To expect health care professionals, workers, etc. to not wear scents

[Bimbop5]

I don't understand why in this day and age that health care workers, meaning doctors, nurses, care aids, etc need to be told not to wear scents? They should know not to wear them due to asthma, sinusitis, multiple chemical sensitivity, etc, etc. And yet where I work they have to continually talk to these people and explain you cannot wear perfume or any scented products at work. It's ridiculous. People have to turn their care aids away due to them wearing scents and in turn are left trying to care for themselves when they are sick. It's nuts! It reminds me how smoking used to be allowed in hospitals and remember what the fight it was to finally ban this. I hope in my lifetime people will learn how much this hurts people with illness and allergies. I'm only 41 but man, we have so much to learn in society. People have a right to have clean air.

same goes for patients then.....dont go into hospital stinking of cigarette smoke or BO....have a good was/bath/shower beforehand....and dont forget those filthy feet...of course its different if u are and E/A but if you are going in for elective surgery or even and outpatient appt its a must. Ive lost count of the many people ive seen who think its okay to turn up without bothering to wash or even clean their teeth....especially when they are having a physical examination...its disgusting, but being professionals you are expected to grin and bear it (and we do)

lemon I remember when ds was 18 months he had an operation which meant he had a catheter in for a week. When we went back to the hospital the nurse actually commented how clean he was and how well cared for it was - mind boggles the state some must have been in as I didn't think we had done anything excessive to keep him clean!

Multiple chemical sensitivity is a rather disputed condition with reported symptoms being broad, vague and indicators of many other things. "Unscented products" often have added ingredients to mask the smell of the product and it's not the same as fragrance free.
Some perfumes can make some people feel ill, Tresor and Angel both make me feel headachey and sick but it's not all scents everywhere. Incidentally I used to be unable to walk down the washing powder aisle in supermarkets without my eyes itching. Since the increase in liquids and gels it's significantly less of a problem which makes me think of it was dust/powder that was the irritant not the scent

This is really interesting to hear all the comments, thank you for your opinions. I think what most people don't understand is when I say allergy I'm talking about anaphylaxis or severe asthma attacks, severe migraines not itchy eyes or a few sneezes. And it's not a ban on life, it's simply in the workplace it needs to be abided by. I would rather deal with BO than perfume as gross as that is because at least it's not deadly. I mean for me it's not deadly but for some people it is. Would you expect a person who had anaphylaxis due to peanuts to sit and smell them? Lots of them go into shock just by smelling them. That's how I think of it.

I'm very glad we are aware of this in Canada. I think it the next 20 years it will become common knowledge.

Just to stress this, it's not about being annoyed by scents. If that was the case that would be a ridiculous reason to make workers stop. And a lot of those scents can quite pleasant to smell but unfortunately people can have terrible reactions to it despite this. I know of some that have ended up in the hospital.

Surely if someone has a s very allergy to perfumed products it doesn't matter where the exposure takes place so should all scent wearing be banned in case of causing anaphylaxis tonanstranger on a train?

I agree that overpowering products are unpleasant to many people but actively dangerous to fewer. But if you are trying to protect the few who suffer really severely then HCPs are the tip of the ice beg and it doesn't seem workable or reasonable.

I think you're being unreasonable. I have migraines that are triggered by strong scents but I'd never expect the world to change just to suit me.

Was in A&E recently. One doc smelled of bo. The other smelled of deodorant. I'll let you pick which I found easier to be around.

YANBU but as a community based worker, I often visit places that are rather, erm, pungent and I come out smelling unpleasant. Even if I change my clothes, it clings to my hair so I might spray a bit if it doesn't dissipate in the car. Also, I don't always have time to change. It's really difficult but I don't want to inflict the stink on other clients. :(

Anaphylaxis from the smell of someones perfume? If it happens at all it must be vanishingly rare. Less likely than traces of peanut on someone causing anaphylaxis, I would imagine, and we don't ban all HCP's from ever eating peanuts.

