Update on the Fragrance Pollution Issue in Japan from the Perspective of Those Who Continue to Suffer
August 2024
By Yuri Kitagawa
Fragrance pollution is about health problems caused by products of everyday life used by others, such as fabric softeners and laundry detergents with sustained release technology for fragrances. After the spread of COVID-19, when people engaged in extensive sterilisation, the use of antimicrobial chemicals in the products, on top of fragrances, has become common. It is said that 70%1 of the people in Japan use fabric softeners, most of which are scented. Common symptoms are headaches, nausea, coughs, breathing problem, eye ache, dizziness, diarrhea, etc. Some suffer from severe symptoms which prevent them from going to school or workplace. For many, leading ordinary lives become difficult as fragrance- and chemical-filled air comes in the house from neighbours’ laundry and everywhere one goes there are people who use the products or/and these users of the products leave behind the fragrance and the chemicals everywhere as they move about.
Although more people who are affected by the products are raising their voices, most people remain quiet just enduring the nuisance and the suffering as they fear not being understood and/or face alienation and even being bullied. The 70% usage rate of fabric softener is the result of fierce advertisement by manufacturers of these products and the tendency of the Japanese public who think that everything which is sold, advertised and is not banned is safe and that they are good products. The fragrance pollution problem is unique in that while symptoms of, for example, food allergy can be avoided by the sufferer her/himself refraining from eating the food item, fragrance pollution is almost impossible to avoid as the air in most places is contaminated by these fragrances in microcapsules even on mountain paths as hikers and athletes have a high tendency to use the products fearing smell from their sweating.
Since I last wrote about fragrance pollution in Japan2 in May 2022, one major development has been the creation in August 2022 of a Network of Local Politicians to Stop Fragrance Pollution. As of 22 July 2024, the Network has 131 members and the local assembly members, as well as the members of the National Assembly, have been actively questioning about fragrance pollution in the assemblies of their cities, towns and villages. The questions have included addressing the issues of students who suffer from Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS), especially from scented fabric softeners used by others, and the problem of scented fabric softeners and other scented products at medical institutions, etc.
One major problem of scented fabric softener has been the use of it to wash kappōgi aprons (cooking coat-type apron) which the primary school pupils wear when serving school lunches. Pupils in Japan take turns to serve school lunches and the aprons they wear are normally passed on to the next group of pupils after washing them at home. Since most families use scented laundry products, pupils with MCS end up being forced to wear the aprons drenched with the chemical substances which make the pupils and the families sick. Many local assemblies have decided to instruct school boards and the schools to allow MCS pupils to bring their own aprons or in some cases stop the system of using the same aprons and ask the pupils to bring their own aprons.
While addressing the apron issue is an improvement, the school environment where most pupils and students (and teachers and other employees) continue to use scented laundry products and other scented products, does not solve the fragrance pollution issue in schools. Students who cannot sit in the same classroom with other students because of fragrance pollution, are often dealt with by being made to sit apart alone in a separate room which can be said that the student is being abandoned. Or in some cases, the students have no choice but to give up going to school.
Regulation / restriction concerning this fragrance pollution issue is expected to take time. Meanwhile I am hoping that schools, work places, medical institutions and other public places will introduce scent-free policies like we can see in some places in other countries, such as educational and medical facilities in North America. The reason why there is no talk about introducing scent-free policies in Japan seems to be that there is no instruction from the national government to do so and the schools think that they cannot impose a ban on articles of daily use as individuals should be free to use the products of their choice. Another reason which I have heard is that some parents of the students might be working for manufacturing or sales companies of these products so that there might be a possibility that the students might be feeling bad if scent-free policies were introduced.
In autumn 2023, the Network to Stop Fragrance Pollution3, together with the Network of Local Politicians to Stop Fragrance Pollution and Canary Network Nationwide (CAN; Network of those who suffer from symptoms caused by chemical products such as fabric softeners) started a signature campaign on the online platform “change.org”4 targeting the three major manufacturers of fabric softeners and detergents, namely Procter & Gamble (P&G), Kao and Lion and the Japan Soap and Detergent Association. The campaign calls for stopping the use of slow-release technology (fragrance and antimicrobial chemicals) including microcapsules. Unfortunately the three companies and the Association accepted the signatures with great reluctance when we visited them to hand over, but we believe that the initiative contributed to raising awareness of the issue. As of 15 January, the campaign had gathered 8,889 signatures and the number of signatures continues to grow, reaching 11,026 as of 27 August 2024.
This April and May, the Network to Stop Fragrance Pollution held its annual meeting with the ministries concerned with this issue, ie the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Industries, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Environment and the Consumer Affairs Agency. Although some progress has been made over the years, to this day, the reply from the Ministry of Health continues to be that they do not intend to regulate the products since there is no proof that the fragrances (and other chemicals such as antimicrobial chemicals) from the products are causes of the symptoms.
We need louder voices from those who are suffering from fragrance pollution and the public in general to change the air situation and the attitude of the government. Last year, the EU has banned intentionally-added microplastics, which include plastic-derived microcapsules used in fabric softeners. Japan should do the same although the ban will not fully solve the issue of fragrance pollution as it is expected that soon technology will come up with non-plastic / biodegradable microcapsules.
The United Nations is currently at its final stage of negotiating the Plastic Treaty and it is hoped that the treaty will make clear reference to the microplastics including microcapsules used in products such as fabric softeners. Unfortunately the Japanese government remains reluctant to introduce the “precautionary principle” when dealing with products such as chemicals but we hope that this attitude will change.
The fragrance pollution seems to be at its worst here in Japan but we are aware that the problem exists also in other countries. We are eager to engage in exchanges of information and views with those who are working on the issue in other parts of the world. If you are interested, please contact us.
1 Source: Japan Soap and Detergent Association (JSDA) study: https://jsda.org/w/01_katud/sentaku_chosa2020-2.html
2 Fragrance pollution is the health hazard caused by scented products (chemicals) such as fabric softeners, air fresheners, deodorants, room fragrances and laundry detergents:
https://www.nishoren.org/en/?p=2477
3 The Network to Stop Fragrance Pollution is a Network created in 2017 and currently consists of 5 organisations, namely Consumers Union of Japan, Japan Endocrine-Disruptor Preventive Action (JEPA), Network for Reduction of Toxic Chemicals (T-Watch), Chemical Sensitivity Help Center and Consumers Union of Japan Kansai Group
4 https://www.change.org/Stop_Kougai