Some perfumes trigger worse asthma than others

March 4, 2000

Reuters Story - March 04, 2000

LOS ANGELES, March 4 (Reuters) - Don't splash on too much Red or Charlie if

you, or those near to you, have asthma, researchers said on Saturday.

Those perfumes caused the most frequent decline in lung function during a

study of adult asthmatics, according to a report from Tulane University

Medical Center, which was presented at the American Academy of Allergy

Asthma & Immunology on Saturday.

Fragrances are often cited by asthmatics as triggering or worsening their

asthma symptoms, and the study found that different fragrances vary in the

number and intensity of allergic reactions they cause.

Asthma, which afflicts some 150 million people worldwide, occurs when

bronchial tubes swell up and go into spasm blocking the passage of air in

and out of the lungs.

Tulane's Lehrer investigated asthmatics for their responses to

fragrances. Of the 77 adult asthmatics completing a questionnaire, 77

percent indicated they were allergic to fragrances.

Among the 38 fragrances identified as causing reactions, the top six were

Red, White Diamonds, Giorgio, Charlie, Opium and Poison.

Investigators said they then tested 15 subjects by randomly exposing them to

each fragrance in an inhalation chamber for 20 minutes.

A test for measuring the volume of air entering and leaving the lungs was

performed during the last 10 minutes of each exposure period.

Of the 15 subjects challenged, 11 had a small decline in lung function to

one or more fragrances, the study said.

Red and Charlie equally elicited the most frequent decline in lung function,

followed by Giorgio, Opium and White Diamonds.

Researchers conclude that fragrances cause frequent respiratory symptoms in

individuals with asthma, but they said the degree of decline in lung

function was not very severe.

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