The chemicals in these fragrances are toxic to everyone. People with asthma, chemical sensitivity or breathing problems (for example 9-11 first responders) can not tolerate it. This link explains why this is toxic. Scent is the new second hand smoke.
https://www.drsteinemann.com/home2.html
113
Please, no. Is it not enough that we have to have television screens of some kind everywhere? Now we have to have scents? My partner is incredibly sensitive to smells. We can't walk through those perfume counters at the department stores or he has an instant headache. I often experience anxiety when there is too much stimuli in a situation (several different music streams or several channels of entertainment at the same time). The way the world is going, I guess we should just stay locked in our homes!
91
typical NY promotional mindset, like the MOMA, if its in NYC it simply must "be". for something as basic as a human sense factor, trying to please and satisfy each and everyone's unique experience is bound to provide opportunity for discovering that the 'public' like things as they are, not as someone thinks they should be. aside from noxious body odors, decaying foodstufffs and other 'naturally' occuring whiffs, putting another 'predictable odor' into the environment just adds to the needless mix we all must endure. the silent assault being done as science determines better ways to exploit your behaviors, gets more invasive every time someone finds a way to use it on as many people as possible. the committe that sorted out the use of smells for their pride and joy building must rarely be subjected to forced olfactory intrusions, other than the cologne and body foo foo they emit on a personal basis. i missed getting to the twinns before the incident, maybe i can get a full NY style experience in this new high rise...
17
It's bad enough that so many individuals feel the need to cover themselves in a cloud of chemically scented colognes and body washes to share with anyone within a hundred feet of their proximity, but this idea of adding chemicals to the air people breathe is preposterous and quite possibly dangerous. There should be laws preventing the distribution of chemicals into the air of buildings. We stopped visiting Las Vegas years ago because all the resort/casinos have their own signature fragrances, such as the coconut suntan lotion scent at the Flamingo and a "manly" leather and cigar scent at Caesars. I'm not suggesting that the chemical air is the cause of it but I now suffer from multiple chemical sensitivity and couldn't enter these buildings if I wanted to. This should be covered under the ADA so that ALL people can visit these locations.
74
In addition to the serious issue of allergies & sensitivities, I wonder why a visitor to an observatory needs sensory input from all five senses. It's an OBSERVATORY; visitors are there to see. You want visitors to be encouraged to focus on, not be distracted from, what they are seeing.
71
And the mogul who manufactures and peddles this stuff? Relaxing at his multi-million dollar property on Nantucket, breathing the fresh sea breezes...
88
Another reason why I will never go.
The entire area makes me anxious and sick to my stomach. After 18yrs of staying away, I had to attend a meeting in the area. Came out of the subway to a sparkly, new NYCLand. Fun, shopping, vendors selling 9/11 Memorabilia. And the endless idiots tacking selfies!
And now toppinging it all off (literally) a "Spa Like" atmosphere?
No thanks!
49
Maybe a suit re the Americans with Disabilities Act?
4% with allergies to scent + asthmatics, etc.
That's a lot of people.
Someone here in comments asked - how did the suppliers get the contract? (Smell a rat?)
And apparently no one considered the health effects...
67
Why must we have scent in public places? Many people have allergies. The ubiquitous TVs ot mudiv in public areas are bad enough.
43
I'm allergic to some scents. If I'm on a bus and someone is wearing one, it sets me off. So I can't imagine why any business would gratuitously "diffuse" chemicals that will bother some people at best, and harm them at worst.
62
As other note in these comments, artificial frangrances can and do make people sick. I hope the WTC authorities reconsider pumping a fragrance into public spaces. HEPA filtration is far more appropriate.
64
To find yourself suddenly inhaling gulps of someone else's idea of a good smell that causes eye irritation, coughing, a headache that lasts the rest of the day, and nausea is frightening. Already, when someone in the vicinity uses chemically scented products, if we are somewhere we can't leave, such as an airplane, elevator, or even the workplace, some of us need to wear N95 masks to avoid the aforementioned health consequences. As you can imagine, that's unpleasant. When you feel your ability to inhale oxygen is threatened, your deepest sense of survival urgency is triggered and all you can think of doing is fleeing to somewhere you can breathe safely. It's a shame that One World Trade has set itself off limits to many who suffer difficulties from artificial scents. It's not healthy for anyone, but for some, there are immediate negative consequences.
62
Many people, including myself, have fragrance allergies. Smells produce typical allergic reactions such as stuffed up head, sneezing, watery itchy eyes, throat swelling, and worse. The proliferation of more and stronger scents has resulted in increasing numbers of people with this condition.
