Fragrance and Your Children’s Health
The spray bottles with princesses and glitter that mask the dangerous chemicals that can harm your child’s hormones
I remember being 10 or 11 years old in gym class when I started seeing my classmates pull out these cute pink bottle sprays.
They’d spray these body sprays/perfumes all over and compare cute scents like chai vanilla and raspberry rose.
I remember feeling left out because my parents wouldn’t let me use these body sprays. Whether it was because I thought I was too young or they intuitively knew they were harmful to my health is unknown to me, but I’m grateful now for the decision they made regardless.
When we talk about EDC’s, endocrine disrupting chemicals, we are talking about chemicals used in these bottle sprays, home supplies, lotions, candles, just anything with a “scent.”
These scents were developed in labs to mimic nature, but they couldn’t be farther from natural. Eventually they surrounded us with so many of them, in our car, in our home, on our bodies, that we became addicted to the smells and they tricked our senses into thinking them smell “good.”
Scents became associated with luxury, which is why I felt so leftout in 2nd grade.
However, the truth is that most commercial fragrances are potent chemical cocktails with known risks to human health. It’s important to understand the dangers of the most heavily used EDC: fragrance, and the way this particular chemical affects children and their hormonal growth.
What’s worse is how much easier it is to find adult “fragrance-free” perfumes, but if you walk down the aisles of Wal-Mart, Target, CVS, or Walgreen’s, they are littered with pretty pink and purple bottles, with glitter, princesses, flowers, all CLEARLY targetting young girls, and FILLED with fragrance along with other endocrine disruptors.
Understanding Fragrance:
The vague term, “fragrance” could refer to any of the more than 3000 chemical additives that companies are not required to disclose by virtue that their blend is “proprietary information.” This lack of transparency is legally allowed by the federal government.
Many of these hidden chemicals contain cancer-causing carcinogens and hormone disrupting chemicals. They have studies that have shown to cause an endless amount of diseases and neurotoxins to the brain.
This particular attack on the brain is what can cause a host of brain related illnesses in children including anything from mood imbalances/depression to brain tumors and dementia. Since the brain contains the master endocrine gland, the pituitary gland, attacks on this area of the body is especially detrimental to hormone health.
Why is it WORSE for Children
The Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry (ATSDR) has already issued warnings for many of these ingredients. For example, here’s what it says about toluene (a type of fragrance):
“Breathing toluene vapors in small amounts may cause a mild headache, dizziness, drowsiness, or nausea. With more serious exposure, toluene may cause sleepiness, stumbling, irregular heartbeat, fainting, or even death.”
Growing children are constantly developing new hormone receptors and messengers. Their bodies are especially susceptible to hormone disruptors during these growing periods.
Those with asthma are especially susceptible, since their developing lungs are smaller and more vulnerable, and their quicker breathing rate means greater exposure over time.
There is also strong indication that phthalates increase the risk of allergy and asthma and have a negative impact on children’s nervous system development. Studies have also suggested that the phthalates in fragrances may negatively affect the reproductive system of children.
Sensitization to allergens can start in early infancy, and fragrances are one of the most frequent allergens causing allergic skin reactions in children. Infants, toddlers and young children may not be able to metabolize (detoxify) chemical compounds as efficiently as adults. In a study that examined skin sensitization to chemicals, including fragrances, children under the age of ten were the most sensitive when compared to adults and seniors.
What Can You Do?
Read product labels carefully, and avoid products with the words “Fragrance”, “perfume” or “parfum” on the label. Opt for fragrance-free products whenever possible, and be aware that some products labelled as “unscented” may still contain chemicals that mask the scent of fragrances.
Avoid fragranced air fresheners, air deodorizers, scented plug-in types of products, fragrance oils, fragranced melting wax, and pot-pourri.
Avoid car fresheners.
Instead of scented candles, opt for solid beeswax candles that are unscented.
Avoid scented markers, glues and scented craft supplies, even if they claim to be non-toxic.
Opt for fragrance-free shampoo, conditioner, body wash, hand soaps and lotions.
Before purchasing skin or body care products, look them up on the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep database at https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/#.WzzbLiMZNfg.
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