Asthma attack
March 11th, 2008 by 
David E. Williams of the Health business blog
From the Associated Press (Minn. lawmaker wants scent-free schools)
A Minnesota lawmaker proposed a bill Monday urging a fragrance-free educational campaign to discourage students from dousing themselves in scents that aggravate classmates with asthma and other health problems.
Odors that fill hallways come mostly from boys who douse themselves in body sprays like Axe, said Mikolai Altenberg, a senior at Minneapolis South High School. He said the smell is “indescribable” and unavoidable.
“You can smell it from 10 feet away,” Altenberg said. “Mostly it’s just guys who just think that putting Axe all over them is a substitute for showering.”
Rep. Karen Clark, a Democrat, first proposed banning fragrances in Minneapolis schools, one of the state’s largest school districts. The bill she introduced Monday scales that back to an awareness campaign in Minneapolis and in other districts that volunteer. The campaign could include letters to parents, fact sheets, signs in schools, e-mail and Web sites.
One in eight Minneapolis students has asthma, and school nurses have treated students for wheezing and headaches brought on by the fragrances wafting from classmates, said Mary Heiman, a nursing service manager who runs the district’s asthma program.
Fragrance-triggered asthma is hardly a secret (you can read about it here), but apparently an industry spokesman hasn’t heard about it.
A trade group for toiletry makers, the Personal Care Products Council in Washington, said it doesn’t oppose fragrance policies as long as they’re voluntary.
“We really don’t think it’s a good idea to legislate personal hygiene,” said John Hurson, the group’s head of government affairs.
Personal hygiene probably shouldn’t be regulated, but since fragrances interfere with the health of a significant number of people it’s worth considering Rep. Clark’s bil..
Posted in Culture, Policy and politics | 
4 Comments »
March 11th, 2008 at 11:00 pm
[...] From the Associated Press (Minn. lawmaker wants scent-free schools) A Minnesota lawmaker proposed a bill Monday urging a fragrance-free educational campaign to discourage students from dousing themselves in scents that aggravate classmates with asthma and other health problems. Odors that fill hallways come mostly from boys who douse themselves in body sprays like Axe, said Mikolai Altenberg, […] Read more… Fatal error: Call to undefined function add_submit_it() in /home/s0329a42/public_html/wpnews/wp-content/themes/adsminded/single.php on line 24 [...]
March 16th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
Asthma patients suffers also from Clautrophoby caused by asthma tablets or pills when long time treatment, IS IT?
Your advice would be appreciated
March 17th, 2008 at 11:00 am
[...] From the Associated Press (Minn. lawmaker wants scent-free schools) A Minnesota lawmaker proposed a bill Monday urging a fragrance-free educational campaign to discourage students from dousing themselves in scents that aggravate classmates with asthma and other health problems. Odors that fill hallways come mostly from boys who douse themselves in body sprays like Axe, said Mikolai Altenberg, […] Read more [...]
October 20th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
[...] An emergency room encounter between an inexperienced physician and a patient with chronic pain. (link: Dr. Val and the Voice of Reason) A couple of brief stories from an emergency room chaplain. (link: Rickety Contrivances of Doing Good) What can only be described as poor resuscitation technique (link: other things amanzi) The title of the post sums it up nicely: The Nurse as Ogre. (link: Digital Doorway) A look at NIH funding (link: Highlight Health) A law to limit teen scents (not “teen sense”, as that would be an oxymoron) (link: Health Business Blog) The failure of the single payer plan in the United States. (link: Insureblog) The ethics of newborn screening and the collection of genetic material from newborns. (link: Junkfood Science) Comparing car insurance to health insurance. (link: Diabetes Mine) The average retired couple should have $225,000 socked away to cover health care costs. (link: In Sickness and In Health) Thoughts on health care reform at the state and federal levels. (link:HealthBlawg) Abdominal muscles, a common cause of back pain with walking and running. (link: The Fitness Fixer) Can physical exercise help brain function, particularly over the long haul? (link: Sharp Brains) The Health Concerns of Prostitutes (link: Healthline Connects) Pain management in remote locations and other difficult situations. (link: Medicine for the Outdoors) Which diet programs keep the weight off in the long term? (link: On The Wards) Making thing’s easier for doctors and patients: Healthline’s new drug search tool. (link: Tech Medicine) Changes in CPR and minimally interrupted cardiac resuscitation (MICR) (link: Not Totally Rad) How writing about chronic illness helps. (link: A Chronic Dose) A new book club about — and for — doctors who write. (link: Canadian Medicine) [...]