60
Businesses seriously need to stop assaulting people with fragrance. It's highly toxic, made from petroleum, and negatively affects over 30% of the population. It only takes one toxic exposure to damage someone's immune system and give them Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. The best smell is no smell.
75
The new Brightline Railroad from West Palm Beach to Miami pipes in “Brightline Scent” in their stations. Ughhh!
24
I took one look at the picture of the viewing floor & instantly went back to the day I visited the Twin Towers, and I have always said, since that terrible day they came down, that I could never trust going up to the top of the new one ! Now we have YouTube where just about anything you want to see has already been filmed - thank you guys !
7
Thanks for the warning. Now I know never to go to this place. This story should have noted that these synthetic fragrances are toxic, and they are highly irritating to many people. This trend cannot end too soon, if you ask me.
90
If this is what is done to our air, imagine what they do to our food.
29
I’d like to take this opportunity to point out that there are people among us who douse themselves in patchouli oil and somehow think it’s appropriate to board subways or wade into crowded public spaces. Patchouli is a vile and offensive odor to most people and because we live in a crowded city, we really shouldn’t feel we have the right to inflict scents on our fellow New Yorkers.
37
Isn't it bad enough we are blasted with Muzak and classic rock and bad pop music pumped into public spaces? Now we have to endure nauseating scents too. Far from relaxing me, or making me a more pliant consumer, these assaults will drive me off the premises. I prefer to chose my own cologne which is none.
57
I don't think it's really a good idea. What if the viewer doesn't like the smell? Or if the viewer's head hurts because of the strong smell? People will think of the experience as the worst. I think removing the scent is the best way to get rid of the likes and dislikes.
39
Thanks for the warning. I will avoid the mentioned buildings when touring due to severe sensitivity to artificial fragrances. Artificial fragrances (parfum) are a health risk for many people. Time to do an article on the self regulated fragrance industry, NYT. Folks, the chemical fragrance soups in your homes and on your clothes may be a health hazard for you and your children.
48
Pumping chemicals into the air system of an enclosed environment to amuse some billionaire executive... unbelievable.
66
Totally unnecessary. This public scent obsession is becoming an addiction! Stop already. These companies that manufacture these chemical scents have some people brainwashed into thinking they need to be smelling something 24/7.
These scents are unhealthy for all people but very bad for people with allergies, asthma or chemical sensitivities. Why should visitors be forces to breath in these chemicals to visit a memorial?
There are many articles on the internet on the toxic chemicals in man made fragrance.
Please email Keith Douglas at One World Trade Center and tell the to stop!
65
Another unasked for invasion of our personal space. "Music" - noise to me - is nearly ubiquitous in many public places,
27
@Andrew Peck
Not only that but the decibel level is so high -- Starbucks on 7th - 53rd ish -- one had to shout to be heard. Ditto Microsoft store on 5th Ave. -- like being on a school playground at recess-- and people simply shout in all spaces. No wonder we are all stressed... and a nice smell which may or may not continue to be perceived does not soothe the nerves.
20
Artificial fragrance pumped into the air. YUK!
34
My experience is half the time, the reason for fragrance is to cover up another smell. Is One World Trade Center venting formaldehyde?
23
People need to start DEMANDING scent and fragrance free environments. This ' scent' us artificial, made up of 1000's of chemicals. By visiting, you are allowing them to poison you.Artificial scents are everywhere and making people very sick. Give it about 20 years and see what happens to the medical system because of all these scents.
51
Why does the top of One World Trade have to smell like anything? What's wrong with just letting it be a building and acquiring its own smell? Are our imaginations so impoverished that we now have to have someone do olfactory design for us all?
If an individual person wants to smell like something, by all means let that person choose Chanel No. 5. Or Joy. Or whatever. But why should the tastes of some professional perfumer be imposed on us all, willy-nilly?
33
IFF came up with the wonder chemical diacetyl - it is that buttery essence that wafts out of the popcorn bag. But the fake butter taste and smell isn’t all it does. The chemical has been strongly and consistently linked to the life-threatening lung disease bronchiolitis obliterans. Some popcorn manufacturers have stopped using diacetyl but it is commonly used in the fruity flavored vape liquids favored by young people. The regulation of diacetyl has been successfully stonewalled by manufacturing industry groups and - you guessed it - Republicans for decades. Deep breath, everyone.
