From Vega Hensley, Knoxville, Tennessee

January, 2002

Those who have never been adversely affected by the environment need to be extremely thankful.  I am not as severely affected as some who I have heard about.  However, my sensitivities can be difficult when I am in places where there are different fragrances blending in the air.

I have tried to remember the first time that things like fragrances or household cleaning chemicals affected me.  One time in particular comes to mind.  My family and I were in a house where there were cockroaches.  I tried sprays, powders and so many brands of bug killer it was unreal.  Finally, a friend told me of a liquid that was sure to rid the place of roaches.  I used it in every place bugs could hide.  I even used a cotton swab dipped in the liquid and put it around every baseboard along the floor and crown molding near the ceiling.  I was young and uneducated to the danger of not having  proper ventilation and avoiding skin contact with chemicals.  I did not use rubber gloves, just bare hands.  The day the task was finished, I became dizzy, nauseous, and almost fainted.  This treatment did get rid of the roaches but that is when I believe I became over-exposed and sensitized to chemicals.

After the bug incident, I started having headaches when in grocery aisles where there were soaps and cleaners.  Before long I began to notice that I had headaches almost every Sabbath while in church services.  When I got away from the fragrances my headaches got better.  With the help of my husband, we finally realized the connection between the presence of fragrances and the occurrence of headaches.

Three years ago my allergies got much worse.  I started developing shortness of breath, skin whelping, racing heartbeat and even more severe headaches when exposed to certain aromatics or household cleaners.  It is strange that not all fragrances seem to affect me.  There does not seem to be a relationship between the strength of the fragrance and the reactions that occur.  Sometimes it can be the softest aroma.  After bringing these symptoms to a physician he said that fragrances have different base ingredients. Some I am sensitive to while others do not affect me.

My physician tested for sensitivities to various chemicals and I had a positive reaction to formaldehyde, chlorine, Aspirin, ammonia, and several others.  I did not show any food allergies or sensitivities.  The chlorine reaction makes it difficult to drink tap water that has been treated.

I am not sure that the exposure to the insecticide was the whole root of my problem but I do feel it did contribute to it.  I had sensitivities to several medications prior to that but was not aware of reactions to fragrances until then.

When I attend church services I always try to get a seat in the back away from as many people as possible.  The more people, the worse my problem.  I sometimes wish there were fragrance-free areas in public places much like smoke-free areas we all know about.

So many people are not aware of the problems that others have to endure, so I’m glad to help bring this particular one to light.  Of course environmental sensitivities and the life-altering symptoms that go with it are by no means comparable to much greater trials that some people have to endure.