HB1544

As a citizen who has severe medical reactions to fragrances, I fully support this bill prohibiting the use of scented products in public areas of state buildings. I am unable to go into public buildings because of the use of fragranced products like cleaners, laundry products, air fresheners, diffusers, candles, etc. I cannot even go in to use the restroom because some products cause me to stop breathing. It is particularly distressing when I am enjoying state parks and cannot go into visitor's center bathrooms or even outhouses. I cannot use rest area bathrooms. I am very hopeful you will pass this bill to prohibit the use of scented products in public areas of state buildings so tourists can come and enjoy your beautiful state without getting sick. Unscented products are widely available, so please make it so we can come.

Written Testimony in Support of HB 1544 - An Act Prohibiting the Use of Scented Products in Public Areas of State Buildings Dear Members of the Committee, I am writing in strong support of HB 1544. This bill is a medically grounded, narrowly tailored measure that would improve equal access to New Hampshire state buildings by limiting the use of fragranced products in public areas. For many residents, exposure to fragranced products is not a matter of comfort or preference but a serious health barrier. Scented air fresheners, cleaning products, and other fragranced items can trigger asthma attacks, migraines, respiratory distress, and neurological symptoms, making it unsafe or impossible for some individuals to enter public buildings. In this way, fragranced environments can function as an invisible but very real barrier to accessing essential government services. New Hampshire consistently reports some of the highest adult asthma prevalence rates in the nation. Nearly 14 percent of adults and about 8 percent of children in the state have asthma, well above the national average. According to the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, asthma contributes to more than 4,000 emergency department visits annually and approximately $177 million in annual medical costs, with disproportionate impacts on women, lower-income residents, and those with limited access to preventive care. Per the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, a substantial share of asthma cases in the state remain poorly controlled, affecting nearly half of adults and about one-third of children with the condition. This highlights the importance of reducing avoidable triggers in public environments, particularly in spaces that residents must enter to access essential government services. The presence of fragranced products indoors directly undermines asthma control efforts. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency identifies air fresheners and fragranced products as indoor air pollutants that emit volatile organic compounds which can persist in the air and contribute to adverse health effects. These chemicals are associated with asthma exacerbations, respiratory irritation, headaches, migraines, and neurological effects. Even low-level exposures can provoke symptoms in sensitive individuals, including both visitors and state employees. Fragrance sensitivity is widespread and distinct from diagnosed asthma. National studies indicate that roughly one-third of U.S. adults report adverse health effects from exposure to fragranced consumer products such as air fresheners, scented detergents, or cleaning agents and a significant portion of the population has medically confirmed fragrance contact allergy. There is substantial overlap between fragrance sensitivity and respiratory disease. Research shows that well over half of individuals with asthma report sensitivity to fragranced products, and that exposure can trigger immediate secondary symptoms, including asthma attacks, in a significant portion of this group. Fragranced environments therefore pose heightened risks to individuals with pre-existing respiratory conditions. Common reactions to fragranced products include respiratory symptoms such as sneezing, watery eyes, chest tightness, and shortness of breath, as well as neurological and dermatologic effects including migraines, dizziness, nausea, and contact dermatitis. These reactions are well documented by occupational health and medical guidance sources. The societal and workplace impacts are also significant. National surveys indicate that nearly one in four people avoids certain public places, including restrooms, government buildings, or other indoor spaces, due to fragrance exposure that makes them ill. A meaningful share of the workforce reports lost productivity, missed workdays, or job disruption related to fragrance exposure in indoor environments. As a result, fragrance sensitivity is increasingly addressed in the context of disability accommodation and workplace accessibility. HB 1544 is consistent with existing medical and governmental guidance. The American Medical Association recommends that government agencies adopt fragrance-free policies. Federal accessibility guidance emphasizes reducing unnecessary chemical exposures in public environments. State asthma control plans, including New Hampshire’s, identify indoor air quality and pollutant reduction as key strategies for improving health outcomes. Importantly, this bill is reasonable and limited in scope. It does not regulate personal fragrance use, does not apply to private spaces, and does not require enforcement against individuals. It applies only to state-controlled products and fragrance-dispensing devices in public areas of state buildings and includes a one-year implementation period. Fragrance-free cleaning and restroom products are widely available at equal or lower cost, meaning this policy can be implemented without financial burden and may result in long-term savings through reduced health impacts, absenteeism, and accommodation needs. Adopting fragrance-free standards in public areas of state buildings would improve indoor air quality, protect vulnerable populations, reduce barriers to government access, and support a healthier workplace for state employees. Many hospitals, clinics, and public institutions already operate under similar policies, demonstrating that these measures are practical, effective, and sustainable. For these reasons, I respectfully urge the committee to support HB 1544. Doing so will help ensure that New Hampshire’s state buildings are accessible, inclusive, and safe for all residents, employees, and visitors. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Adopting fragrance-free cleaning policies in state-owned buildings is a vital step toward ensuring equal access and public health. Indoor air is often 2 to 5 times, (sometimes much more), polluted than outdoor air. Fragrances in cleaning products and other facility maintenance products such as pesticides and biocides contain volatile (easily airborne) substances that are major contributors to this pollution. Synthetic fragrances and even 'natural' essential oils used in facility maintenance emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that can be directly harmful and can also react with indoor ozone to create hazardous secondary pollutants like formaldehyde. The American Medical Association’s (AMA) 2025 Fragrance Regulation (Resolution 501, A-24) explicitly recognizes that fragrance has no place in healthcare settings. The AMA acknowledges that these exposures limit the accessibility of public settings and encourages government agencies to adopt and promote fragrance-free policies. We urge you to align with existing health-first policies established by the CDC and U.S. Access Board. Fragrance sensitivity affects over 30% of the population, triggering respiratory distress, migraines, and mental confusion. For many, fragrance is a significant disability barrier. Chronic exposure to certain cleaning products has been shown to be as toxic to the lungs as smoking. Providing fragrance-free air is a necessary reasonable accommodation for those with respiratory conditions and invisible disabilities such as chemical sensitivities. It is also critical to avoid preventable harms for those in life stages with increased vulnerability, such as during fetal development and childhood, and for individuals with conditions like autism, ADHD, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, and cancer. Implementation is a cost-effective measure for public health: • Prohibit fragrance-emitting devices such as plug-in air fresheners, wall-mounted deodorizers, and scented candles. • Prohibit cleaning and maintenance products that contain fragrances and 'odor control' masking scents. • Transition to least-toxic cleaners. Alternatives can often be simple, such as vinegar, baking soda, and hydrogen peroxide. • Post "Fragrance-Free Zone" signage at entrances to notify the public of this accessibility standard. HEAL (Human Ecology Action League) members have friends, family, and community in New Hampshire, and we strongly support the adoption of this bill. State buildings must remain open to all. By adopting these science-based standards, the state fulfills its obligation to provide safe, inclusive environments for the public.