42
That last sentence was hugely insensitive if you ask me. They couldn't have said something less gruesome -- talking about "blood and guts"? Of all the quotes they culled for this article -- they had to leave it with something which conjures up the deaths of all those innocent people? Yes, I know everyone knows the horrific events which happened on that same spot - but, show a bit of reverence for those who died -- and their family and friends who might be reading this article.
20
They should try this on airplanes, to calm the raging masses, as they are crammed into smaller and smaller spaces. The smell of fresh baked goods would work for me...
5
that would be nice. but they should also offer planes for smokers or develop new air systems for smokers to keep those nervous stressed people chill. we are still using old tech from decades ago. we advanced in tech so much yet no changes in flight lol
1
@Fred Rodgers..no . These scents are made from 1000s of chemicals that North America does not make companies reveal what poisons are being used ( Europe does). The plane may smell better temporarily to you but many wouldn't be able to board- as artificial/ chemically induced scents make them extremely Ill. Those not currently affected by scents will be...but by then will it be too late?
22
@Fred Rodgers-Eventually they would have to produce some fresh baked goods...and you know how that's going to go.
4
Artificial scents are composed of chemical compounds that act as endocrine disruptors, interfering with development and reproduction, potentially causing serious neurological and immune-system effects. The science on this has been documented. The trend should toward diffusing vast public spaces with scent should be more closely examined and perhaps regulated.
72
@Maggie I agree. This public scent obsession is becoming an addiction. Why should the public be forced to breath in chemicals to be in a public space?
18
@Maggie
So absolutely correct!
The same effect can be had, more subtly and safely, though the use of natural fragrances.
Aeroscena is making medicines from the naturals, while the big chemical companies work to keep their ingredients undisclosed.
Humans love scent...it connects them to the natural planet.
4
I haven't got any letters before my name or after my name, unlike the good Dr. here has, but don't feel bad about it. I know i don't.
“They turned to IFF, the company that developed “Fierce,” a cologne for Abercrombie & Fitch”
If the same company is doing this that did A&F scent branding, this will be a huge problem.
Scent has become a new way of branding these days. If it’s done right (aka it’s very subtle), it can actually enhance the experience however there is nothing subtle about A&F. I refuse to even go to the entire section of the mall they are in because of the stench their stores give out. And I avoid small malls with their stores like the plague.
Yes, I’m not their target market so they probably don’t care about me, however if I were a store sharing a mall space, I’d be very worried.
Just as I’d be worried if I’m a business near or on the premises of this One World scent.
20
When I was in college I worked at an ice cream store. The owner had us bake fresh waffle cones throughout the day, even if they were not needed, just to waft the delicious scent throughout the store to bring in customers off the street. It worked!
14
@Ann Smith. Not for me! I remember running from those sugary smells.
5
This New Yorker is crossing a visit off her To Do list. No scents!
48
PineSol , that's all .
12
Reminds me of the Bugs Bunny cartoon of the future where it is announced that smell-o-vision relaxes television.
10
Wish they had considered what I still remember to this day of the aroma of clean well oxygenated air of the rain forest after a new rain.
That was incredibly enough infused at the Coca Cola exhibit at the 1964 worlds fair.
20
My favorite scent in public spaces? Mild chlorine -- from scrubbed, washed and sanitary floors and surfaces. A perfume pumped to the air vents seems more like something to mask something less than clean.
33
I just so happened to visit the observatory today. I noticed the smell immediately because it was not present during my previous visit in 2018.
It is VERY strong in the elevator waiting areas going both up and down. I didn’t notice it anywhere else. It didn’t seem to be in the actual observation area at all.
This is going to be weirdly specific, but it smells just like the Avatar ride at Disney World. It’s nice, but it doesn’t really say NYC.
8
Thanks for the tip, now I will be sure not to visit. Fragrance triggers my asthma. The decision makers on this one made a mistake.
88
This is such an awful horrible trend. I am sensitive to chemical scents. They make my the lining of my nose and eyes burn and nasal passages fill up. Even upscale Hotel Lobbies all smell like a french whorehouses. I avoid hotels where the wndows don't open so I can dilute the "fresheners." Please save the money spent on these tacky smells and run some purifiers instead.
124
One World should worry more about the fact that the majority of the items for sale in their Observatory gift shop say "Made in China". That's does such dishonor to everything and everyone the Freedom Tower is supposed to be honoring. I was appalled.
45
@Van
Same at Cape Canaveral’s visitor centers. Certainly is un-American.
9
I have numerous allergies, as do many people. Perfume diffusion is serious problem for me, not a delight. Let's stop this movement in its tracks.
