MPH 632 - Assignment 4.5
Group 5: Paulina Avila-Martinez, Anthony Fiorentino, Sintia Shabaz
Given that there are potential health effects associated with the fragrances in our personal care products, how might you develop and implement a fragrance-free policy in a hospital, school, or other institutional setting? Consider how you would deal with the fragrances that are in employees’ personal care products. In your blog groups, share your ideas for what the elements of an ideal chemical/fragrance policy should be. How would your policies eliminate/decrease our body burdens and exposures?
The elements used in fragrances should be those that do not diffuse quickly, so those around are not affected with the product. Also, the smells should be kept to natural scents only, that way they do not cause respiratory problems. In order to eliminate these smells at public places, policies should be placed on strong smells. This is something that will be hard to enforce at first, but can be helpful in the long run. Even though personal care products are very important, they are creating a significant public health hazard.
Employers would be best-served by a policy that explains the individual and public health risks in a straightforward manner, and specifying which products are the most prevalent will aid in their elimination. Once the most commonly used and most harmful fragrances are identified they would be relatively easy to restrict. Additionally, a “Smell something - Say Something” style policy could encourage vigilance and autonomy among employees during such a process. On a broader scale, institutional policy-makers could consider improving ventilation systems as a tertiary means of reducing the harm associated with fragrances.
A good start to tackling the problem would be educating the community about the health risks of fragrances in order to start to promote a fragrance free work or school environment. Providing educational materials such as flyers, posters, announcements and newsletters can help to bring awareness about the danger. Fragrance-free policies should highlight the importance of being considerate of those with respiratory sensitivities and the benefits of being fragrance free overall in creating healthier work and classroom environments. Encouraging natural alternatives or scent free options can also help promote the health and wellbeing of everyone. Essentially, the ideal policy would say no to fragrances by educating people on the harm, providing alternatives, and promoting the health benefits of ensuring a healthier no-fragrance environment for all.
Given that there are potential health effects associated with the fragrances in our personal care products, how might you develop and implement a fragrance-free policy in a hospital, school, or other institutional setting? Consider how you would deal with the fragrances that are in employees’ personal care products. In your blog groups, share your ideas for what the elements of an ideal chemical/fragrance policy should be. How would your policies eliminate/decrease our body burdens and exposures?
The elements used in fragrances should be those that do not diffuse quickly, so those around are not affected with the product. Also, the smells should be kept to natural scents only, that way they do not cause respiratory problems. In order to eliminate these smells at public places, policies should be placed on strong smells. This is something that will be hard to enforce at first, but can be helpful in the long run. Even though personal care products are very important, they are creating a significant public health hazard.
Employers would be best-served by a policy that explains the individual and public health risks in a straightforward manner, and specifying which products are the most prevalent will aid in their elimination. Once the most commonly used and most harmful fragrances are identified they would be relatively easy to restrict. Additionally, a “Smell something - Say Something” style policy could encourage vigilance and autonomy among employees during such a process. On a broader scale, institutional policy-makers could consider improving ventilation systems as a tertiary means of reducing the harm associated with fragrances.
A good start to tackling the problem would be educating the community about the health risks of fragrances in order to start to promote a fragrance free work or school environment. Providing educational materials such as flyers, posters, announcements and newsletters can help to bring awareness about the danger. Fragrance-free policies should highlight the importance of being considerate of those with respiratory sensitivities and the benefits of being fragrance free overall in creating healthier work and classroom environments. Encouraging natural alternatives or scent free options can also help promote the health and wellbeing of everyone. Essentially, the ideal policy would say no to fragrances by educating people on the harm, providing alternatives, and promoting the health benefits of ensuring a healthier no-fragrance environment for all.
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