A Cape Cod high school may soon be the first in the state free of all colognes, perfumes, scented deodorants and body sprays.
H.S. Proposes Going Fragrance-Free
March 7, 2006
BOURNE, Mass. — A Cape Cod high school may soon be the first in the state free of all colognes, perfumes, scented deodorants and body sprays.
The Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical School committee met Monday night to discuss the fragrance ban for staff and students proposed by Superintendent Barry J. Motta.
The proposed policy will be sent to a subcommittee for review, Motta said, and will likely become part of the student handbook.
Strong fragrances can irritate people with asthma, trigger headaches, and cause respiratory and neurological symptoms. Motta said he did not know about the possible effects of perfumes and colognes until one of his staff members said they suffered from chemical sensitivity.
Most people have reacted favorably to the suggestion, school nurse Lisa Schmitt said. She has received e-mails from the parents of several students who are sensitive to chemicals or have asthma.
Motta said he is not aware of another school in Massachusetts with a fragrance-free policy.
Motta is working with Schmitt to develop a policy based on the nurse’s experience at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, which has banned fragrances.
“We wanted to come up with something that’s palatable and not overboard,” Motta said.
The school’s cosmetology program will be allowed to use products that have some fragrance in them, Schmitt said.
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