It is definitely a Canada/USA thing.

Over there, you can find lots of unscented products; even down to clothes washing detergent/softener. In the UK, you just don't get that (there are very few around, but the range is nowhere near like in North America).

Personal experience also is that in general, even the scented products in Canada/US (soaps, deodorants, detergents etc) are a much weaker strength than you get elsewhere.

I have often wondered why it is so different.

Newsprint sets my asthma off. My point is people are allergic to all sorts of things in varying degrees. I don't think it's reasonable or even desirable to prevent people from reading newsprint in my vicinity.

Working as a paramedic I've never come across anyone suffering anaphylaxis as a result of perfume allergy so I would say it was incredibly rare.
A lot of the houses I go into absolutely reek and a bit of fabric conditioner/body spray makes things a little more bearable. I've never heard of anyone turning away carets because of their perfume.

I'm very glad we are aware of this in Canada. I think it the next 20 years it will become common knowledge. It won't. Canadians have never met a rule they didn't like. It's a lovely country but really really rule bound and PA if everyone isn't conforming.

I like a little chaos and disorder and general misbehaviour. I live in lovely Canada but I wish there was a little civil disobedience.

What about alcohol and wipes and cleaning products used in healthcare settings? They can smell quite strong in a clean way. Are they not used in Canada?

It's very easy to find perfume free products in the UK. Even if you live in the most remote parts of the country there is something called the internet, which you are using now.

I've been allergic to perfume all my life but ignored it until I had a massive flare up about 25 years ago. Since then everything in my home has had to be perfume free. It is now incredibly easy. And you don't have to pay more, although as I have very sensitive skin/suffer from asthma, etc, I mainly stick with the green products I started using years ago when the mainstream choice was simple or clinique.

Perfume free shampoos and deodorants are all easy enough and do the job. I've banned my teens from Lynx and its friends, and issued showers and a perfume free boring roll-on. And hope PE is not on hot days ...

Perfume free loo cleaner is absolute shit though, when you live in a hard water area, so sometimes I buy strong stuff, open windows in advance, squirt and run out of the house for a couple of hours.

I accept that the whole world can't change around me. I was once nearly sick on a crowded train when a woman behind me sprayed on her fresh dose of perfume on the train. I wish people were more aware how awful this is for some of us. I couldn't move from where I was. I had such a bad migraine I was unable to work the next day, which was an utter pisser.

I have been a hospital inpatient, and been made unwell by the scents staff wore. One HCA was very offended but I had to tell her why I was suddenly vomiting. She told me it wasn't cheap stuff, spectacularly missing the point about allergies!

I'm surprised it's not advised more in health care environments, after all we are all advised not to use scented products with our babies. Yet people still think stinky Johnson's is a good idea ...

As students we were taught to avoid eating nuts during the day in case of severe allergy. I always adhered to that.

I cant stand strong perfume and always go unscented. Wish all patients would even wash with plain water, any form of cosmetic product would be a welcome bonus.

I don't think you can tell HCPs what to do unless patients are told the same. The NHS (which I have just resigned from) owns enough of our lives as it is.

PikachuBoo ,
Agreed.

People just don't think. They go through their morning routine that has built up over the years and reach for the scents without thinking. It's horrible but it happens.

I have asthma myself and often get asthma attacks from perfumes. Some of my worst atacks were from my own mothers perfume, just being in the same room triggeres it and of course her motherly instinct is to run right over to me to try and help - and I can never get enough breath in order to tell her she was the cause and her "helping" was making it worse. She still forgets now sometimes and visits covered in the stuff and only realises as I dive for the inhaler.

One of the problems is that asthma and other breathing problems are written off as harmless childhood issues that happen during P.E classes if you run for too long. I've had a couple of near misses when I passed out before I could get to my inhalers and people found me and rescued me, and my childhood best fried died of an asthma attack. It's a potentially leathal choice to wear scents and people just don't seem to realise that.

