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.
My Ideal Chemical/Fragrance Policy:
Upon doing a search of the fragrance policies at UCSF and other clinical and school settings, I found an academic article published this year in Building and Environment titled, "Ten questions concerning fragrance-free policies and indoor environments" that I found particularly relevant to this question. Steinemann describes the need for a comprehensive fragrance policy because of the many health problems associated with these indoor air pollutants, as well as lost workdays and societal impact of restricting access to vulnerable people who are sensitive to such toxins (such as asthmatics) and have a higher risk of negative health impacts from exposure. The paper analyzed 60 existing fragrance policies taken from public buildings, hospitals, schools, government entities, restaurants, and other organizations and described 4 key components of a comprehensive policy:
1) fragranced products that are problematic, prevented, or proscribed;
2) adverse health effects associated with fragrance exposure;
3) disability recognition of fragrance sensitivity and related conditions;
4) compliance and enforcement.
Based on this paper and the fragrance policies I have experienced at UCSF, and other settings, I think my ideal fragrance policy would be a broad hybrid voluntary/mandatory compliance policy that highlights the need to reduce overall health risks and promote a healthy environment. Specifically, this is the language I would use for my fragrance policy:
"Please refrain from using fragranced products (including but not limited to perfume, aftershave, scented lotions, fragranced hair products, scented hairspray, cologne, scented deodorant, or any other fragranced products) before entering and while in the building as some of these products can cause adverse health effects. In special consideration for the health of our community members who may suffer from environmental disabilities, and with the goal of eliminating a contaminant from the air, we request that all employees and visitors voluntarily comply with this policy. Members of our community who violate this policy may be subject to the provisions of established protocols for enforcement of our fragrance-free policy."
Along with this public-facing policy, I would also have an internal protocol for violation of the fragrance-free policy so everyone was aware of how it is enforced. The protocol I would use is:
"If a staff member becomes aware of a person in violation of our fragrance-free policy, they must:
1) Tell the person about our policy.
2) Ask them to remove the scent.
3) Tell them that if the scent cannot be removed, they will have to leave and return to the clinic later, without the scent.
4) Remind them not to wear scents in the future.
If a person has violated the fragrance-free policy and followed the above protocol more than 3x, this person is subject to being banned from our facilities."
Citation: "Ten questions concerning fragrance-free policies and indoor environments": https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360132319302148
My Ideal Chemical/Fragrance Policy:
Upon doing a search of the fragrance policies at UCSF and other clinical and school settings, I found an academic article published this year in Building and Environment titled, "Ten questions concerning fragrance-free policies and indoor environments" that I found particularly relevant to this question. Steinemann describes the need for a comprehensive fragrance policy because of the many health problems associated with these indoor air pollutants, as well as lost workdays and societal impact of restricting access to vulnerable people who are sensitive to such toxins (such as asthmatics) and have a higher risk of negative health impacts from exposure. The paper analyzed 60 existing fragrance policies taken from public buildings, hospitals, schools, government entities, restaurants, and other organizations and described 4 key components of a comprehensive policy:
1) fragranced products that are problematic, prevented, or proscribed;
2) adverse health effects associated with fragrance exposure;
3) disability recognition of fragrance sensitivity and related conditions;
4) compliance and enforcement.
Based on this paper and the fragrance policies I have experienced at UCSF, and other settings, I think my ideal fragrance policy would be a broad hybrid voluntary/mandatory compliance policy that highlights the need to reduce overall health risks and promote a healthy environment. Specifically, this is the language I would use for my fragrance policy:
"Please refrain from using fragranced products (including but not limited to perfume, aftershave, scented lotions, fragranced hair products, scented hairspray, cologne, scented deodorant, or any other fragranced products) before entering and while in the building as some of these products can cause adverse health effects. In special consideration for the health of our community members who may suffer from environmental disabilities, and with the goal of eliminating a contaminant from the air, we request that all employees and visitors voluntarily comply with this policy. Members of our community who violate this policy may be subject to the provisions of established protocols for enforcement of our fragrance-free policy."
Along with this public-facing policy, I would also have an internal protocol for violation of the fragrance-free policy so everyone was aware of how it is enforced. The protocol I would use is:
"If a staff member becomes aware of a person in violation of our fragrance-free policy, they must:
1) Tell the person about our policy.
2) Ask them to remove the scent.
3) Tell them that if the scent cannot be removed, they will have to leave and return to the clinic later, without the scent.
4) Remind them not to wear scents in the future.
If a person has violated the fragrance-free policy and followed the above protocol more than 3x, this person is subject to being banned from our facilities."
Citation: "Ten questions concerning fragrance-free policies and indoor environments": https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360132319302148
Wow, your policy seems a bit strict but is probably necessary for the environment you work in.
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