dear nh congress please vote for bill number hb 1544. . i personally am very senistive to scented -frangrances products . they make me very ill and keep me out of many buildings . these make me very ill and limit were i can go for services medical etc. thank you for all of your hard work and your vote!!!! carol beauregard.

I am someone who has experienced adverse reactions to fragrance chemicals since childhood. When I was about eight years old, using scented dish soap caused severe rashes on my arms, from my fingertips to my elbows. I was probably reacting earlier than that, this was just the first time it was perfectly clear how much one product was affecting me. This led me to needing to avoid fragranced products my entire life. Experiences like this are not rare, and they illustrate how fragrance exposures can have serious health consequences. Between the existing AMA regulation and the evidence that fragrance-free products do not cost more to purchase, there appears to be no practical or financial barrier to passing this bill. It is important to remember that this legislation is not about regulating individual people; it is about regulating the indoor air environment. Scented cleaning products and air fresheners can make buildings inaccessible to people with fragrance sensitivities or allergies. While individuals who wear fragrance may be avoided, contaminated indoor air from cleaning products and air fresheners cannot. This makes the issue one of public health and accessibility. The American Medical Association takes this issue seriously. In June 2025, at its annual meeting in Chicago, the AMA adopted its first Fragrance Regulation, policy H-135.902. AMA policy H-135.902 states that “...some environmental exposures may have the potential to substantially limit major life activities of an individual with fragrance sensitivity,...” and it “...encourages health care facilities, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations to adopt and promote fragrance-free policies.” This bill aligns with established medical guidance and represents a necessary step toward safer, more accessible public spaces. As a co-founder of the Fragrance Free Coalition, I appreciate that your state is taking the lead in this much-needed shift.

I heartily support your passage of this bill!! Thank you!

This is a fantastic, supportive, thoughtful bill. New Hampshire is leading the way towards a healthier future. Thank you for your consideration. There are many of us affected to different degrees in regard to chemical sensitivity. Our lives, our health will be improved.

Wherever I go in public, there is a high chance of encountering fragrances and scents, and without warning, I can breathe in a scent and be thunderstruck with a migraine. All-over muscle spasms often ensue, and then there will be terrible insomnia. My life is terribly disrupted by this sequence of events, all because of a scent in a bathroom or waiting room. I end up staying home most of the time. Please support this bill to rid public spaces of this danger. Even people who don't know they have a sensitivity to scents can have reactions they attribute to something else. There is no point to exposing people, especially children, to noxious chemicals.

In 2025 the AMA recognized fragrance sensitivities as a disability in regulation H-135.902. This regulation "encourages health care facilities,(and) government agencies...to adopt and promote fragrance-free policies that recommend individuals avoid or limit use of fragrances and support the use of fragrance free products". My organization has a membership that ranges from Canada to California. Please pass this bill so all of us can breathe freely without adverse effects .

As a physician, I strongly support limitations on fragrance use due to toxicity and health problems including exacerbation of asthma, headaches, and other medical problems.

As someone who suffers from allergies and headaches triggered by fragrances, I support this bill. Places with fragrance are generally off limits due to these health issues, yet, certain spaces are both necessary to access and as a citizen I also have a right to access state buildings for business. Fragrance creates a barrier to these necessary places. Prohibiting the use of these products in state buildings would make access to these places easier without causing ill health effects.

