Perfumes and Asthma - don’t mix

Perfumes can trigger an asthma attack.American Lung Association
www.lungusa.org/press/association/asnairt.html

Common asthma triggers include perfume and hair spray.US Food and Drug Administration
www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2003/203_asthma.html

Scented products can worsen asthma symptoms.National Institutes of Health: Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/Asthma/Asthma_causes.html

Perfumes can trigger asthma attacks.Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America
www.AAFA.org/templ/display.cfm?id=2&sub=25

Medical literature:
•	Colognes decrease air flow in asthmatics.	C Shim and MH Williams. Effects of odors in asthma.
	American J. Medicine 80:18-22(1986).

•	Perfumed magazine inserts decrease air flow 
	in asthmatics.	P Kumar et al. Inhalation challenge effects of perfume scent 
	strips in patients with asthma. 
	Annals of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology 75:429-433(1993).

•	Perfumed hair sprays decrease air flow 
	in asthmatics.	E Zuskin and A Bouhuys. Acute airway responses to hair spray 
	preparations.	New England J. Medicine 290:660-663(1974).


Toxic chemicals in fragrance products:www.fpinva.org/Activist/FDAanalysis.htm
www.ehnca.org/FDApetition/analysis.htm
www.ourlittleplace.com/epa.html
www.nottoopretty.org
RC Anderson and JH Anderson. Acute toxic effects of fragrance products. 
Archives of Environmental Health 53: 138-146 (1998).
















Over four thousand Americans  die 
each year because of asthma attacks. 
Two out of three asthmatics react to 
perfumes and colognes. 
How can we protect asthmatics from 
dangerous exposures to scented products?
Medical offices can be “fragrance-free” zones.Doctors,nurses, patients, and visitors can avoid wearing aftershave,
cologne, perfume, and other scented products.
Hospitals can discourage use of scented productsas recommended by Health Care Without Harm  
(www.noharm.org/pesticidesCleaners/Fragrances).
Brigham and Women’s Hospital does (Brigham and Women’s Hospital 
Personnel Policy Manual).
Kaiser Permanente Health Care System discourages use of scented products. 
Schools can avoid the use of scented productsas recommended by the National Institutes of Health
(www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/lung/asthma/friendly.htm).     
Dalhousie University does  (www.dal.ca/~scentfre/index.shtml).
Communities can help too.All public events in Shutesbury MA strive to be fragrance-free
(www.shutesbury.org/ada_committee/project_underway.htm).

For more information:Environmental Health Network (EHN) www.ehnca.org
Fragrance Products Information Network (FPIN) www.fpinva.org
HealthCare Without Harm   www.noharm.org
Anderson Laboratories, Inc. (ALI) www.andersonlaboratories.com
American Academy of Allergy, Asthma,and Immunology (AAAAI)
           www.AAAAI.org

Brochure developed byJulius H. Anderson, M.D.Ph.D.(ALI); 
Lawrence A Plumlee, M.D. (Chemical Sensitivity Disorders Association);    
Barbara Wilkie(EHN);  Betty Bridges, R.N.(FPIN); 
and Lynn Lawson, M.A. (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, and 
         Chemical Sensitivity Coalition of Chicago).