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The images in the 1st It’s Not Personal, It’s The Chemicals were so popular, I decided to make more while my brain was functioning in this mode. Here are a couple that were very well received on facebook, plus a few new ones featuring children and office workers, as they too are being impacted by what we choose to use and put in the air.
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I would love to have funding for or see an organization print some of these (or similar) as postcards or business cards, with an info link or two on the back, so they could be given out freely.
Clean, pollutant-free air is good for all of us.
Seriously "Sensitive" to Pollution 
Great ideas. Thanks for making the air a little cleaner today.
We can hope that people share these around on social media… the more seeds are planted, the better…
I just wish this issue wasn’t going the route of smoking, asbestos, lead, breast cancer, etc, where it’s taking so long for anything regulatory to happen, lives get ruined, bodies pile up, and still all that gets done are awareness campaigns…
Anyway, maybe santa will get me a good photo program (and a new non-toxic computer to use it on) so I can make more “seeds”, since most people don’t have an attention span long enough to read much more than that
(too many fragrance chemicals and too much wireless radiation affecting brain cells – maybe my next ones will address the wireless)
Hmm, I need to be more hopeful, that the seeds and awareness are growing and that people are hearing the messages before it’s too late for them…
I can really understand the reaction people have to this – smell is such a powerful thing!
When I was told I was allergic to fragrance it took me about 6 months before I could face not wearing it every day. And another 4 months before I could stop wearing it on ‘special occasions’. It was like letting a part of myself go – I loved the way I smelt – I wore perfume every day and had several sorts depending on what mood I was in that day.
Well done for spreading the message about this tricky topic – awareness has to come before understanding and acceptance.
Thanks Claire, and sorry you’ve had problems because of fragrances too.
There was a day when they were made of harmless substances from the earth, but that changed, and now most fragrances are petroleum based. I suspect it’s the petrochemicals that affect us in ways that cause more allergies to natural substances now too.
The fragrance industry also has very deep pockets for advertising and making psychological explorations on how to manipulate people, with their products by directly targeting people’s brains and emotions, without permission, without a medical license, without regulatory oversight as to the “drugs” they are administering, especially when “scent marketing”, and how to further manipulate with clever campaigns (like it’s special to use a poison on special occasions???). Sighs…
I tried to subject myself to some of the toxic concoctions too, when I was younger…
In 2014, when this post was created, essential oils had not yet become pervasive in public space, so they were not included.
Essential oils are NOT benign, and they ARE accessibility barriers.
Don’t share your meds if you use them medicinally. Don’t use them in public spaces where they become accessibility barriers or in ways that you transport them into public on your body and clothing.
They also emit hazardous VOCs which combine with other pollutants to create smog that harms everyone.
“Essential oils, widely used in society, emit numerous volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Some of these VOCs are considered as potentially hazardous under federal regulations. However, essential oils are exempt from disclosure of their ingredients on their label. Thus, the public may lack information on emissions and potential hazards from essential oils.
This study examined VOCs emitted from a range of commercial essential oils, including tea tree oils, lavender oils, eucalyptus oils, and other individual oils and mixtures of oils. Using headspace gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), the study analyzed 24 commercial essential oils, including 12 with claims of being “natural” or related terms, such as organic, 100% pure, or plant-based.
Results identified 595 VOCs emitted from the 24 essential oils, representing 188 different VOCs. The most common VOCs emitted were alpha-pinene, limonene, acetone, linalool, alpha-phellandrene, beta-myrcene, and camphene.
Among the 589 VOCs identified, 124 VOCs, representing 33 different VOCs, are classified as potentially hazardous. All natural and regular essential oils emitted one or more potentially hazardous VOCs, such as acetaldehyde, acetone, and ethanol. Toluene was also found in 50% of essential oils.
Moreover, for the prevalent VOCs classified as potentially hazardous, no significant difference was found between regular and natural essential oils. This study provides insights and information about emissions of commercial essential oils that can be useful for public awareness and risk reduction.”
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11869-018-0606-0
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“Beyond their immediate effects, VOCs react with other molecules in the air, such as oxygen and nitrogen oxides, to generate ozone as well as fine particulate matter. (Those nitrogen oxides come, in large part, from vehicle exhaust.) High levels of fine particulate matter make it hard to breathe and contribute to chronic lung problems (SN: 9/30/17, p. 18). And while ozone high in the atmosphere helps shield Earth from the sun’s ultraviolet radiation, at ground level, it mixes with fine particulates to form breath-choking smog.”
~ Household products make surprisingly large contributions to air pollution
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/household-products-make-surprisingly-large-contributions-air-pollution
“How DARE she get sick by something I choose to use”
Don’t be like that!
Be like the people who apologize and ask if
there’s something that can be used instead.