to not understand why people spend money to pollute their homes with pointless chemicals?

A bit vague, if you have links to any actual research I'd happily read it (not for a couple of days though as up early due to travelling today!).

The components are toxic enough to make recycling of carpeting very difficult, for various reasons. They contaminate the environment when put in landfills.

The age and stage of development of babies and children matters a lot when exposed to toxins in carpeting, paint, and furniture/ mattresses.

We take care not to expose babies or children to any toxins in toys, paints, crayons, clay, clothes, blankets - and rightly so. We've redesigned cots and blinds and playgrounds, and we make babies and children ride in safe car seats, wear a helmet when biking, skating, etc. But we've overlooked very obvious problem areas in homes.

Nobody with any scientific knowledge would use that meaningless and scaremongering term.

You don’t see people because they are self isolating.

we stay home almost all the time. I have a wfh job. I get almost everything delivered. When I go out, as soon as I feel my throat closing or my lips swelling, I leave. If I am about to have a coughing fit, I try to move away from people, not just because I want to move away from what is causing the cough, but because I’m not an asshole and don’t want to scare people who might worry I am contagious. My allergies prevent me from living a normal life and from being a part of normal society. If I didn’t have a wfh job, I would be classified as disabled.

Im in a support group with other sufferers. All medically diagnosed through testing. Most aren’t as lucky as me. That I can earn a good income in my circumstances is incredibly rare. Given it is an expensive set of allergies, that makes it all the more punishing. the accommodations aren’t actually that difficult, but as you can see from threads like this, people aren’t remotely willing to even consider the possibility that they should make adjustments.

@Wednesdaysotherchild

Have you noticed that sometimes people do things that aren't good for them? Like eating unhealthy foods, too much food, failing to exercise, drinking alcohol, taking drugs, smoking cigarettes, procrastinating with work, spending more money than they can afford, to name but a few. '

I don't know anybody who does everything right.

Do you?

I am specifically referring to phthalates, which so many people seem to be unaware of: https://amp.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/may/23/phthalates-everyday-products-toxics-guide

https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news/cheatsheet-phthalates

They clearly love the smell of cancerous endocrine-disruptors…

YANBU

Given that 1 in 2 people now get cancer there must be something in what people are saying. I kind of get what you're saying too, but I hate the way that people label everything snowflake culture. It is so demeaning.

I often think that the government wouldn't allow us to eat UPF if it caused so much damage, but I can see that they will never seriously warn us against them because their friends (who run the companys that produce them) would lose too much profit if we took the advice seriously. This idea that the government wouldn't allow us to die is one of the reasons I have been in such denial about eating UPFs, but a lot of people around me are succumbing to heart disease, diabetes and other diet related illnesses and I have now decided to take heed. I don't really mind being called a snowflake either. And I know that I may develop those conditions anyway, but I want to make sure that I am not responsible for causing them/worsening them.

Like a pp said, it's the simplest explanation.

A lot have explained it's to cover pet smells, others have no proper ventilation or means to leave windows open.

A few like the smell as a finishing touch after cleaning.

Someone mentioned covering smells from an elderly relative to government them some dignity.

It's not dirty houses that have them, it's a broad demographic for different reasons.

People like alcohol, chocolate, caffeine, smoking, flying to holidays, Almond milk, processed food, Apple products, cheaply produced clothes etc.

They are all things that we know are bad for us, others or the environment but it doesn't stop people doing it.

Are you saying you don't do anything at all that would make others wonder why you do it?

That the world's population should have the same outlook on fresheners as you do?

They like the smell is the bottom line.

Why they choose to use it depends on each person.

Some don't care about the prospect of getting ill.

Some don't realise how bad they are.

Some choose to ignore how bad they are.

Some choose to take their chances, same as a smoker/drinker does.

Some don't care about the environment.

Some don't believe it's doing that much damage to the environment.

Some get comfort from the scents.

Some don't think too much about it and just like the smell.

Again, I know academia isn't a measure of intelligence but I can't believe you don't understand that people make different choices based on all sorts of reasons.

You mentioned being a scientist, does that mean all scientists in your field don't use the products you mention?

I know a food scientist who eats all sorts once in a while. Her reasoning being to have a little of what you fancy in moderation.

Why are there doctors with unhealthy life choices? Because they choose to smoke/drink or whatever.

All down to choice and you wouldn't choose something you don't like.

The dramatics on this thread 😂

If they were so toxic and dangerous we wouldn’t be able to buy them

Like cigarettes and alcohol. We're definitely in safe hands.

Oh darlings, some of you sound like you would enjoy a girls holiday with that Greta Thunberg girl 🥱

In all my years I’m yet to spot anyone walking past my house and having an anaphylactic shock over my satin and moon lilly plug ins. Nor have I seen any one gasping for breath on the laundry isle or from brushing past me in Starbucks when they get a waft of Chanel no5.

Its snow flake culture, next we will be being asking that we don't plant flowers as they cause hay fever or that Waitrose shouldn't stock alcohol as it might temp a recovering alcoholic back to the bottle, or cream cakes as someone might spoil their diet and become a diabetic.

Bottom line is we all have a right to make our own choices, educate but don’t be militant.

If they were so toxic and dangerous we wouldn’t be able to buy them, but no doubt someone has an answer for this too - maybe the government want us to all meet an untimely demise to recoup the county’s debt.

@tomorrowisanotherdate

Is it that you're having trouble with the fact that people don't see the issue in the same way you do?

What 'makes sense' to you isn't universal: your 'sense' isn't the same as others' 'sense', and it's not 'right', any more than theirs is. It seems like you don't want to accept that some people don't feel the same about this issue as you.

Why is that? Do you think people should feel the same as you about it?

Says the scientist having trouble understanding that people like different things. Ha!

Each to their own lovelies, it’s not hurting anyone.

The whole point is that it is hurting someone.

I don't think lavender has been an "old lady" thing for quite some time. If you think it is, you're probably not very young yourself. Hopefully the kids of today won't find scents "disgusting" just because you wear them.

At a friends house once the yankee candle smelt lovely when we visited until I had to go outside to stop coughing.

Allergies appear to be becoming more prevalent. More people need anti histamine medication than I remember years ago. Eczema seems commoner.

Something is going on

No, not really clearer. Why does old ladies wearing lavender make it disgusting?

That might be why my eyes were burning the other day! But the thing is you rinse it away and it is very effective at getting rid of the smell.

@Piper1983 Wow! Really? That was confirmed by the specialist/consultant then was it?
@wotsistmum90 It must be absolutely awful for you to have to walk around, mingling with the general populous. How inconsiderate that other people should smell nice! And yet you say "the selfishness is unbelievable"?! Oh the irony!

@wotsistmum90 disposable nappies are a much bigger problem than scent boosters so if you've used them I don't really see how you're in a position to shoot others down. Meat and dairy also terrible for planet earth and the 'mega farms' are polluting the water.

So no I don't feel guilty about scent boosters and nothing can change that for me. I am a vegan, no flying, don't often drive & use cloth nappies and refillable / second hand almost everything. My dh is a hcp and 'natural'does not get the smell of blood, poo and vomit out of his uniform I can assure you! I will do what I need to do.

Because they want to.

I don't get it either. I don't want to breathe in chemical smells either.

There are so many healthy ways to scent your home. Keeping it clean with eco friendly products is one. Opening windows every day is another one. The smell of reed diffusers or any chemical other diffusers give me a headache and make me sneeze. That can't be healthy and probably contributes to the ever rising cancer rates we're seeing nowadays. If you look at the ingredients and instructions, it's almost as if you're dealing with nuclear waste.