A Minnesota lawmaker proposed a bill Monday urging a fragrance-free educational campaign to discourage students from dousing themselves in scents that aggravate classmates with asthma and other health problems.
Odors that fill hallways come mostly from boys who douse themselves in body sprays like Axe, said Mikolai Altenberg, a senior at Minneapolis South High School. He said the smell is "indescribable" and unavoidable.
— From Minn. rep wants scent-free schools in USA Today, with thanks to Rose for the link!
And underneath the Axe or whatever is the unerasable scent of cold-palmed sweat and teeming hormones … estrogen as well as testosterone. So good luck getting rid of the smell. It's so nice to be middle-aged and have your hormones in control. Just put a thin layer of Dior, Guerlain or Ormonde over it all and you're good. *preen* xoxo
I can understand this problem ~ reminds me of when I worked in an office ~ lady that was training me asked me to stop wearing my perfume because it irritated her asthma, but yet I found her slathering on BBW “Sun-Ripened Raspberry” had lotion ~ as if that stuff isn't strong?! Ah, people are definitely odd, but I digress … interesting article ~ thanks for posting. ~Stace~
I work in Jr. and Senior high schools. I'd rather have them douse themselves in Axe or whatever than having to breathe some intensely bad B.O. (Believe me, it can be very strong at that age–especially in hot rooms and after P.E.–where they don't necessarily shower afterwards!)
Then sometime I'll be wearing some S.L. fragrance (I know, a little strong for school but sometimes I'm just in the mood) and I'll get comments like, “What stinks?” as they enter the room.
To each his own. Maybe we should carry scented (or UN) hankies to hold to our nose? A little jar of coffee beans?
LOL — hate to say it, but that “hormones in control” doesn't last
That is funny that SL “stinks” when you're surrounded by Axe!
No it isn't – just ask any gander (or that other goose)! LOL! Most of us don't realize how our scents can/could/might irritate another.My dad wears BOD, for cryin' out loud, which is the stuff of migraines (for me)….yet he snarks at my Bal a V. Meanwhile, I'm trying to figure out how he can even smell BaV, whilst drenched in BOD!
Bath and Body Works products give me headaches like nothing else.
one in eight students seems like a really high incidence of asthma.
and the numbers are rising……
LOL — ok, I'll stand corrected
Nothing – and I mean NOTHING – smells worse than a 14 yr old boy going through puberty. They seem to emit this powerful BO/sweaty foot/musk combination that sends me scrambling for a breathing mask. Thank God my stepson has moved past that stage and is happily immersing himself in Bvlgari Aqua and the new Chanel.
At any rate – I suppose they haven't considered what will happen if this boys stop with the Axe (etc) and embrace their 'natural' scent. Perhaps they ought to stock up on inhalers and breathing masks, because this hormonal scent is powerful enough to knock one out, forget about asthmatics.
PS – I thought asthma had to do with environmental factors? Pollution, urban areas, etc… oh, and is also an effect of preemies (my stepson was a preemie and has asthma because his lungs and bronchial tubes were undeveloped and sustained scarring).
LLol, as someone with a 16-y.o. in the house, I can relate! While I love him and his friends dearly, they are quite, em, strong for my sensitive nose….
My understanding is that there is no real consensus on why asthma is on the rise, but it does seem unlikely that environmental issues aren't an important factor. All jokes aside, if you've got asthma, you're way better off w/ the BO than the heavy fragrance use.
that's so scary. when I was a kid only one of my friends had asthma and now I know only two adults with it.
It is true; when I was young, asthma was like an “exotic disease” to other children. Now, they all know what a “breather” is.
In regards to asthma/allergies, I think it's interesting how science has to focus on one thing as the cause, rather than acknowledging it could be a complex interaction of hygiene, food processing, sedentary lifestyles, genes, and most importantly – pollutants. They mention air pollutants, but plastics and POPs (persistent organic pollutants) are a serious problem and no one looks at how all these chemicals in our lives interact. They much prefer to look at lifestyle rather than the environment.