I am very sick from fragrance and chemicals. I am basically a shut in. Highly reactive.

Synthetic fragrance chemicals, especially those used in cleaning products and "air fresheners", can trigger disabling migraines for some people. The use of synthetically fragranced cleaning products in government buildings creates an accessibility barrier for environmentally disabled people. All people, regardless of disability, should have equal access to government buildings. I have heard the argument that there is no benefit to removing fragrances from cleaning products because people will still be entering the building wearing perfume. That kind of all or nothing thinking does not apply to chemical toxins the same way it would apply to other accessibility barriers. If you build only 90% of a wheelchair ramp it is useless. If you remove 90% of indoor air pollution it allows people to enter the building who didn't previously have access.

Most fragrances are made with phthalates, which are potentially carcinogenic chemicals. Additionally, a significant percentage of people who visit or work in public buildings are chemically sensitive and are negatively affected by exposure to products for which unscented alternatives are now widely available. Thank you for your consideration.

I have been affected by scented products since a chemical exposure at G.E. in Lynn, Ma, in 1992. They affect my breathing and also cause brain fog, headache, tinnitus, muscle pain, and eye distortions.

Fragrance products are a significant disability access problem for many, many people. State buildings exist to serve all of the people, and all people should have clean air to breathe. Clean has no smell! If there are bad smells, double down on cleaning and ventilation, not adding toxins to the air. To be ADA compliant, public spaces should be free of fragrance products. My life has been made very small and limited by indiscriminate overuse of fragrance products by the general public. However, my access to state buildings, schools and health care setting should not be allowed to be curtailed by the use of fragrance products. I support HB1544 and thank the members who have introduced it for consideration.

Fragrances are most often a conglomerate of various chemicals that may trigger asthma, headaches, heart palpitations and/or mucosal irritation among other symptoms.. For the good of the general public, please enact a "Fragrance-free" policy in public buildings.

This should be common courtesy when anyone could have migraines (a disabling condition) or allergies that cause serious illness or death.

This is a chance for New Hampshire to lead the way for New England and the country in guaranteeing accessibility to public spaces for all citizens, regardless of their disability or health status.

I unconditionally support HB1544. I have lived in or near, and worked in, New Hampshire since 1982. I have an unfortunately very lower tolerance for nearly all artificial fragrances, including perfumes and essential oils. The fragrances used today in laundry detergents, soaps, cleaners, hand sanitizers, and personal fragrances, among others, are designed to persist strongly and indefinitely; and these materials are literally nauseating to me, can cause respiratory distress, and sometimes both at once. I am not alone, and I am not even the most sensitive person I know. Some of my acquaintances and family become asthmatic, severely fatigued, and/or nauseated with even brief, casual exposure to perfumes and artificial fragrances, such as often and unavoidably occurs in stores, elevators, doctors offices, or other public buildings. And unfortunately, many persons are affected by fragrances but do not associate their ill symptoms with the exposure to them. For the sake of all who are sickened by artificial fragrances, and who would be aided immeasurably by the removal of the same from public buildings, I sincerely urge and faithfully hope for the passage of HB1544.

I have experienced significant health issues regarding chemicals and I am deeply concerned about chemical use in state buildings and any public building for that matter. I feel for anyone who goes through this! Chemicals can cause respiratory issues, neurological issues, hormonal imbalances and many more long term health problems for myself and many others. Since having issues with chemicals, I can see what a danger they are to people's health, even if they don't have the same issues as myself. Limiting chemicals in state buildings can protect the employees, visitors and the general public

I am the United States representative on the International MCS (Multiple Chemical Sensitivity) Consortium and also a principle of the Chemical Sensitivity Disorders Association, the Bill before you is a matter of a disabilities accommodation. Additionally, please be aware that the American Medical Association has recently issued policy guidance that medical facilities should be fragrance free.

People assume a basic level of health protection when entering a public facility. There is a reasonable expectation that building managers and owners are actively safeguarding both patrons and employees from avoidable environmental hazards. This expectation is supported by public health guidance from the CDC and EPA regarding indoor environmental quality. Indoor air pollution is not benign. The EPA has repeatedly identified indoor air contaminants as a major public health risk, especially in enclosed workplaces where employees are exposed for extended periods, day after day. These exposures disproportionately affect workers who have no ability to avoid them. An epidemiological study from the University of Washington has estimated that over 40 million Americans experience adverse health effects from airborne chemical exposures commonly considered “safe,” despite limited long-term testing. These exposures have been associated with damage to the respiratory system, liver, kidneys, neurological function, reproductive health, and immune response. As the co-founder of the Fragrance Free Coalition I trust this bill has the potential to set a precedent that all states can follow to do better in protecting the health and wellness of not just patrons but their own employees. It sets the standard for starting an Indoor Air Quality movement that finally takes into consideration the adverse effects of using consumer products with little to no regulation. I strongly urge all members to take this occupational health matter seriously and to vote to pass such extremely important legislation.

As a healthcare provider, a person with asthma, and spouse and daughter with sensitivities to fragrances, it is important that our public spaces be accessible to all. Airborne irritants can prevent people from accessing spaces and services. While many enjoy fragrances, they are also a health hazard to many.