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.

And no, it has nothing to do with the machines, which work perfectly well with perfumed people inside them

Are they asked not to eat nuts before an appointment? Or not to touch pets? Or not to smoke? Not to attend with even a mild cold?

I really don't understand why scent is being made into such a big issue when realistically in the grand scheme of triggers it is far from one of the most common problems for asthma/allergies

Canadian medical journal says "scent free policies generally unjustified"

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3071407/

I'm not sure about nuts, pets, smoke. I know that patients are asked not to smoke half hour before their workers come by and to open windows etc if they are smoking indoors.

That is a really good article. It explains it all quite well. I agree that heightened anxiety definitely can cause symptoms. It's like your body is on high alert. So every percived threat can cause an over reaction. Or can make it seem way worse. Totally true. And I believe the fear comes from not being able to test these substances that are in perfume, etc. So a person will not know exactly which chemical is causing the reaction.

I take the wait and see method a lot, unless I'm sure a particular perfume or scent causes the reaction. You have to be a good detective. For instance, tide laundry detergents, gives me terrible headaches and sinus congestion. But downy doesn't. It's bizarre. And it's only the tide original or the ones that have Febreese in them. There is a tide fresh scent that doesn't effect me as much. It's more of an irritant or annoying allergy but not the kind that makes me run away, lol.

One day a lady came into work and she totally forgot not to wear scent and lathered her body in scented body lotion. It was like hitting a wall. I was fine with it though but others were totally suffering. I think that's why it's just easier to try to use unscented products at work because it's such a crap shoot. You never know who will be affected or not.

And like I said before usually something that is slightly scented but disapates relatively quick, well unless someone had a reaction to it, no one's going to say anything or care. But if you wear something stronger at work people will bring it to your attention. Not in a mean way though. People aren't doing it to be vindictive. They are just living their lives and forgot or they are used to the smell and don't notice it as much.

Sirzy, if you have a cold they will give you a mask to wear. I'm not sure about nuts what happens, I'll check and let you know. I do know in schools they can't have peanut at all.

But it's not just peanuts that are a risk.

It just seems that this scent stuff is being completely, disproportionately blow up.

Interestingly the anaphalixis charity in the U.K. Strongly recommend not banning allergens. At first I thought that was bonkers but actually it makes a lot of sense.

If that many Canadians are actually having such bad problems with scented problems, somebody should be looking at why, because its not the case everywhere.
Are canadians especially sensitive and sickly?

'But if you wear something stronger at work people will bring it to your attention.'

Maybe where you are, but here, no, they won't. Because 99.9% of people don't give a shit that someone uses a scented product.

Confused and now becoming slightly fascinated. Why can't you wear "scent" before an MRI/CT/mammography in Canada (not in the U.K.)? I use unscented soap but in my experience of visiting people's homes most don't, or what about perfumed shampoo/conditioner especially that used by the hairdresser? A colleague asked what perfume I was wearing the other day because she thought it was so nice it turned out it was conditioner applied by my hairdresser. All these things linger on your skin/hair. Does the whole of Canada use only unscented products in case they need to visit the GP/hosptial? What about scented candles or reed diffusers? I've got a Neom reed diffuser thing in my hall, my coats slightly smell of it, do you not use anything like that in Canada. It all seems a bit OTT.
Do you also ban nuts in hospital, and stop staff bringing in nuts to eat. We get regularly given those tins of sweets with mini snicker bars in are things like that banned in Canadian hospitals etc because they should be if your going to take this concern about allergies to its obvious conclusion. What about eggs or dairy products. I'll bet last months wages far more people are allergic to those. Do you not serve tea/coffee in Canadian hospitals? And no egg sandwiches (which might not be a loss) or cakes.

