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I love the smell of coffee. I've never been able to drink it,
but I love the smell.
There are other great scents: chocolate and freshly baked bread
among them.
But what about the smell of fresh computers?
Charles Moore has written about the smell of new Macs in
The G4
stinks, and so does my PowerBook. It's the tragic tale of one
who suffers what seems to be an increasingly common malady in our
technological society: chemical sensitivity.
Moore writes, "being acutely sensitive to a wide variety of
common, everyday, chemical substances even at extremely minuscule
environmental levels, complicates one's life profoundly."
How right he is. I, too, suffer from chemical sensitivity.
It's All In Your Head
For the most part, these chemicals are inhaled when we breathe.
And the path from nose to brain is a direct one, as noted on Betty
Bridges' overview of fragrance
chemicals:
The sense of smell has a more direct connection to the brain
than any other sense. There is no barrier between the brain and the
chemicals that you breathe in. While it is well known the effects
of "snorting" cocaine, little thought is given to the effects of
the other chemicals that pass through our nasal passages.
Studies have shown that inhaling fragrance chemicals can cause
circulatory changes in the brain. Changes in electrical activity in
the brain also occur with exposure. Fragrances are a frequent
trigger of migraine headaches. Changes in circulatory and
electrical activity in the brain can trigger migraines in
susceptible individuals.
I can't walk past most perfume counters, spend any time in
Victoria's Secret, or even make it through a church service where
colognes and perfumes are prevalent. For whatever reason, my system
reacts negatively to a lot of scents that others enjoy. And it's
getting worse by the year. Bridges notes:
Many of these chemicals are sensitizers. This means that they
can make a person allergic to them. Once a person has become
sensitized to a material even tiny amounts may cause adverse
affects. For a person that has become sensitized to a common
fragrance material avoidance is very difficult.
It's something I've learned to live with, but there are a lot of
stories.
For instance, the first year we owned a home, we bought a real
Christmas tree. My folks had had artificial trees since I was a
child; I wanted the real thing. But by the time we set it up, I had
a headache. I soon learned my father is also sensitive to pine,
which explained the many years with artificial trees.
A few years back, the company Christmas party was held at the
Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The building was full of
beautifully decorated Christmas trees, as well as some marvelous
plants. But I had to excuse myself within 10 minutes of
arriving.
Sometimes at work someone throws on too much perfume or cologne.
If I walk through their scent trail - or worse, they stop in my
cubicle - I have to go out for fresh air to clear my head.
Recently a hand lotion my wife has enjoyed using for years
crossed the line from nice to nasty.
It's not an easy way to live, but at least I'm not sensitive to
the smell of new Macs.
Conclusion
What really surprised me is that about 15% of the population is
chemical sensitive (including scents), yet most people have never
heard of it.
We all remember the uproar over fragrance strips in magazines
causing asthma attacks. (Thank goodness those strips have almost
vanished today!)
This is the same thing, but the symptoms may not be as fast or
as strong as an asthma attack. Or they may result in a
migraine.
I hope this article opens your eyes to what millions have to
deal with on a daily basis. If you use scents, please consider
stopping. And if you can't, could you at least cut back?
Dan Knight has been using Macs since 1986,
sold Macs for several years, supported them for many more years, and
has been publishing Low End Mac since April 1997. If you find Dan's articles helpful, please consider making a donation to his tip jar.
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