Health and Artificial Fragrance — What’s the Connection

Our God-Given Senses

Who can resist the aroma of fresh baked bread, or the tempting smell of cinnamon or vanilla? What would life be like without the smell of salt air, the scent of piney woods, or the fragrance of our favourite flowers? Natural scents add immeasurably to our enjoyment of life, and are tied to strong memories of past events. God gave us our sense of smell to enhance our personal experience of his awesome creation. Fragrant incense was an integral part of the temple service, symbolic of the praise and prayers of God’s people, that is a sweet-smelling aroma to God.

But something has changed in the past few years. No longer is that “vanilla” scent the product of the vanilla bean. Rather, it is a toxic chemical counterfeit that excites the senses while damaging the respiratory tract and producing ill-health.
There was a time, not so long ago in Canada, that wherever you were, whether on a flight or in the airport lounge, at your favourite restaurant, or even in the respiratory wing of a hospital, you could find yourself subjected to the toxic effects of secondhand smoke. Luckily the dangers of smoking for both smoker, and bystanders, has become well-documented over the past decades. The discoveries of medical science were  brought to bear and legislation was put in place to protect the health of the public. As a result most public places are now “smoke-free” zones. More