Yes I can see that it seems that way. I think maybe it's focused on in Canada because it's something a person can control. What I mean is that each individual can do what they can to reduce scents. Same with not smoking at work or in hospitals. So they have that rule even though a lot of people are around smokers and are fine. But because some are adversely effected they have a policy of no smoking. That's how I see it I guess.
Same with peanuts at school. No one is going to die if they can't eat peanuts but someone might suffer if they do. So they say ok no peanuts at school.
I guess it's a matter of keeping everyone as safe and healthy as possible. And if you are in the hospital you generally are not well, so they don't want you to be worse off.

"Heightened alert" does not cause an anaphylactic reaction.
I regularly do allergy food challenges all have "heightened alert" but this does not cause anaphylaxis

All I can say is that Canadians are clearly more paranoid compliant regarding this sort of thing than Brits. We can't even get our patients/staff to smoke in the designated smoking areas.

And if you are in the hospital you generally are not well, so they don't want you to be worse off

Except when you deny them healthcare and tests because you don't like their body lotion? Then you don't care.

Galloping, most can see its daft obviously aren't or the OP would have nothing to complain about!

Gallopingourmet, it is interesting right? And growing up with it as the norm you never think well this is odd. But yeah how far does this go? There must have been a high number of complaints to have brought about a policy. I agree that there is probably more people allergic to eggs, etc. But you'd have to consume them or touch them I would think ? And scents aren't as easily avoided. Maybe that's why?

Next time I go to the hospital I'll see if there are signs for peanuts or nuts. They don't have those on planes anymore. Have you noticed that? We noticed last time.
There are signs for flowers.to not bring in scented flowers.

"Heightened alert" does not cause an anaphylactic reaction"
No I was saying I agree. In that instance, no you would not have anaphylaxis. I was agreeing with the article that people may "think" they are having a reaction but it's anxiety. And that anxiety is caused by not knowing what the substance you are allergic to is. So they freak out about all scents.

But there are some chemicals/substances whatever you want to call it that DO cause reactions but it's almost impossible to pinpoint what it is due to companies hiding their ingredients behind the label that says fragrance, parfum.or perfume.

So in order to protect people they have these scent free policies. Because no one knows exactly what it is. If they did they could say for example, no petroleum products.

Does that make sense? (Genuinely asking) I'm trying to explain how this may have come about.

"Except when you deny them healthcare and tests because you don't like their body lotion? Then you don't care."

It's not about not liking someone's scent. I find lots of perfume lovely and then get pissed that I can wear it cause of my asthma.

*can't not can

PMSL at these comparisons between smoking and passive smoking and wearing fucking scented body lotion. Methinks some doth protest too much.

'What I mean is that each individual can do what they can to reduce scents.'

Knock yourself out then. Go, Canada! Whatever.

Oh well its the thread that goes in circles. 😀 I'll leave it be now. It's like beating a dead horse. What an awful expression, lol.

Flowers are banned in many U.K. hospital wards because they apparently increase risk of infection which is a relief because with limited spaces round beds the bloody things were always being knocked over.
Surely if your allergic to scent it's no good if others "reduce it" your either allergic to it or your not. That's a bit like saying I'm severely allergic to nuts so I'll only eat a small amount.
Are hospital staff banned from bringing in nuts to eat in case they leave a trace on their hands, is milky coffee banned in case some falls on a uniform?
The policy is nonsensical.
In the U.K. allergies to anything are increasing but remain rare, many children "grow out of them" although parents often won't accept this.

OP 'Another country does this'. Everyone else, 'So what, sounds like a stupid policy? OP, 'No, it's really good. Everyone should do exactly like this or they don't care about anyone. Everyone else, 'That's ridiculous.' OP repeats ad nauseum, then decides to leave because most of the posters think the policy is ridiculous and stupid.

It not a work place policy where I work. Also I have many many more comments appreciating nice scents rather than complaining

'They don't have those on planes anymore. Have you noticed that? We noticed last time. '

They did on KLM last August.

'There must have been a high number of complaints to have brought about a policy.'

More like the hospital is looking to cover itself against potential lawsuits.

I wear perfume. People don't complain. I don't complain about their BO or cut their time short. Seems civilised to me.