[Access] When scents don't make scents (Cont'd from Chat)

[Lucinda Pitcairn]

Hi David,

I am taking the liberty of posting below most of a message you sent to 
UU-Chat, because some on this list may not subscribe to Chat. I hope you 
don't mind.

I know you know a lot about this topic and I'd like to talk to you 
sometime about what is known, if anything, about the mechanisms of 
action by which chemical sensitivity operates, e.g., is it an 
auto-immune reaction? is its increasing frequency due to increased 
(global) environmental pollution? etc.

In any case, I hope you will be inspired, when you have time to do so, 
to expand on this for posting as resource material on our website. It 
could be an informative and useful essay.

Cindy

PS Will you be here on the 4th for our committee meeting? I'm thinking 
probably not, as I believe you said you wanted to spend some time up in 
Washington.  If not, can we find some time to talk about plans for the 
website??

" . . .a bit more explanation may be helpful.

"Avoiding the use of scented products, unfortunately, doesn't cut it,  
from the point of view of someone who is highly sensitive to scents  
and wants access to a certain area, such as the church sanctuary. And  
the reason is, the scents don't stay on one's hands; they evaporate  
into the air and waft throughout the areas which the user of the  
scented products has occupied. The same principle applies to perfumes,  
after-shave lotions, Bounce-type clothing softeners, etc., etc. This  
is not like getting a rash from a chemical in a soap product, when  
avoidance is generally enough. The degree of sensitivity is much  
greater, and the reactions to exposure can be much worse, up to and  
including anaphylactic shock. So, making a space safe for people who  
are highly reactive to even small amounts of scents essentially  
requires people not to wear scented products (or, as few people as  
possible wearing as little scent as possible) into the designated  
accessible areas.

"Perhaps a good analogy would be tobacco smoke in the air: aside from  
major ventilation machinery, the accessibility solutions call for a  
change of behavior on the part of the smoker or scent wearer. Usually,  
accessibility solutions are much more at a distance from those in  
direct social interaction with the person whose accessibility is  
affected; a ramp or elevator are likely to have been designed into a  
building, for example. But sometimes another person's access to an  
activity depends on one's own behavior. If someone taking part in a  
conversation with you asks you to repeat something again, more loudly,  
for example, would you be likely to ignore the request, or assist that  
person's ability to participate by acceding to their request?"