110
@Hedwig Swanson I agree, the public scent obsession is becoming an addiction.
11
Upon reading this I immediately recalled a visit to the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas. The air was scented with a slight fragrance that I imagined to be from a rare jungle orchid. It was wonderful, and when I got home it was almost the only thing I could remember about the trip, so I tried to find out what they'd used, but to no avail.
It was subtle and glorious. I'd recommend the observatory try to find out what it was.
7
We seem to have an obsession with manipulating how things smell. For those of us who are sensitive to synthetic fragrances or just find them distracting and unpleasant. the omnipresence of added fragrance is extremely unpleasant and often causes unpleasant physical symptoms like headaches or nausea. I opt for clean spaces that smell like whatever they are comprised of. If it's something inherently unpleasant smelling, adding yet another fragrance does nothing to help. I am assuming that the observatory in not inherently stinky.
60
A question to all you sensitive people, how did you get there without breathing the car and bus fumes in the NYC air? Do you all walk around in a hamster ball with piped in air?
20
@Paulie A little different than manufactured scents pumped in intentionally.
42
Perfume is a huge cause of migraines for many of us. It’s debilitating.
65
Why pile it on even more? I react to perfume and don’t want a hamster wheel (thanks for that helpful, but impractical, suggestion). It sounds like you exist in a bubble and can’t imagine the challenges created by such an ill conceived policy.
15
Why in the "One world" does the building need to be perfumed at all? We live in a world where our laundry soap, dish soap, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, soap, body wash, fabric softener, cleanser, floor cleaner - is perfumed and in sometimes highly so! They now have additives for your laundry that to do nothing other than add "scent" - read: even MORE fragrance.
Why?!? As some mentioned there are many people sensitive to scents and fragrances - and there are many who just prefer not to smell all of the manufactured scents our world thinks they need to exist in it.
Mr. Douglas says: 'He wanted something that would “enhance the interior space as it is now” and evoke “a really positive thought about One World,”' Doesn't the experience of being in this building and the ground it stand upon and looking out over the magnificence of NYC do that?
And goes on to say, 'He said he was not looking to dispel thoughts of the Sept. 11 attacks, which destroyed the twin towers on the site where One World Trade Center opened..."
Then why the desire to float this fragrance in the air other than to try to transport us and make us forget the ground upon which it stands and what was there before? Do you not get that so many here have said they will NOT visit?
Turn it off. Please. Let us breath our air our way.
76
This is the site of a human tragedy - do we really need a spa?
42
I was 11 years old on September 11th, 2001, and living just over the river from the World Trade Center. It's amazing how reading "That Smell at the Top of One World Trade?" 18 years later immediately made me remember how the whole city smelled after the buildings came down. The smell stuck around for months afterwards. I remember it lingering even longer on certain subway routes.
I know that wasn't the point of this article, but I guess it points to the power of smell, at any rate.
62
I can hardly imagine anything more awful! Chemical smells -- you may call them perfumes, colognes, aromatics -- induce migraines and other sicknesses in nearly 25% of the adult population. (See March 2018 Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine article by Anne Steinemann.) Why deliberately keep a population group away, or, send them home sick from the experience? Did someone actually pretest this idea and think it was worthwhile? Hard to believe capitalists wanting to make money from the attraction would approve.
95
@MarieH -This is very helpful info. for which I thank you. I can no longer even go into the laundry detergent aisle at my local chain food stores and have to ask friends to buy the unscented ones for me. Almost keeled over from nausea in one such location. Mentioned it to the Store Mgr who looked at me as if I were from an alien planet, and not a regular customer. Gain, Bounce, Febreze et al are going to wake up one morning to the unhappy surprise of a major class action lawsuit. I hope.
37
@Out of Stater
The ambient "scent" wafting down the streets in my neighborhood is a melange of fabric softener and laundry detergent. Noxious, nauseating and harmful. The green dyed perfumed dish soap used in many home kitchens clings to utensils and ends up being consumed with each meal. Human beings were not evolved for 24/7 exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals.
23
No need to go.
Prefer no added pollutants where ever one frequents.
Next time add some proven carcinogen Round-UP, lobbied by Monsanto Corporation and big bribes accepted by your US Government.
Talk about being taken for a ride!
32
A decision beyond tacky, lacking in taste, obnoxious. fake, sad....
Some clueless decision-maker got pay and grotesque kudos from his/her toadies for implementing the fake smell - for a USA that gets faker, every day.
Any faux-smell is tacky, and exposing people to more chemicals is mindless and irresponsible - as well as an added expense that is ultimately paid for by the ticket-purchaser.
