An article was printed in today's Washington Post about the environmental effect of 10 specific chemical compounds on the Chesapeake Bay and its inhabitants. The article doesn't say which fragrance compound is accused of causing these effects, but I would suspect that it is one of the synthetic musks. Here's a short quote from the article and a link to the entire article on the Washington Post web site:

"The research, unveiled at a conference last week, found more than 10 of the compounds, including pesticides, herbicides and artificial fragrances. Through an accident of chemistry, formulas designed to kill bugs or add smell to soap might also interfere with vital signals in fish, amphibians and other creatures."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...8031702506.html

I think most of us realize that certain large volume chemicals used in functional perfumery (e.g., soaps, detergents, cleaners) could have unintended consequences when released by the ton into the environment. I just hope that the entire perfume industry doesn't suffer from this.

Teddius

Thank goodness I have enough perfume to probably last me a life-time. Because I fear that one day there won't be perfumes anymore.......

I think that perfume must cause a very minor part of pollution. It must be all fragrancing of everything from hair spray to toilet cleaner that causes most pollution. And much of that fragrancing perhaps we don't need at all.

Agreed. It's what in detergents that gets dumped into the environment.

There was a similar article in my local paper a few weeks ago. A researcher from Trent University (Peterborough, Ontario) discovered a high level of synthetic musks in the fish in my local harbour (Hamilton Harbour on shores of Lake Ontario). The source of the synthetic musks was attributed to scents in perfumes and any sort of perfumed soap, detergent, shampoo ,etc.

I hope hey do get rid of those industrial aromachemicals and get them the heck out of my perfume! I have no problem with banning that type of chemical. It's when they gang up on proven natural ingredients and synthetics used in the perfume industry for over 100 years and in aromatherapy forever that my hackles get raised.

It would be very sad if we were deprived of fine perfumery due to pollution by commercial manufacturing's overuse of scents. I really don't need perfumes in my laundry detergent, dishwashing soap, etc.....

Caz, I don't need them either or want them. In fact I go out of my way to find unscented household products, which is not always easy.

I agree that this article is another method to give personal fragrance a bad name.

Since most perfume wearers do not generally pour their perfumes down the sink, our fragrances can not be blamed for this! It is most likely laundry detergents, etc. Our perfumes go on us, not in the lake. The small amount that washes off in the bath/shower can not possibly amount to anything.

And you know...the odd thing is that most "unscented" products actually have tons of aromachemicals in them. They need these to make the product smell "neutral" and to mask the odor of the product. I got this from my PhD Chemist Father-In-Law...

Teddius

Ted, I heard this too. They say the chemicals would smell bad without the neutralizing odours added. There's no escape!

I wouldn't feel too bad about wearing perfume. Even after dousing myself in perfume, I'm still less of a biological threat than an SUV.

I should add, less of a biological threat if I'm wearing something that's not Angel

I have to admit, when reading this article the least of my concern was the disappearance of perfume from the market. This is the water we are drinking they are talking about!
Not to mention, we use water for cooking, bathing, washing, cleaning...
If this is what the water does to fish, can we really be surprised of the many problems modern Western civilization is suffering from - depression, anxiety, infertility... If it means clean water for all of us, I think there are a few things that would be worth sacrificing. And by the way, some alcohol is denatured with phthalates plasticizers, which was discovered to be the causes for the same problem in fish in the St. Laurent river in Quebec. This should not be taken lightly.

Ayala, there was some Government buzz about banning the use of those phthalates in Canada but I haven't heard anything about it recently, have you?

Haven't heard about a ban, just about the poor male fish diversifying and producing eggs... Of course, one can always hope that if we all have the same gender that will solve all the world's problems, but I have this vague suspicion that this won't quite do ;)

Either way, we all should get our priorities straight.

I agree with you but my lone reservation in all this is that perfumes will be unfairly scapegoated as a luxurious frivolity, and sacrificed as though they alone are the cause of pollution. I don't have numbers on this but I would be more concerned about Le Detergentes and the volume of cheap chemicals contained in them - either used in daily life (we use All free) or the manufacturing excesses that are lost or abandoned. I can see the P&G's of the world defending the use of scents in Tide or Cheer as justifiable and necessary, and of course the world will follow along since no one complains of Tide scent in the elevator. In comparison to P&G the smaller perfume companies will get unfairly sat upon, and with negligible net effect to the environment.

(Must buy all remaining stock of Antaeus)