance. Instead, just reduce how much fragrance is used when you’re at work and be considerate of others who have to breathe whatever smell you’re giving off.

Going to work shouldn’t involve a bath with Chanel No. 5. Who are you trying to impress?

Or the better question may be who are you trying to kill?

(photo from NewYorker.com; Merlin)