CDP Theme Day: Smell

City Daily Photo has themes for the first of each month and May's theme was a challenge: Smell.

I'm not Sick; I'm Allergic to Perfume!

Sometimes smells that many consider pleasing are unwelcome to me. Most perfumes give me a headache and a feeling of lack of oxygen. Sometimes I get "brain fog" and my legs go weak.  I know people who get even worse reactions!

So that's why I made this photo. I wrote "Allergic to Perfume" on a dust mask because people with allergies often wear dust masks to protect themselves. The first pictures I took did not satisfy me so I tried a mode called X-Ray that came with my iPad because allergy is a health issue.

Yes, the picture looks freakish, but allergies can make you feel freakish! By the way, the marker I used to write on the mask had an odor that gave me a bit of a headache. But it's worth a sacrifice to raise some awareness about chemical allergies.

There are plenty of articles about the toxins commonly found in perfumes. (See this one from Time.) Please limit your fragrance use to the privacy of your home (but not around infants, asthmatics,  or delicate pets like birds). Don't share them with the rest of us!

Surveys found that "30.5% of the general population reported scented products on others irritating, 19% reported adverse health effects from air fresheners, and 10.9% reported irritation by scented laundry products vented outside. This study reveals that a considerable percentage of the U.S. population reports adverse health effects or irritation from fragranced products, with higher percentages among those with asthma and chemical sensitivity. "~ PubMed, 2009

Also sharing with Black and White Weekend