I finally got a whiff of the new scratch-and-sniff postage stamps at my local post office this morning.
Though I knew they were coming, I hadn’t written about them before because “scratch-and-sniff,” well, I didn’t know for sure if that meant one needed to scratch them before you could smell them.
But now I can tell you with certainty that they DO smell before scratching, just like those perfume inserts in magazines.
The scent actually upset my stomach and triggered me to rush to the nearest store to get something to eat/
To me, this is just an unacceptable infringement on my human rights.
Last week I wrote about a 2016 ruling a woman’s chemical sensitivity was a disability under the American’s with Disabilities Act (ADA) because it interfered with the major life activity of breathing.
The ruling outlines accommodations employers may need to make in the workplace for those with fragrance allergies, which go so far as to ask or require other employees to abstain from wearing or using scented products.
But it’s not just about allergies. Synthetic fragrances emit toxic chemicals . We are all being exposed now to yet another source of toxic chemicals for “fun.”
I don’t want scented stamps in my pile of mail, but I can’t opt-out of the exposure without opt-ing out of the United States Postal Service, which I have a right to use as a citizen of this country.
Please don’t buy these stamps. And encourage others to not buy them too. And how can we get the Post Office to stop selling them?
I found the correct address and wrote to the USPS about this, citing studies and stats about how many people are allergic to artificial fragrances. I did get a reply, something to the effect that the stamps are not in violation of any rules, regs regarding fragrances – my sense was there was 0 understanding at the PO about this issue, sadly!
I had heard about this a few weeks or months ago and I was horrified and all I could think was now my mailbox will always stink of fragrance and
“infect” all my mail. I have enough trouble with the print smell. What crazy person thought of this! Maybe if we all tell our mail carrier that it is bad????
I’m with you, Debra! I have yet to see them, or smell them, but the next trip to the post office I will check it out, and I will comment to the postal clerk. I know they are not responsible for the stamps being there….they just work there…..but if they get enough comments about how distateful the new stamps are, it might start a movement in the other direction. Thanks for posting.
RuthAnn
I am 100% with you in not wanting a toxic exposure arriving in my mailbox.
My home is my one safe place from a toxic, poisonous and unsafe world and to have an uninvited toxic guest coming inside in the form of mail is unacceptable. I don’t want a toxic terrorist waiting for me as I retrieve my mail. MB