Consumer Terrorism, or Air Pollution for Purchase

ScentAir is the latest gimmick in consumer marketing. They call themselves smell consultants. Here is one of their marketing slogans:

Add More Excitement to Your Crowd Experience! 

 

It seems it is their mission to poison people with toxic chemicals worldwide and on a grand scale. Currently they are operating in 105 countries with over 40,000 deployments. Deployments? Isn't deployment a word used during wartime to describe military maneuvers? Fitting. It's no longer enough for the corporate machine to legally poison individuals with perfumes and colognes. If a little is good [for profit], then much more is much better [for much more profit]. To hell with health. Very American.

The trend began with perfumed clothing, then expanded to whole retail outlets in hopes of higher profits. The target is now large gatherings of people: arenas, shopping centers, casinos and stadiums. Where ever people congregate in mass numbers. Sound familiar?  Like a terrorist operation? Legalized terrorism. Here are some of ScentAir's deployments, clients, companies and locations and their choice of stink:

Barclays Center in New York smells like their sponsor Calvin Klein. 

The Edward Jones Dome or St. Louis Rams' stadium smells like Cotton Candy.

Bloomingdale's smells like Baby Powder, Lilac and Coconut, except at Christmas when they smell like Sugar Cookie, Chocolate and Evergreen.

Hard Rock Hotel smells like Sugar Cookies, Waffle Cones, and Ocean.

City of Dreams casino in Macau smells like Rainforest.

Coors smells like something called Ice Show, a mix of peppermint and vanilla. (What? They don't want to smell like beer?)

Times Square in the middle of Manhattan in New York smells like chocolate...right outside the Hershey's store. On the street. "It's not really chocolate. It's nose chocolate."

NOSE CHOCOLATE?

REALLY?

Other stinkers include the Westin Hotel and Resorts, Anytime Fitness, Jimmy Choo Shoes, Saks Fifth Avenue, the Children's Museum in Indianapolis, and Florida Hospital. Yep, that's not a typo...a scented hospital. No wonder I have no confidence in our medical system.

ScentAir boasts over four billion individual enduring impressions. In addition to impressions, pretty words like scent and fragrance are used in abundance on their website along with relaxation and belonging. The words POISON, POLLUTION, or DEATH are not found anywhere.  No mention of ingredients used to make this purposeful air pollution. No mention of toxic chemicals. No mention of the health effects of these impressions on at least 15% to 33% of the population. No mention of asthma, anaphylactic shock, depression, joint pain, brain fog, migraines, or illness. No warning label. There is one claim of "scent studies" implying serious scientific research although the focus is entertainment rather than meaningful public education. Great advertising if your target is the unquestionably stupid. I wonder when they'll figure out how to puff toxic chemicals through a computer if someone clicks on their website?

 

Why don't company managers and consumers question how chemically-contaminated air might affect their health and the health of everyone around them? Do they care or is ignorance to blame? And what about the innocent bystanders? Are they warned in advance? Do they get a choice whether to breathe clean or polluted air? Is there a disclaimer to read prior to purchasing event tickets, making reservations, or buying memberships? Do they get their tickets, reservations, or memberships refunded if they can't breathe? Are their medical bills paid by the host company if they are rushed to the hospital with asthma attacks or anaphylactic shock?

But there is still hope! People have been complaining about ScentAir, in Las Vegas, anyway:

The use of air fresheners in Las Vegas businesses HVAC, are creating barriers under Title III of the ADA. The businesses refused to address requests for accommodations resulting in the US Department of Justice filings.

Hooray Americans with Disabilities Act! One of the businesses was Abercrombie & Fitch, a retail business known for offending many. Not only are they perfumed, but they have in the past marketed Nazi clothing and have stated they cater only to "popular" and "beautiful" people so if you are overweight, uncool or just plain ugly, don't bother. They claimed no wrong doing, of course. Several other businesses, mostly casinos, claimed it wasn't their fault and the customer should contact the distributor, ScentAir, directly. Wow. Talk about lack of responsibility. Passing the buck. They don't think they are responsible for hiring a company to create the problem? It amazes me if up to 33 % of the population is negatively affected by chemically-based scents and if these businesses are dependent on having and keeping customers, why wouldn't they figure out toxic impressions aren't good for business? Logic 101. Is the ambiance worth it?


