Kindergarteners and Cologne

[Purple_Scrubs, BSN, RN]

Has anyone noticed a trend of very young students wearing heavy, heavy perfume or cologne? I have noticed this in several kindergarteners recently. This is an issue for myself, because it triggers migraines, but I am much more concerned for my asthmatics who might be triggered by this. If anyone has dealt with this, how do you handle it?

[Spidey's mom, ADN, BSN, RN]

No but I did get a question from a teacher today about a Kindergarten student who smelled "yeasty".

I went to the classroom thinking maybe her mouth had yeast . . but no, very clean and good teeth too.

I smelled nothing "yeasty". She was a clean, well-dressed young Hispanic child.

No perfume noted up here in rural CA.

steph

[mc3, ASN, RN]

Funny you should mention it...I had a second-grader sent to me yesterday. The teacher is highly allergic to perfumes, so she sent her to me to fix it (how, you wonder???). Well, I washed the little girls face, arms and hands, then took her old, dirty. smelly sweatshirt and put it in a bag to take home. I then gave her a brand new, cute jacket to keep, and I asked the teacher to let Mom know what we did, and why. This is the second time she's been to clinic for this, so teacher needs to let Mom know what the problem is (not me...). In any case, I heard through the grapevine that Mom asked the child who had an "f-----ing problem with it", then called the school to complain!

I guess no good deed does go unpunished, huh?

I so wish some parents would have to have a license to have children....

[Purple_Scrubs, BSN, RN]

I have not had teachers complain yet, but I don't know how they can stand it in their classrooms. The smell permeates my office and the main office if the kids are in here for just a minute or two. To compound the problem, it seems to me that the cologne is an attempt to disguise a lack of bathing. Unclean kid + heavy cologne =

So far no one has complained to me, so I have left it alone. The first complaint I get or the first asthma attack that I can attribute to this, I am coming down hard on it. There is no reason a 5 year old needs to be wearing perfume or cologne. Ridiculous!

[bergren]

Fragrances are part of the EPA concerns for indoor air quality

Many schools and workplaces ban fragrances just as hospitals do - if you google frangrance ban in school, you get many hits.

This is a good article about nurses role ingetting hosptials to clean the air: http://www.h2e-online.org/docs/marylandnurse20106.pdf

Here is advice given to HR specialists on whether allergy to fragrance is a disability and how to accomodate:

http://www.legalworkplace.com/banning-personal-fragrances-ada-accommodation-pla.aspx

[Jolie, BSN]

I"ve not noticed this as a problem with the little ones, but the middle school girls (in my experience) and high school girls (according to my daughter) are going way over board.

Given the known association with headaches, nausea and respiratory problems, it seems that this should be addressed in the school's dress code. If that can't be accomplished mid-year, perhaps the principal would be willing to send a note home to all parents requesting compliance with a no-perfume policy. If I had to pick my daughter up and take her home to bathe and change clothes, you can bet that she would not leave the house again wearing perfume.

[Flare, ASN, BSN]

When i was in the kindergarten school i'd occasionally run across a kid wearing heavy cologne or perfume - more often than not it was more of a case of the kid playing and wanting to be like mom or dad.

Now I am in the middle school where prepubescent boys bathed in Axe is a regular occurance...