Someone else's comment showed this (in quotes, below). I copied-and-pasted, in case you missed it because if the Corporate Clown in Chief, at the WTC, insists on phoniness, the following would be more to the point:
"A toxic cloud of chemical mood manipulation, of enforced cheerfulness, where the appropriate response would seem to be grief, remembrance- wow, that stinks."
Thanks, NYT, for the warning so that I will never again go to the WTC.
72
Why exactly does this observatory need a fragrance anyway? Isn't it already a boondoggle without it? Nonetheless, I have no intentions go there anyway, because I will still never accept it as nothing more than an illegitimate replacement for what we lost that day. I wonder how much it cost to place that said fragrance in there anyway, which might even be its own boondoggle. Just another reason to why we should have had the Twin Towers rebuilt instead rather than ending up with what we got.
16
What about people with asthma that is triggered by perfumes and fragrances? It is certainly not relaxing to people who have difficulty breathing because of the pumped in scents.
67
Scents are indeed very evocative and sometimes informative. I once knew a ranger in Maine who told me that he could always tell, when meeting a camper, that it was the person's first day in the woods if he smelled soap.
8
Please place a prominent notice at the ticket booth that visitors will be confined in a space with atmospheric contaminants. And please allow refunds to those who do not see the sign. As others have noted, perfumes are common triggers of migraines and asthma. This is just plain stupid. Even in department stores, the perfume staff ask your permission before assaulting you.
91
Unnecessary. Tacky. What about people with allergies? Who approved this! I hear there is going to be a class action lawsuit. Imagine the law firms soliciting clients on cable tv ads . Maybe it is a covert terrorist attack. I hear scores of visitors, and people who even thought about visiting, have become ill. How much does the smell cost???
38
Does everyone here feel the same way about piped music, for all the same reasons? (I do)
Maybe... are they possibly trying to cover the smell of something else up there?
26
Thank you for this article. I will not visit One World Trade because I get severe headaches from aromas like that. It's one of the reasons I rarely wear perfume and avoid certain stores in any mall I visit. I use fragrance free detergent and bleach. I use soap that has fragrance but not all the additives American soaps have. I am one who cannot tolerate the scent of marijuana at all because it makes me nauseous. It's why I do my laundry early at the laundromat: this way I don't have to inhale the artificial and overused fragrances of dryer sheets or detergent.
I will go and visit the Marshlands Conservancy in Rye and enjoy the tang of the Long Island Sound. At least that's a natural scent. So too is the scent of pine trees at the NYBG.
58
Following the link provided in the article to fragrance producer IFF turns up this information: IFF uses ". . . by-products from the paper-making process to make ingredients for fine fragrances and products for personal care, fabric care, and home care."
What specifically? CST: crude sulfate turpentine.
No thanks. I am also one who reacts to chemical smells. Everything I buy for the home—shampoo, hand-, laundry-, dish-soap, and so forth—is fragrance-free. I'm all for natural smells: a crushed mint leaf, a freshly-ground cardamom seed, as long as I'm the one doing the crushing and grinding. But to pump a chemical into the air derived from one of the most polluting industries in the US represents everything I am against.
78
Artificial scent can lead to respiratory problems, asthma attacks, and possibly lung cancer. Get rid of it....why does everything have to be perfumed?
84
They wouldn't tint the windows a particular color. Why tint the air?
Also, the idea of predetermining what someone should feel is deeply misguided.
If a place is truly important to people, they will have their own genuine response. Get the retail design concepts off of this halowed ground.
64
When going for a doctor's visit here in South Florida, the person calling to have your appointment confirmed with one of the Cleveland Clinic doctors ask that you do not wear any sort of fragrance as it may offend other patients. This is a smart thing to do.
64
@Tonjo Not just offend. Scents can trigger allergic reactions and migraine headaches. Isn't this insane? I will not be visiting there.
30
If this is what it takes to transfix those who wouldn't already be transfixed about where they are and why its significant of place in our nation's and the world's history has changed since 2011, then
please pity us all. Ironically, this creation of faux faux is what caused fanatical destruction of the original site to begin with.
Shame on all involved.
18
Subway, the sandwich franchise, does this as well, pumping a sickening oil and vinegar miasma unto the sidewalk in front of their shops. They all should all be padlocked as a public nuisance.
19
Not cool. Not going.