It is good ScentAir lists some of their clients. This is helpful so we know who, where and what to avoid.

 

The world gets smaller every day.

HAZMAT

Today I mailed a package.

The postal woman asked, "Is the item you are mailing perishable, flammable, or dangerous?

No. I mail enough packages to know the drill. I was half asleep.

"Does it contain biological substances, alcohol, aerosols, lithium batteries or perfume?"

No..uh, WHAT? Did you say PERFUME?

Did you know perfume is dangerous? It is believe to be the cause of airplane fires that have gone unexplained for years.

Whoa!

Finally, someone in authority, a government entity, [The United States Postal Service] has recognized perfume is dangerous! Because it's flammable, it can only be shipped domestically and transported via surface mail. The postal woman is required to label it with a HAZMAT warning and contain it in a special crate so everyone is aware of the impending danger.

 

 

She went on to tell me perfumes are 10% alcohol which is flammable. Of course I chimed in with, "All perfumes have toluene which is an ingredient used to make explosives!"

She said airline personnel make the final decision and sometimes they put all the hazardous flammables into one crate and transport them all together. Eeewww. I don't ever want to be on that airplane!

 

Of course, I didn't stop there, "Perfume is dangerous and it's about time someone finally admitted it. It's made from toxic chemicals yet stupid people want to put it all over their bodies. No one should wear it and I have yet to figured out why it hasn't been banned."

With eyes wide and full of fear, the postal lady nodded in agreement.

It's just a matter of time. I mean, how many people out in the general public have ever told you perfume is dangerous? Maybe next, people who wear perfume will be classified as spontaneously combustible terrorists!?  I say throw them all in prison!

This gives me so much hope.

The Advantages of Being Chemically Sensitive

As MCSers we tend to focus on the negative: what we have to sacrifice to live in the world, how lousy we feel, and how it has changed our lives. Believe it or not there ARE advantages to being chemically sensitive!

Appreciation for Health  Think back ten or twenty years ago when you took your health for granted.  Moments, days or weeks when we feel good, it's definitely appreciated!

Hyper-Immunity I don't get sick because my immune system is overactive constantly battling chemical exposure. No colds, viruses, sore throats, flu. When everyone around me is feeling lousy, looking miserable, lying in bed, sipping chicken soup and wheezing through congestion telling me it's something that's going around, I can silently say to myself, Hooray MCS - it won't be coming around here.

Education on Health and Healthy Living Becoming chemically sensitive makes one search for answers in hopes of finding solutions. We study information on diet, environment, chemicals, medicine, health, home improvements, gardening, etc. etc. etc. We expand our knowledge on how to live healthy and how to heal. We are highly motivated to finding answers. Would I have taken the time to care so much about health and alternative medicine before I became chemically sensitive? Maybe, but I doubt it.

There are so many out there who still don't have a clue when it comes to the consequences of chemicals, Today, for example, I visited my local hardware store. As I waited, the person at the checkout counter next to me was naively buying Roundup. I had just posted my Save the Bees blog following it with the article on Roundup research and Monsanto revenge. I wanted to point and scream, OH GOD, DON'T YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT POISON? IT'S KILLING BEES! DON'T BUY IT! Would she have cared? I'm pretty sure she would have laughed. The whole store would have laughed and chalked me up as being deranged. 

People who wear perfumes, eat junk food, smoke, do drugs, dye their hair, use high-VOC paints, and kill things with pesticides, herbicides and fungicides are self-poisoning on a daily basis. I see these people and wonder how it will affect their health long term. Will they suffer from some related disease later in life? An autoimmune disease? Cancer? They might not care now, but they will regret their bad habits when their health starts deteriorating whining about what they wish they would have known.

Organic Food Movement Indoctrination  Same educational benefits. Learning about healthy eating requires understanding the difference between conventionally-poison-grown food and organically grown food. This also involves reading labels, appreciating local farmers, visiting farmers' markets, and expecting a higher level of quality, freshness and safety for all food.

Minimalism I can't buy junk made from cheap, toxic materials or chemically-saturated products. I can't shop freely. With shopping choices limited, I've been forced into the minimalist movement.  In learning to appreciate my situation, I make a conscious effort not buying material things that will end up at the dump someday, I am very picky about where I shop and support only those businesses that encourage sustainable practices, I buy quality merchandise rather than support a throw-away culture buying cheap junk, and I spend less money. I appreciate not being shackled to material objects or addicted to buying the latest gadget. I value my air space and have garage sales to get rid of stuff.

