HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA | Tuesday April 17, 2007

Being sensible about scents

THE RIGHT to swing my fist ends, said Oliver Wendell Holmes, where the other man’s nose begins.

That’s a cogent description of where society draws the line on unfettered individual freedom. But it doesn’t stop at knuckles. Where a nearby nose begins is also where to curb other behaviours some see as personal rights – like blowing tobacco smoke or wearing perfume – if the effect is harmful to others.

In Calgary recently, two bus drivers pulled over and refused to continue service because a passenger’s strong perfume was making it difficult to drive. In Nova Scotia, the Lung Association is promoting smoke-free apartment buildings, following an Ontario poll which found strong support for banning smoking in individual apartments because of smoke infiltration into non-smokers’ units.

Is this getting too collectively nosy? Not if you look closely. In Calgary, one driver who refused service had previously told the passenger her perfume kept him from focusing on driving. But there were no formal rules on perfume, so the passenger didn’t change her spritzing. She wanted an apology.

Sadly, she doesn’t get it. Her indifference to the driver’s condition was inconsiderate and possibly dangerous for everyone on the bus. The impact of fragrance chemicals on some people is not trivial. The Canada Safety Council website says possible health effects include "shortness of breath, headaches and migraines, nausea, muscle pain, and cold-like symptoms" as well as adverse effects on asthma, emphysema, bronchitis and allergies. That’s why some workplaces have no-scent policies; but even where they don’t exist, it is common sense and courtesy to avoid scents you know cause a problem.

But smoking at home? Surely that’s beyond the reach of society’s nose test? Not necessarily. When your castle is a rented one, your landlord may be concerned that a nicotine-saturated apartment will be hard to re-rent, a good reason to restrict smoking. In a multi-unit building, you share your domestic sovereignty with others who should be able to enjoy their homes free of your smoke. If this prompts new construction standards or covenants on smoking, it wouldn’t be surprising. Condo owners already agree to restrictions for the sake of a more livable community and higher property values.

Ideally, we should all develop better noses for avoiding behaviour that inadvertently harms others. But if we don’t, laws, policies and market forces will likely draw more lines in favour of noses that don’t want to breathe unhealthy smoke and scents

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