35
Some people are very sensitive to smells. Just a brief whiff of some perfumes instantly triggers a headache. I have had to get off elevators to avoid perfumes. I email hotels asking that no air freshener be sprayed in the room or in the ventilation systems. I once had to search for a hotel at midnight as the room I had booked was so heavy with scent it gave me a headache. Servers in upscale restaurants are asked by management not to wear perfume as the fragrance can interfere with taste. I hesitate to fly Emirates as some of the flight attendants are overly perfumed. Artificial scents are really just pollution. Air fresheners just disguise bad smells with another sometimes sickening perfume. How about pumping lots of clean filtered air into the building.
98
@an observer And also drivers of hired cars. I hardly ever encounter a driver who doesn’t have strong fragrance on or some sort of “air freshener” in the car. Really unpleasant.
23
Can't people just have simple experiences anymore? Must we be bombarded continuously?
61
I'm so sick of fake, overpowering scents. How about just fresh air?
86
Tacky
tacky
tacky
58
How about fresh wood chips or sawdust instead? On trays. Au naturel.
17
A toxic cloud of chemical mood manipulation, of enforced cheerfulness, where the appropriate response would seem to be grief, remembrance- wow, that stinks.
61
This article would be better if it included a sample of the scent. Someday, Internet, it'll happen someday.
8
@Richard
God forbid...
19
When I had an apartment in college, we used to spray an "air freshener" after smoking dope, until a visitor walked in and said "smells like a bunch of hippies in a pine forest in here." Ever since, I've found these atmospheric fragrances risable.
19
As with cologne, perfume, and other scents, if you're hitting people in the face with it, then you've put on too much.
25
This smelly assault should cease immediately. Certainly, the scent is intolerable to many sensitive population groups, and those in chemotherapy treatment for cancer are perhaps among the most sensitive of people experiencing this nauseating assault upon their visit to the observatory. Please consider the sensitive groups and be especially aware of the 9/11 victims and first responders who are now in such treatment for cancer.
59
We’ve sadly turned into Febreeze Nation. (Cough, cough, sneeze)
35
My eye site started going in my late 40's and now my hearings fading, but strangly enough as these senses fade my sense of smell has become more acute.
I seek out scent free everything and I'm bewildered (and assaulted) by all the artificlial smells in society, young men and their colognes &tc are the worst!
Why introduce an artifical smell into a public space when at best some people will find it annoying, some offensive and some even reactive? Why not just plain old fresh air?
54
@Prodigal Son Yes! What's with the young men and colognes? I recently bicycled on a path shared with walkers, and I noticed strong perfume smells every time I passed young men. What's with that?
18
@Janet
Older men too. My building has a gym used by Silver Sneakers participants and you can follow their cologne down the hall.
10
You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone. Spouse and I lost most of our senses of smell after a particularly vicious head cold. We now fear we won't be able to smell a variety of dangerous things. Be grateful you can still smell things at all.
7
@Nature rocks
In case its of use to you, my sister had no sense of smell (or taste) for over 30 years She started doing Buteyko (a breathing exercise) and now she can smell and taste everything.
6
@Nature rocks Amen. I'm so sorry you lost it through a viral cold, I understand that it often never comes back in that situation. I lost my sense of smell to chronic sinusitis and nasal polyps. You lose the flavor of food, access to memories, have a sense of social isolation, and yes, you are suddenly vulnerable to all kinds of dangers - fire, gas, toxic chemicals, things rotting, etc. My sense of smell was restored through surgery and continued use of steroid rinses but as a lifelong chronic condition, I'm always at risk of losing it again. Anytime I smell anything - pleasant or offensive, manufactured or real - I feel an immense sense of gratitude. I too wish folks commenting here would chill out and be grateful that you can even smell.
4
@Liz
Bizarre to suggest that people affected negatively by chemical compounds ‘chill out’. I felt empathy when reading about your situation even though you so easily brushed off the suffering caused by this. How about we care for each other?
14
Should have been 'bacon scent', everyone loves bacon.
6
Not everyone. The smell of cooking meat in the AM nauseates me...
9
WSJ ran a piece last week, “Everyone Hates Customer Service. This Is Why.”
The piece left out being dragooned, on hold, into enduring god-awful music, or rapid-beyond-intelligibility PSAs.
Now, we have That Smell the Top of One World Trade.
What next, Customer “Service”?
17
@Frank G: Nah, more likely "customer care." Ugh!
3
"When you smell something that everyone acknowledges is a really calming smell, everyone will feel better.”
But that's the point: not "everyone" will acknoweldge that any given smell is "really calming" -- or indeed really anything. People aren't going to agree on this. So why shove these scents at us? Ugh.