Environmental Awareness With the minimalist approach in my daily life, I have become more environmentally aware. The chemicals that are poisoning me are poisoning everyone else and the planet. I fix what is broken instead of casually throwing it away and replacing it. I think twice about what I buy and how it affects the water, air, and earth when it's used or after it's at the dump. My chemical sensitivity has made me more conscientious about ecology.

Return to Traditional Lifestyle With a new awareness on healthy living, organic food, and minimalism, this involves taking the time to make home-cooked meals from scratch instead of out of a pre-packaged box. I clean with products my great-great-grandmother probably used. I grow my own food when possible. Who would have thought I'd ever be a gardener?

Random Acts of Violence in Public Places  I'll never be sitting in a packed, midnight screening of any movie and have to worry about being shot to death by some lunatic. I'll never be on an airplane sitting shoulder to shoulder with smelly people as we fly into the side of a building. Granted, with all the crazy people in the world, being chemically sensitive doesn't immune me from other random acts of violence, but because I'm less likely to subject myself to crowds, I'm less likely to be a target for terrorist violence. What an insane world we live in.

Any other advantages I missed?

Domestic Terrorism and Chemical Warfare

Chemical companies own the United States. How our lives have become saturated with poisonous chemicals is an atrocity. Why we have allowed this to happen over time is a mystery. I think it's due to a lot of fancy footwork on behalf of the government and the money-making capitalistic machine, public relations misinformation and false advertising, as well as compliancy and incompetency on the part of the Food and Drug Administration. We wonder about the ethics of weapons of mass destruction and chemical warfare, apathetically relieved wars happen on other continents, but what about the garbage that is allowed in our environment in the disguise of household conveniences?


Below are just a handful of some of the most toxic chemicals we encounter everyday:

formaldehyde dimethylpolysiloxane toluene triethanolamine turpentine aspartame benzen butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) bisphenol A (BPA)  centrominium chloride  calcium carbonate  chloramine cocoamidopropyl betaine  N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide  dimethacrylate  dioxins  ethylene oxide  fluoride  glycol ethers  hydrofluorosilicic acid  hydroxybenzene  d-limonene  methychloroisothiazolinone  1-aspartyl 1-phenylalanine methyl ester  methylsulfonylmethane  monosodium glutamate  methyl tertiary-butyl ether  naphthalene nitrosamines  nonyl phenol paradichlorobenzene  perchloroethylene  petroleum  phenylmercuric acetate  polybrominated diphenyl ethers  polyvinyl chloride  saccharin  sodium dichloroisocynaurate dihydrate  sodium laureth sulfate  sodium lauryl sulfate  tetrachloroethylene  perchloroethylene  tertiary butyl hydroquinone  tetrahydrozoline hydrochloride  trihalomethanes  titanium dioxide  hydroxypropyl beta-cyclodextrin p-dichlorobenzene




Below are some examples of where you might find these chemicals in your everyday lives:

perfumes  colognes   bleach  cleaning products  floor waxes  furniture polishes  window cleaner  carpets  mattresses  furniture  furnaces  laminated flooring  air fresheners  wood, treated  fiberglass insulation  paint thinners  plastic wrap  plastic containers  playground equipment  soaps and detergents  fabric softeners and sheets  paints, house  bug sprays and pesticides  dry cleaning  weed killers  acrylic and oil paints  ceramic glazes  copy machine toner  printer inks  felt pens  white out  car exhaust  antifreeze  automobile oil  gasoline  car interiors  clothing  fabric  sheets and linens  candles  non-organic food and drink  canned foods  food coloring and flavorings  air fresheners  prescriptions  spermicides  latex  baby lotions  baby powder  diapers baby bottles  toys  shampoo  hair conditioners  makeup  deodorants  body washes  lotions   breath sprays  toothpaste  tooth whiteners  fingernail polish  hair spray  hair gel  hair dyes  toilet paper  facial tissues  bottled water  kitty litter  pet food  flea sprays, collars and dips

 

What have I forgotten that affects you greatly?

 

Do you think the FDA is doing its job?