What is one way to prevent cancer? Avoid exposure to fragrances! Unfortunately, we are bombarded with fragrances almost everywhere we go, and sadly, almost everything we buy – from shampoo to scented candles – is “fragranced”.
Johann Kellerer, author of Perfume – The Hidden Bane of Your Health comments:
“In the nursing homes, in the waiting rooms of doctors, in fitness centers and airports, perfume poisons are pushed at us. The air is suspect in hotels and youth hostels, clubs (discos), kindergartens, health resorts, hospitals, schools and swimming pools (in addition to dangerous chlorine chemicals). We come across perfumes in taxis and public toilets. We find further perfumes on papers, books, magazines and plastic products.
“It is a little-known fact that there are around 4,000 chemicals included under “perfume.” 95% of these chemicals are extracted from petroleum – the oil industry plays a dubious role in this. Hand-in-hand with chemistry, it marches in a highly questionable direction.”
Johann continues: “The most amazing information … is that more than 80% of these chemicals have never been tested, as far as toxic effects on the human organism are concerned? 80%! Do you understand the enormity of this statement? The perfume industry is not regulated by any single government in the world. It is not obliged to provide information on the actual ingredients of its “odors.”
Research shows fragrances can cause serious health problems
According to Punch Nigeria Magazine, medical experts have urged Nigerians to be more cautious with the use of air fresheners, noting that inhaling air fresheners can cause serious health problems including cancer, migraine headache, and respiratory problems.
Dr. Laolu Adetoye, a public expert at the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu, Ogun State, Nigeria, says research has shown that chemicals used in the production of air fresheners, such as limonene, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and toluene, are toxic and harm the body. And, exposure to excessive air freshener fragrances can cause cancer, birth defects, allergies, and damage the central and peripheral nervous systems.
A November 2022 post on the website The Swaddle, reports that many popular sanitary pads in India contain cancer‑causing chemicals, according to a new report entitled, Wrapped in Secrecy: Toxic Chemicals in Menstrual Products, conducted by Toxics Link, an environmental NGO. “Phthalates leak out; they are not bound to the product they are added to [and] long-term exposure to the chemicals can also lead to cancer.”
Prevent Cancer by avoiding fragrances
It has also been discovered that ‘new car smell’ can increase the risk of cancer. A study by Harvard University and the Beijing Institute of Technology found that chemical levels in new cars parked outside for 12 days straight exceeded China’s national safety standard for air quality in cars. Formaldehyde, a known carcinogen, surpassed standards by 35% and another dangerous cancer-causing chemical, acetaldehyde, was 61% higher than the standard.
According to a report in The Guardian, “almost 4000 chemicals are used to make perfumes, and your one bottle of fancy fragrance could contain anywhere from 50 to 300 distinct chemicals. The ingredients, however, are not listed on the label. Given the fact that so many chemicals go unmentioned in a bottle of perfume, the risks are high and real. The same report further states that three-quarters of the toxic chemicals detected in a test of 140 products came from fragrance, reported a 2018 study of personal care and cleaning brands. The chemicals identified were linked to chronic health issues, including cancer.”
The advice given by The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center researcher, Melinda Yates, Ph.D. who studies toxicology and cancer is to avoid fragrance altogether:
“That label ‘fragrance’ can be mysterious and include many different things. Sometimes it’s nothing dangerous, but sometimes it is…For me, it’s another ingredient that I avoid because it’s not necessary and it’s not that painful to eliminate it from my life.”
By simply avoiding products that contain fragrances, you can reduce your risk of getting cancer and other health problems. Use the checklist from Perfume – the Hidden Bane of Truth to get started on how to avoid fragrances and ultimately prevent cancer and other health problems.