39
how about piping in the smell of the outside, a mixture and faint distillate of New York smells.
6
Faugh! What's with these pumped-in scents? It used to be that one's elderly aunt came home from a shopping trip to Bloomingdales smelling like ten perfumes. Now one goes to Bed, Bath, and Beyond and coughs all the way. Awful stenches. Why?
29
How is it that the Times did not report on the ingredients in this stuff? Most of it is super bad for you, and the building is pumping it into the air with no one's consent.
46
I'm so sick of this. Stop exposing us to more chemicals. You can't even buy garbage bags without fragrance.
68
@Marie. You’re not kidding. I have to study the shelves for unscented bags and there is barely one brand that carries them. A lavender scented trash bag makes me gag.
25
Now, this situation simply stinks to high heaven.
25
Weird ... and why? Many folks are hyper-sensitive to smell (similar to strobe lights) and it can trigger negative reactions, including migraine etc. There are enough stray odors wafting around a crowded space as it is. Why bother introducing yet another?
48
People experience the world in different ways. Some are super-tasters; most are not. Some have absolute pitch; most don't. When I was young I could hear dog whistles. I can't any longer, but I still hear high pitches that many other people do not detect.
The same is true of odors. Smells which may be pleasant to most people may turn out unpleasant to others.
43
I frequently exit elevators before reaching my intended destination to escape the horrible smells that people pay to wear. Guess this means I cannot get off this elevator on the observation floor because someone is paying for some smell that someone thought would create a better experience, without realizing that the smell can exclude other human beings. The appreciation of a smell, especially chemical smells, is subjective.
44
@David
Man-made chemical odors, like artificial flavors in food,
are ALWAYS medically contraindicated for *any human system.
"Offenders" presently get away with exposing the public bcuz exposure does not *immediately kill in most cases.
What DOES kill hundreds of thousands of people each year is the *accumulated body build up ALL the chemical pollution to which *all humans are exposed every day now to include even both the North and South Poles.
This build up is what you will note other contributors in this Queue referring to as "Toxic Load".
17
Wood and citrus sound pleasant enough. Just think, once humanity has cut down every last tree on earth for fuel and building materials- but mostly for money- we can just pump the scent of trees in the great outdoors. Problem solved!
16
I had an evening free after a one-day meeting in NY yesterday, so I went down to the memorial and up to the observatory. I wondered if maybe I'd accidentally gone up there with some kind of scent-coordinated tour group... It never occurred to me that the building was the culprit.
35
I have smelled similar type odors when on an airplane I believe. I think it is wrong to impose this on people without their knowledge. Who knows what's in this stuff and some people could be allergic or have some adverse reaction.
55
And all of these places using man-made chemical "smells" are immediately barring entry to the wildly *rising number of people suffering from disorders like Multiple Chemical Sensitivities.
Man made "scents" are almost exclusively petro-chemically based, and "perfumes" use long-chain chemical "carriers" that chemically mimic the chemical carrier produced by nature for skunk spray. This is to make the perfume "long lasting".
So, like chemical "flavorings", chemical "laundry fresh" odors,
chemically scented fabric softeners, et. al., ad nauseum, these chemical "scents" are *additional indoor chemical *air pollution with *proven adverse affects on humans and *other living beings.
This is *nothing to "celebrate", and some corporate board with zero medical knowledge is determining WHAT kinds of poisons
will be added to your bloodstream (via lungs and sinuses) while
you are in these private, and often even public, spaces.
65
My asthma is triggered by perfumes. I avoid airports like Heathrow because the duty-free shops overpower travelers with their odors, and you can't get to the gates without walking through them. If a British professor wants to worry about smells, he should start at home.
43
The scent that is universal, no matter where, and unique to, is a Walgreens store. Yes, there are lots of fragrances and cosmetics, but so do other pharmacies and (when you find one which hasn't closed) department stores like Macy's, old Daytons and JB Hudson. In those stores, you smell the fragrances, but in Walgreens, no matter where in the USA you walk into, it is absolutely unique. I'm not sure if it is planned or just happens, but for a few decades at least, the same smell is to be experienced in all of them.
The other place that has piped in smells is Disneyland. The most notable was the jungle/swamp smell in the Energy Pavilion and walking through the lobby of the big hotel fashioned after the ones the railroads built in the Rocky Mountains, sort of a pine or wood smoke.
Remarkably, neither of these created smells seemed to have affected any of the occupants, so I wonder if they use less material, and maybe a little more 'natural' make to their concoctions?
