People who feel sick when they smell and overpowering perfume may not necessarily be allergic, but may have a condition that results in the inability to get used to smells.
Usually your smell perceptions diminish rapidly, for example when you walk into someone else’s house or get into a new car you notice a different smell immediately. After a while, most people stop noticing them. However, some people have a chemical intolerance which means that the smells continue to be present. This could manifest itself as a headache from the man on the tube’s overbearing aftershave or an itchy nose from using a certain cleaning product.
Psychology researcher Linus Andersson from Umea University exposed both intolerant and non-intolerant individuals to smells and compared their reactions. “The hypersensitive individuals felt that the odour was getting stronger even though its concentration had not changed,” he explained. “Their brain activity images also differed from those in the other group.”
Andersson’s findings showed that chemical intolerant people also have a strong reaction to substances that irritate the mucous lining of their nose and mouth, such as chilli peppers. “In other words we can see indications that this intolerance affects both the body and the mind, and that it’s important not to blindly focus on just one of these aspects.”
As much as 10 percent of the Swedish population report that they are bothered by everyday smells, with two percent saying they have severe symptoms. However there is little research into what causes this condition, unlike allergies and asthma.
Andersson believes that understanding this sort of sensitivity better could makes us rethink our work environments. “Some co-workers are bothered more than others by the smell of the printer — what should we do to make our working conditions acceptable to as many people as possible?” he asks.
