Fragrance Chemicals and the Scent of Suspicion
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Katie Falloon
August 11, 2010
Just one word, listed on the label of numerous consumer products has sparked intense debate among environmental groups, scientists, legislators and industry.
That word is “fragrance” and — when it appears in small print on a bottle of perfume or a container of laundry detergent — represents the potentially hundreds of chemicals that give a product its characteristic scent.
Since all sides agree that reforms need to be made and outdated chemical safety laws updated, at the heart of the debate lies a deceptively simple question: are these chemicals dangerous?
