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Instead, many may be due to so-called irritant, or toxic asthma, he said. Researchers have identified receptors in the airways that appear to react to “noxious stimuli” such as the chemicals in perfumes and colognes.

The end result, Flegel said, is the same: “You get a big inflammation in your lungs, and it can be much more rapid and instant than it is with the allergic kind” of asthma.

“From a hospital or healthcare perspective, there is no benefit to wearing personal scents — they’re to make one person more attractive to other people, and maybe a specific person, who knows,” Flegel said.

But, “It is becoming obvious that some people can be made to feel ill, or even seriously harmed. It’s time to call a stop.”

He said scent-free or scent-reduction policies should become part of the Canadian hospital accreditation standards. “Like many other things in hospitals, like washing your hands, word gets around and the policy gets adopted with a lot of effort,” Flegel said.

Federal and provincial human rights acts require employers to accommodate workers with scent sensitivities, but not patients in hospitals, Flegel said.

“If you walk into a hospital and you meet any old doctor who’s got lots of stuff in his spiky hair and it really smells, there’s nothing you can do about that, and you may need that doctor’s help,” Flegel said.

“Nurses and doctors have to get into patient’s intimate space. We’re the first ones who should be setting the example. You shouldn’t expect a patient with scent asthma who is lying in bed to be nursed by someone who radiates perfume as soon as he or she walks into the room.”

In response to a request from the Post, the Canadian Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association referred to its website, which states that several U.S. medical groups “have all rejected MCS (multiple chemical sensitivity) as a legitimate organic disease.”

“It is important to ask whether the majority of Canadians who enjoy scented products should be required to stop using them without credible, medical evidence demonstrating that they post a significant, physical health hazard,” the association says.