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Blood-brain barrier.

post #1 of 9
3/4/09 at 12:41am
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I was listening to a public radio station while driving yesterday. The show featured fragrance used in every day products with a Professor Anne Steinemann of Washington Universtiy. What I found interesting is that fragrance reaches the reptile portion of the brain directly, bypassing the blood brain barrier much the same as alcohol but, through the olfactory system. The host said some nice things about the French perfumes as being less or not harmful, but the fragrances used in house hold products were scarry. Mentioned were the fragrances in laundry detergents. I will be getting the non scented from now on. If you are interested in Anne Steinemann's research you can google her name and go to the University of Washington web site for more detail in a paper available there in adobe format. Yes, someone really does listen to Public Radio.
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post #2 of 9
3/4/09 at 12:53am
Yes, it's a very interesting perspective. Now I see the virtue of viewing the olfactory neurons as a direct extension of the brain. They allow the brain to basically sense molecules in the environment without having to allow them past the blood-brain barrier. Project a small, expendable, rapidly replaceable portion of the brain directly into the environment. Another ingenious solution brought to you by the makers of vision!

And, if it's coming from a fairly primitive region of the brain, well..... that explains quite a bit.

Thanks for the post!

PS: NPR? Shame on you!
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post #3 of 9
3/4/09 at 7:11am
Thanks for sharing this very interesting item. I'll have to check it out.

"She blinded me with science," Thomas Dolby
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post #4 of 9
3/4/09 at 7:24am
My mother is always very interested in these newsflashes.. will definently talk to her, haha.
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post #5 of 9
3/7/09 at 9:32pm
I seem to be getting hypersensitive to laundry detergent fragrances anyway, so it's a good enough excuse to switch to unscented.

Probably also applies to other cleaners, tho--shower and toilet cleaners seem especially harsh to my nose.
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post #6 of 9
3/7/09 at 10:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Asha View Post

I seem to be getting hypersensitive to laundry detergent fragrances anyway, so it's a good enough excuse to switch to unscented.

Probably also applies to other cleaners, tho--shower and toilet cleaners seem especially harsh to my nose.

Some of these modern cleaners are just nasty. Essentially things like hydrochloric acid, concentrated hydroxide solutions, or bleach. Improperly removed from surfaces, they can really mess one up. Be careful, and use lots of ventilation. Your nose is warning you to stay away - trust it.
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post #7 of 9
3/8/09 at 6:43pm
As far as I know, the aroma chemicals used in household products are the same ones used in the frags we all love, just at different concentrations and of course, used to construct different accords that smell more functional and less "perfumey". At one point there were certain non biodegradable musks such as musk ketone being used, but as far as I know, they are not used any longer. (Anyone know for sure if they have been banned?) Another point to consider is that many times chemicals are added to products in order to remove their inherent odor and make them 'non scented'. As always, there are two sides to every story, so beware.


Quote:
Originally Posted by N_Tesla View Post

I was listening to a public radio station while driving yesterday. The show featured fragrance used in every day products with a Professor Anne Steinemann of Washington Universtiy. What I found interesting is that fragrance reaches the reptile portion of the brain directly, bypassing the blood brain barrier much the same as alcohol but, through the olfactory system. The host said some nice things about the French perfumes as being less or not harmful, but the fragrances used in house hold products were scarry. Mentioned were the fragrances in laundry detergents. I will be getting the non scented from now on. If you are interested in Anne Steinemann's research you can google her name and go to the University of Washington web site for more detail in a paper available there in adobe format. Yes, someone really does listen to Public Radio.
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post #8 of 9
3/9/09 at 10:28am
Interesting post,
thank you

I have always been allergic to bleach!
Products that contain it
in even minutest quantities
irritate me something horrendous!

We have been using GreenWorks
cleaners at home instead.
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post #9 of 9
3/9/09 at 10:50am
Bleach really bothers me too! When we use it at home, the smell stays in my nose for hours and makes it hard for me to smell much of anything else. Not only that, it makes me go into a sneezing fit. Not good.
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