I live in Seattle

So I am not quite sure what to make of this:

The Seattle Public Library says:

FRAGRANT-FREE WORK PLACE For the safety and comfort of Library patrons, staff, and volunteers who are sensitive to chemical fragrances, we request that everyone avoid the use of fragrant products while in the Washington Talking Book and Braille Library. Examples include fragrant hair products, hand lotion, deodorant, cologne and after shave.

Considered opinions, only, please. I will round file the rest.

Comments

[Courtney]

Standard operating procedure at my place of employment. Multiple chemical sensitivites do exist, and can kill. My semi-mother-in-law is dying as result of organ damage caused by severe anaphylactic shock induced by a fragrance in the carpet cleaner used at the hospital where she worked. I never wear perfume or that sort of thing anymore.

[Murph]

And you don't need to be MCS to have problems with fragrances. I choke up in department stores that have perfume/cologne counters and have to flee to fresh air. Heavily scented hand soap is enough to affect my breathing, and I avoid changing shampoo brands, preferring to stick with the one that doesn't make my face swell.

It seems like an issue similar to smoking: it probably shouldn't be blanket-regulated, but a lot of people want the option to do without, and businesses can choose to accept these people's patronage or not. Manufacturers seem to realize this--walk down the kleenex aisle in your local supermarket and look at how many of the boxes have "free" in big letters. No scents, colors, or lotions, because they recognize that too many people have problems with these and won't buy the kleenex if it has them.

[David Sucher]

Interesting; I stand corrected.
And a minor point is still not clear: Why only in the "Talking Book and Braille Library"?

[Jason McCullough]

You also don't have to believe that MCS exists to justify not stinking up the place.

They probably have a specific sufferer working in that division.

[Nemo]

If you're not familiar with MCS, try watching Todd Haynes' movie SAFE.

[JakeV]

David--
Perhaps it's not just about MCS, but also about smell, and the blind.

Blind people are often very sensitive to odors, and they are likely to be making use of that part of the library.