Only if you think of it that way really, considering a) the majority of people don't have problems and b) long-term effects of those products are sometimes not known at all, let alone known by the general public. Don't forget things like allergy information for food etc are fairly recent developments even in the western world. And studies showing/hinting at links between cleaning produtcs and premature deaths etc are also fairly recent I think, so unfortunately the general population isn't really aware of the dangers.
Sure, I distinguish between my specific problems and everyone else. Of course the common food items I’m allergic to are all over. That’s no surprise.
What I’m really objecting to is the needless chemicals and fragrances. There is growing awareness that fragrances bother some people. There’s a growing trend of fragrance free workplaces, for instance the entire state government of Oregon.
City of Portland: “Fragrance Free Workplace
Employees who are sensitive to perfumes and chemicals may suffer potentially serious health consequences, triggered by exposure to scented products. Consequently, employees are asked to refrain from the use of personal scented products in the workplace where the sole purpose is to produce a scent, such as perfume, after shave, and cologne and to avoid the use of strongly scented personal hygiene products such as laundry soap, dryer sheets hand lotion, powder, hair spray, and deodorant.
All City managers and supervisors are expected to enforce this rule. An employee who is experiencing health consequences due to another employee’s use of scented products should report the problem to their supervisor to ensure appropriate action is taken.”
We can divide fragrance problems into allergies, sensitivities, and the mere fact that fragrance is distracting. In the bar example, I’m there to consume an expensive spirit that supposedly has a price based upon the flavor. Spraying a bunch of chemical cleaner in the air with a distracting fragrance right when I’m about to consume in my drink is a poor choice in that regard. You also see this in cannabis stores – some of them burn incense. When they are charging sometimes three times as much for certain products, mostly based on the aroma and flavor, why would the store be filled with fragrances that coat everything, dominate the air, and even soak into the product? If you were attending a winetasting, and there’s a heavy air freshener scent or somebody there is wearing an extremely strong cologne, it distracts from the entire purpose of the event, which is tasting wine, not perfume. It’s like shining a light and someone dies when they’re trying to read.
I woman I dated for years used to have problems with her mother blasting the bathroom with some sort of Clorox cleaner. She would complain of headaches and watery eyes. Her mother paid absolutely no attention, as if her headaches and watery eyes were somehow less important then sanitizing the bathroom floor. I don’t understand that attitude. Now that more testing has been done on cleaners like that, it’s not that question at that concentration of toxic chemicals in the air exceeds safety levels in such a situation. It baffles me that common sense doesn’t tell people this, too. Reading the label would help. The concept claimed by manufactures that people use things like raid and roundup in accordance with labeling is ludicrous.
As far as premature death, there is a long way to go from healthy to dead. The spectrum in between is a wide range of discomfort and illness. Studies have long showed a correlation between use of indoor cleaners and fragrances and respiratory problems such as asthma. Also, the trend of natural and non-toxic cleaners has been on the rise for years. So, there should be some awareness in the average person that certain consumer products pose a hazard if not for everyone for some people.
But yes, the general population is definitely not aware of the dangers. I would say that’s for many reasons. Certainly manufactures are not seeking to spread information they would expose them to liability or make them change their formulation. Instead they do things like cover up severely toxic contaminants in their products and lobby against labeling. And then, given the propensity of society to engage in activities that everyone knows can be harmful such cigarette smoking, alcohol, speeding, eating fried foods, fast food and so forth, it’s clear that most people don’t heed warnings of well-known dangers. Cigarette smoking causes all sorts of illness, impairment and discomfort before death, but to hear people talk, the only risk is death. Social pressure and marketing are stronger.
Only if you think of it that way really, considering a) the majority of people don't have problems and b) long-term effects of those products are sometimes not known at all, let alone known by the general public. Don't forget things like allergy information for food etc are fairly recent developments even in the western world. And studies showing/hinting at links between cleaning produtcs and premature deaths etc are also fairly recent I think, so unfortunately the general population isn't really aware of the dangers.