Chemical Fragrances: Five Health Crises They May Trigger

“Laundry scent beads” that leave a fragrance on clothes have recently become a favourite in many households, and some sellers have hired well-known actresses to endorse the products, which has only added to the rush to buy them. Toxicologists and pulmonary physicians, however, warn that if you inhale this kind of chemical fragrance over a long period, it may not only trigger allergies and poisoning, but even lead to five crises: infertility, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.

“Because they were so popular, I was curious and tried laundry scent beads myself!” Chao Mingwei, associate professor in the Department of Biotechnology at Chung Yuan Christian University and a PhD in toxicology from Rutgers University in the United States, says a friend who liked the beads introduced him to them. The scent was indeed very appealing, but he did not go on using them, because his professional knowledge told him “this is definitely not normal.” “They’ve already been washed with water, and yet the fragrance is still there — even lasting the whole day. Only a large amount of chemical, artificial ingredients can do that!”

A heavy dose, to fight olfactory fatigue

Chao Mingwei says that whenever that friend who loved the beads appeared, a strong smell came with them, and other friends who had allergies would immediately get a blocked nose and sneeze repeatedly. The main reason is that the chemical ingredients over-stimulate receptors in the body’s organs, and the nose is the part most directly affected. In fact, the scent beads that have lately become a sensation in Taiwan come from Japan. As more Japanese women work, they are often too busy to dry clothes outdoors every day, and to hide the smell of indoor drying a fashion grew for laundry products that contain fragrance — including scented laundry balls, aromatic granules and sachets. As this “fragrance wave” has kept spreading, Japan has also seen many serious allergy cases. Experts suggest that because the sense of smell has a kind of inertia — once you are used to a scent you feel it less and less — makers then launch still stronger, sweeter smells to attract buyers. When a large amount of chemical substance exceeds what the body can bear, problems appear.

They contain plasticisers, which can disrupt the reproductive system

The symptoms among people seeking treatment in Japan are quite varied: besides the most common nasal allergies, they include dizziness, headaches and difficulty breathing. The term “fragrance harm” has appeared, and the Japanese government has even publicly urged people to consider the negative effect of scent on others. The rush for an all-over fragrance has now reached Taiwan, and not only in laundry products but in body wash and shampoo too. Korean perfume shampoos, for example, advertise a long-lasting scent and have been treated by young women as a fashion marker, setting off a buying wave. Chao Mingwei, however, believes these products all contain more or less chemical fragrance. “Even if they claim to contain natural fragrance, on a cost calculation the share is bound to be very low.” He also reminds us that besides chemical fragrance, what is more worrying is the “fixative” that keeps the scent from fading. Some products even claim the scent can last nearly two months. “A fixative is in fact a general name for many plasticisers — what we call environmental hormones. Long-term contact can disrupt the body’s reproductive system.”

Airborne particles, inhaled, damage the lungs

Among them, a plasticiser called a phthalate is a common fixative ingredient, and has been linked to abnormal reproductive function in children, precocious puberty, and breast cancer. A US study of 134 male infants found that the higher the concentration of phthalates in the mother’s urine during pregnancy, the less complete the masculinisation of the infant, which may affect fertility later. In Puerto Rico, urine tests on 41 girls with precocious puberty found that phthalate concentrations were all on the high side, suggesting long-term contact with this kind of plasticiser. In Mexico in 2010, tests on breast-cancer patients found phthalate concentrations in their bodies 1.6 times higher than in ordinary people. “If it is a fragrance product that is burned, the risk is higher still!” says Wang Binghuai, director of pulmonary medicine at Far Eastern Memorial Hospital. Many people like to light a scented candle or incense in a small space such as the bathroom, and over time they may inhale a large amount of PM2.5 particles. “The most frightening thing about PM2.5 is that it is ‘small’: once it is inhaled, these organic particles go deep into the lungs, and even to other organs, and then set off a chain of systemic diseases.” He goes on to stress that PM2.5 may not only trigger asthma, but also lead to lung adenocarcinoma and various cardiovascular diseases, and raise the risk of sudden death.

Keep the air moving, and lower the risk of poisoning

Chao Mingwei also warns that most scented candles use lead as a fixative. If you buy a product of unknown origin, as the candle burns it may cause lead poisoning, and over the long term increase the risk of dementia. On how to avoid fragrance harm, Wang Binghuai says “ventilation is the first thing to watch.” Because the government still has no clear rules on how fragrance products must label their ingredients, even a well-known brand’s fragrance product leaves consumers with little way of knowing which organic compounds it contains. So they should never be used in a closed space, to avoid inhaling too many chemical ingredients. Chao Mingwei explains further that everyday products such as laundry lotion and shampoo that are labelled as having a scent that lasts a long time, or that is very strong, are not recommended. If you buy one and find the scent too heavy, change brands next time. “Using a perfume shampoo or scent beads now and then is all right; as long as you don’t have frequent, long-term contact, you can reduce the harm environmental hormones do to the body. If you really love a fragrance, you might consider a natural essential oil — but likewise, a large dose is not recommended.”