State employees in New Hampshire who douse themselves in Chanel before heading into the office may be in for a shock. If New Hampshire’s House Bill 1444 passes, state employees would be banned from spritzing their favorite perfumes during the work week, the Union Leader reports.
“It may seem silly, but it’s a health issue,” Michele Peckham, the state representative sponsoring the bill, told the Union Leader. “Many people have violent reactions to strong scents.”
Susan McBride, a constituent with a sensitive nose, started the conversation about banning offensive scents in the workplace back in 2008 when she sued the city of Detroit, claiming that the scent made it tough to breathe, thus keeping her from doing her job, Yahoo! Shine reports.
The city awarded McBride $100,000 and a city ordinance against scented body products. She’s not the only one who has violent reactions to scents.
“There are many people who have chemical sensitivity type of issues, where they are either allergic to other things, say dust mites or mold or pollen,” Jonathan Bayuk, an allergist and mold testing specialist at Hampden County Physician Associates, told WWLP News 22. “And then when they are exposed to chemicals or irritating fragrances they have a reaction that’s very similar.”
First pajamas, now perfume? NewsFeed can’t wait to see what bans are proposed next.