The Bay Area Country Dance Society Website

A number of campers suffer from heightened sensitivity to solvents and petroleum products, including perfume and fragrance.  These chemicals can act not only as respiratory irritants, but also as cardiac stimulants (skyrocketing blood pressure, palpitations) and neurotoxins (symptoms include tremors, mental confusion, equilibrium loss, blurred vision).

Exposure to products containing even small amounts of the chemicals can cause these symptoms.  Please understand that this is a serious health concern - not simply a preference issue.  Chemical sensitivity results from continued exposure to solvents and products in doses thought to be safe: it could happen to any one of us.

Because the dining hall, dance hall, dorms and lodges at camp are enclosed spaces, even small amounts of fragrance or scented or toxic products on a few people can add up quickly to intolerable amounts.  Our fellow dancers with chemical sensitivities can attend camp only if we all work together to reduce the amount of toxic chemicals in the camp environment.  We will supply the bathrooms with fragrance-free soap, shampoo, conditioner, and hand lotion for your convenience.

On the positive side, many dancers in the Bay Area have learned to love fragrance-free products - it's less like walking through the "chemical aisle" at your local Safeway, and more like the pleasant, natural environment that Monte Toyon exemplifies.

What you can do to help...

We ask that you please:

• Do not wear perfume, cologne or after-shave
• Do not use hair spray or dandruff shampoo - even the unscented varieties can trigger reactions in chemically sensitive people because they contain toxic products.
• Use only fragrance-free, DEET-free, insect repellant. Use it outside; apply it sparingly; use only as needed, not as a preventative.  (Biting and stinging insects are usually not a problem at camp.)
• If possible, use a fragrance-free laundry detergent for the clothes you bring to camp and do not use fabric softener.  Air out dry-cleaned clothes, and clothes stored in mothballs, thoroughly before bringing to camp.

Please consider bringing other fragrance-free personal products to use at camp.  This will really make a difference. They can easily be found at any natural food store or specialty stores like Trader Joe's, etc.  Here's a short sampling:

• Deodorant: Tom's of Maine Unscented, The Crystal, Le Stick, Liken, Almay Fragrance-Free, Arm & Hammer Unscented
• Shampoo and Conditioner: Pure Essentials, Organic Essence, KMS Fragrance-Free
• Hair Gel: KMS, Aloe Vera 80
• Shaving Cream: Noxzema Fragrance-Free, Kiss My Face, English Leather Fragrance-Free
• Bar Soap: Pure & Natural Unscented Glycerine Soap
• Laundry Soap: Arm & Hammer Fragrance-Free, All Free & Clear
• Lip Balm: Look for beeswax-based (non-petroleum), unscented varieties
• Body Powder: Use baking soda &/or cornstarch
• Insect Repellent: Look for DEET-free products, such as Shoo! or Bite Blocker