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I’ve bought my clothes in charity shops all my life, but now I’m having trouble. The flowery smells wafting around there aren’t just from candles anymore: the clothes themselves are ruthlessly steamed - with perfume. It’s supposed to be pleasant, smell ‘clean’, but I hate it with a vengeance. And it’s getting stronger by the month, or else my nose is getting more sensitive.
The worst is: you can’t get it off. Washing doesn’t help: all it does is infect everything else in the machine. Washing with vinegar, or wrapping the clothes with bicarbonate of soda doesn’t help. Hanging them out on the line - for weeks! - in rain, snow, frost or sun, doesn’t help. They seem ok when still outside, but once you bring them in and they warm up, there it is again.
And all this perfuming isn’t even necessary: I found a shop which steams with water, and uses smell only in the very worst cases.
It’s spreading too: when entering Taunton library recently, the stink was quite suffocating.
They had obviously been cleaning thoroughly, but with what? It had even got into the books, making some of them, for me, unreadable.
Not surprisingly, an increasing number of people are allergic to these perfumes.
You’ll say: there are much worse things in the world than annoying smells.
However, repeated exposure to these chemicals has been linked to endocrine disruption, cancer, developmental abnormalities and later learning disabilities in the fetuses/babies of exposed mothers.
What about those who work in the perfume factories? Or the women who steam in the charity shops?
One more environmental mess, happening now. What can we do?
See and
Is this a continuation of your previous thread on the same subject?
Yes I'm afraid so. It does bother me a lot these days. I so like charity shopping ....
"However, repeated exposure to these chemicals has been linked to endocrine disruption, cancer, developmental abnormalities and later learning disabilities in the fetuses/babies of exposed mothers"
Any evidence for this statement? What chemicals in particular?.
"However, repeated exposure to these chemicals has been linked to endocrine disruption, cancer, developmental abnormalities and later learning disabilities in the fetuses/babies of exposed mothers"
Any evidence for this statement? What chemicals in particular?.
“Chemicals from the phthalate family are also commonly found in synthetic fragrances. They go by the names Di-ethyl phthalate (DEP), Di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) and Benzyl butyl phthalate. Phthalates are known endocrine disruptors and suspected carcinogens. They are often used in perfumes and body care products such as scented lotions. They are inhaled as well as absorbed through the skin. The enter the blood stream and are absorbed into the body via the lungs.
One study linked Di-ethyl phthalate to developmental abnormalities in the fetuses of exposed mothers. It has also been linked to later learning disabilities in children of exposed mothers.
Other studies have shown that repeated use of synthetically fragranced air fresheners, cleaners and detergents produce toxic interactions. The air can be contaminated by the interactions of these types of products.”
I read this in
See also and its references and resources.
“Chemicals from the phthalate family are also commonly found in synthetic fragrances. They go by the names Di-ethyl phthalate (DEP), Di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) and Benzyl butyl phthalate. Phthalates are known endocrine disruptors and suspected carcinogens. They are often used in perfumes and body care products such as scented lotions. They are inhaled as well as absorbed through the skin. The enter the blood stream and are absorbed into the body via the lungs.
One study linked Di-ethyl phthalate to developmental abnormalities in the fetuses of exposed mothers. It has also been linked to later learning disabilities in children of exposed mothers.
Other studies have shown that repeated use of synthetically fragranced air fresheners, cleaners and detergents produce toxic interactions. The air can be contaminated by the interactions of these types of products.”I read this in
See also and its references and resources.
Yes those are the inks you posted before I believe. I have no doubt the chemicals are in the fragrances, and can cause the disruption you mentioned I am studying naturopathy at the moment and there has been a whole section on toxic chemicals in the environment. I am also a pharmacist and understand very well how dangerous some chemicals can be, , I am reasonably certain the testing that shows the problems they cause will have been in rats at concentrations much higher than would be encountered in normal use in fragrances. We all of us have miniscule amounts of formaldehyde (a highly toxic chemical) in our blood streams.....quite naturally......and we are all still alive and healthy (ay least not unhealthy due to the formaldehyde) A substnace is only dangerous if the exposure is high enough to cause the problems in normal use. Personally I am much more concerned about environmental antibiotics than I am about perfumes.
Personally I am much more concerned about environmental antibiotics than I am about perfumes.
Yes of course there are degrees of dangers. But right now I have to buy lots of stuff in charity shops for technical reasons, and it so bugs me. I think it is another timebomb - these smells are in everything, nowadays, after all.
BTW I haven't used antibiotics for at least 45 years. And I've written a blog issue about it (Thought for Food Sep '15). What more can I do?
About smells caused by cleaning products etc. apparently you can do something: houseplants help! See .
ш heard about molecula - the new artificial perfume, based on synthetical aromas and materials. Havs anyone tried?