14 DAY TRIAL // Another crowded day in the station, waiting for the subway. Tired of watching in the subway hole to see for some light, hear for some noise, get any signal that the train is coming, I start walking around, making my way through the not so lively bunch of people. As I watch people watching me, I also start sniffing, one of my weird things I sometimes do.
The smell of a wet dog on a man dressed formally, moving on? the smell of soap, nothing special, moving on? the repugnant smell of cheap perfume, the type which is the perfect gift when you are out of money, the one you have smelled once too often and now turns your stomach inside out, moving further? spring, fresh spring flowers, I take a deep breath while looking for a reason to spend more time around the girl using that perfume, and slowly move further away? a very sweet aroma lures me to a girl dressed in black, long shiny hair and a smell that makes you float.
I started seeing her five minutes later after smelling the scent, after making all kinds of associations with people, emotions, states, attitudes, after the blur faded away. My olfactory memory took control for some minutes. Its addictive effect made me stay around for as long as I could, taking deep breaths, fantasizing, dreaming. Common sense always tells me to put on some perfume before going out. I perceive people who smell good differently, more interesting, I respect them more, I see them in a better light. If you smell good, others are attracted.
Still, I have a vague idea that the perfume in large quantities can be nauseating, as I experienced recently, but I did not think of the seriousness of it until a friend started getting tachycardia from the perfume I wear daily. Many are bothered by some perfumes, experiencing headaches, breathing problems or even asthma attacks. It seems that many of the chemicals contained are the same as in cigarettes. These go directly into the blood when applied on our skin. In our modern life, perfumes are no longer made of flowers, but of chemical essences, 95% of which are made out of petroleum. 84% of these ingredients have never been tested or have been poorly for toxicity on humans.
Toluene, plus other substances such as benzene derivatives, aldehydes contained by perfumes can cause cancer, can affect the nervous system and can cause allergies; some of them are even neurotoxic. Ethanol, camphene, Beta-pinene, Beta-myrcene, benzaldehyde, limonene, benzyl alcohol, Beta-phenethyl alcohol, citronellal, camphor, benzyl acetate, estragole, Alpha-cedrene, Alpha-pinene, diethylene glycol mnoethyl ether, linalool, Alpha-terpineol, Beta-citronello, acetone, t-butanol, ethyl acetate, toluene, 3-octanone, cineole, 2-ethyl-1-hexanol, phenylacetaidehyde , terpinen-4-ol, the most frequent chemicals contained in perfumes, have been shown to cause serious health problems or even deaths when tested on animals. .
In 1986, the National Academy of Sciences recommended that perfumes be tested for neurotoxicity. No action was taken so far. Only about 1,300 of the more than 5,000 materials available for use in fragrances were tested. In the 2,983 chemicals used to fabricate fragrances, 884 have been found toxic. This popular component of perfumes, toluene, causes asthma in healthy people and attacks in those already suffering from the illness; during the last decade, asthma cases have increased by 31%.
The symptoms provoked by perfumes include double vision, sneezing, ear pains, watery or dry eyes, coughing, vertigo, dizziness, nasal congestions, difficulty in breathing or swallowing, asthma, headaches, fatigue, confusion, seizures, incoherence, inability to concentrate, nausea, anxiety, lethargy, irritability, mood swings, depression, rashes, eczema, muscle pain, joint pain, irregular heart beats, hypertension, swollen lymph glands, et cetera.
Perfumes are not only those in small bottles you buy from beauty shops. They are also used in laundry detergents, fabric softeners, anti-cling products, dish-washing liquids, disinfectants, soaps, shampoos, deodorants, cosmetics, lotions, aftershaves, colognes, incense, analgesic creams, and lip balms. "Hypoallergenic", "natural scent" or "floral" does not save you from negative effects. The "unscented" label may represent a perfume covering the original smell.
Of course these substances can be avoided, but the methods of doings so seem fictional in today's society. You must avoid all scented products, pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, fertilizers. Bathe in clear water; get a filter to clean water of chlorine, which would normally enter the blood stream. Open the windows. Even in the polluted cities, the air outside is much better that the one inside your apartment. Get plants to remove the toxins from your house; philodendrons, spider plants, aloe vera, ivy and ferns purify the air.