Who is most at risk of fragrances’ effects on our health?
People at highest risk are those who work in environments where they’re continuously exposed to fragrances, such the cleaning industry, cosmetics industry or agriculture industry. You also may be at slightly higher risk if you are exposed to fragrance through personal overuse.
Also, if you have an allergy or sensitivity or a pre-existing condition, like asthma or COPD, you’ll want to avoid highly fragranced environments. But you don’t have to have any underlying chronic lung disease to be impacted by these compounds. Many of us can relate to the experience of walking through the fragrance section of a department store and coughing or sneezing. Those compounds are causing an inflammatory reaction. If you have a negative reaction to a particular scent or location, your body is telling you to step back.
Over time, though, appropriate, everyday exposure to fragrances is typically not a health issue for people without underlying disease.