RazWaz, definitely. I agree with you. I guess I don't know why as a society we don't help each other. Instead people claim it's their right to wear scents. But a simple thing like omitting it can help others immensely. You won't die if you don't wear your perfume but someone else might or at least suffer. We are so adamant in "it's my right, I can do what I Want! I don't have a problem with it, so who cares if someone else does" and this just blows my mind. Not everyone is like this obviously and I can see how it's just simply part of their routine like brushing their teeth. I would like to create awareness about this. People can end up so isolated as they can't go to movies, restaurants, etc. It's very sad and unnecessary.

Scents give me joy. But we're supposed to do without them in case they cause a reaction in someone?

An allergy and an intolerance/reaction are not the same thing! An allergic reaction to a smell would be a histamine reaction to tiny number of particles per million. That could be triggered by anything unless you ban all scents from the world. If people are having anaphylaxic reactions to perfume they need a proper allergy test doing to identify the cause and get epipens if required. "Perfume" is such a broad and nont specific term. There' s dozens of possible ingredients in a perfume which could cause a reaction . If the test shows the indivudual does indeed have an allergic reaction to a specific substance, they can then be treated for that. And if can't go to a pharmacy to collect their meds they can get them delivered too in order to avoid balloons.

I have asthma that has nearly killed me 5 times (and once caused me to be visited in Leeds General infirmary by Jimmy Saville, fortunately nothing happened) i have chronic eczema that I have had to take immunosuppressants for (the same kind transplant patients take). I know and understand allergies and how they can be life threatening. I know I have very extreme allergic reactions to cinnamon extracts on my skin but that cinnamon smells don't affect me.
Conflating allergies with an unpleasant irritation does nobody any good really as it means people with allergies which can be life threatening aren't taken seriously by some.

I haven't rtwt but I've never come across a bcp who reeked.

I remember one lovely nurse who had a beautiful sandalwood oil in her hair. I was in hospital for an operation and that smell always reminds me of her and how everything else stank of hospital. It was so nice to be helped by someone who smelled so lovely when I was puking my guts up after anaesthetic. I'm in Ireland.

Every consultant I've ever seen smells of beautiful but subtle perfume / cologne, and mouthwash. I appreciate their efforts of not reeking of BO and halitosis.

A rule of having to have short, unpolished, clean nails and no make up or jewellery is better than no perfume imo.

I don't like sprays and deodorants sprays.

A small number of people understand what I am talking about. But it seems to me a large percentage of people just refuse to understand.
As far as allergies, yes I know what allergies are. Sensitivities cause the same reactions but don't involve IGE. I do NOT like your comment of "unpleasant irritation" thecraftyfox, it's insulting. I'm not talking about an unpleasant irritation. I am sensitive to dogs, I say "sensitive " because I have all the same reactions as an "allergic" person does but IGE is not involved so I cannot be treated for it. My allergist said it's called a sensitivity only because of that. The symptoms are the same.
Now I do not expect dogs to be banned, I actually adore them, but I do expect them not to be at my workplace. And that is what I expect with perfume as well. Or any highly scented product.

And all I'm trying to explain is that people should be respectful of ALL allergies and sensitivities. Not to just dismiss sensitivities because they aren't allergies. Because the person who is having an asthma attack due to perfume is just as important as the person whose throat is closing up due to peanuts. Both can cause death.

And in public yeah I get it, I like scents too and yes they do bring joy. And yes people will continue to wear them but in the workplace when you are already treating ill people why as a health worker would you intentionally wear scent when there are other Options? Especially when you know a person has these allergies and sensitivities? Care workers were going to this ladies home wearing scent when they knew it caused her life threatening issues. To me this is selfish. Wear your scents on your day off etc. It's the chemicals in the scents that cause problems. VOCS. Volatile organic compounds.

When you are out and about in your day, not at work, and you choose to wear scents, you are well within your right. It would be awesome is people didn't but the reality is people usually only think about themselves. My main grippe is stop doing it at work.