7
@reid I've noticed it, too. I think it is the combination of all the products they sell--and possibly poor ventilation. Over the last 10 years or so the number of scents in products has increased. It not only increases the types of "air fresheners" and candles, but the variety of detergents, dryer sheets, and dish soap, all of which are sold in Walgreens.
Because I am one of those people that reacts to these chemicals, I read everything I can. One area that people seem uncertain about is the omnipresent smell on clothing and grocery store goods. Are products treated with something before they they leave the manufacturer? Are backrooms of stores being treated with insecticide or anti-microbial sprays?
As for the effects on humans, if you can find the material safety data sheets on any scented product you will notice they have one or more of 4 main issues:
respiratory
skin
hormonal (endocrine)
carcinogenic
Just because someone fails to react to the chemicals now does not mean they are not building up in their system or doing damage. Much like smokers who can go many years before before finding out they have cancer.
21
@sbknaack I used to shop at TJ Maxx until I realized they were spraying scent on all the clothes. I thought the smell was from the scented deodorants of people who had tried on the clothes previously, and I always had to wash everything, sometimes multiple times, to get the smell out. I kept thinking, "why do all these women have to wear scented deodorant when they try on clothes? Don't they know it stinks?" Now I just order stuff from Amazon - - nobody bothers to stink up the clothes there. Yet.
18
@reid, You're right about Walgreens having a scent, though I don't think it's pumped in.
Disney's scents are definitely pumped in, but much of it is outdoors, and frankly, with all of the other over-stimulating aspects of Disneyland (the noise, crowds, heat and sun) people who are susceptible to migraines might just avoid it altogether.
4
It sounds nice, but people with asthma have serious problems with artificial scents. It seems that this is not taken into consideration. Hopefully it will be soon.
53
I hope they have EpiPens at the ready. This is a hard case of anaphylaxis waiting to happen. And, yes, some of us really do have serious physical responses to odors.
65
We all share the air we breathe. As someone with multiple chemical sensitivity, synthetic fragrances affect me greatly and I would avoid any hotel or public space that uses them. People who wear fragrances, become less sensitive to smelling them and then use even more fragrance and I can smell those fragrances on the street for a long time after the person has walked away. We are constantly bombarded, particularly with commercial laundry detergents, scented deodorants and all kinds of toiletry products. We are unwittingly being branded by these personal products. Marketing preys on people's insecurities and we lose our connection to each other through natural pheromones. I applaud that lots of millennials avoid these products.
It's really important to build awareness around this, because more and more people are becoming sensitized. We are losing our connection to nature, and that is a great loss for us all.
73
The sound of horns and the smell of diesel from buses is part of the fabric of NYC for me. I've actually come to love that diesel smell, the associations are so strong. I don't think any associations are endearingly strong enough to embrace the smell as you descend into the subway.
6
@Skidaway
Diesel Exhaust. Interesting. I hear that arsenic has a bit of an almond taste/smell. Sounds lovely.
7
@Skidaway. My thought too. NYC’s classic aroma is roasting pretzels, chestnuts with a hint of diesel exhaust.
4
Yet another thing to make One World Observatory feel contrived and fake. It's like they're trying to make it about everything but the views.
I'm taking my daughter for her first visit to the city tomorrow. We're going to the Empire State Building. I'll take going outside to being a bit higher (relatively speaking) any day.
25
@Jimalo also check out the Top of the Rock! More gorgeous views and no fake scents
6
As an asthma sufferer, I can't imagine anything worse. There are millions of us. Why do US Corps spend tax dollars to pump carcinogens into the air?
And thanks, people, for mentioning the constant barrage of background music (played on horrible loudspeakers) in stores. At high volume. I sometimes think it's because a lot of younger people have destroyed their hearing with I phones.
96
Scent branding, it should also be mentioned, can cause the onset of asthma. It is a public health threat, as well as an invasion on the senses.
81
No one in these comments has anything positive to say about mandatory fragrances and scents in public places, and I feel the same. Management might want to rethink this.
97
@Stanley Gomez - Perhaps the four of us in this thread should start a campaign against these artificial noxious odors; I would start with the corps Gain, Bounce and Febreze. They make sickening (literally) products.
26
@Out of Stater Sickening not only humans, but pets who are exposed to these products. My Vet frequently sees pet patients suffering from allergic reactions to Fabreeze and the scented candles and air fresheners used in their homes. Reactions not only to the fragrances but also to the fragrance ingredients in the products when in contact with fur or skin. The Fabreeze commercial showing home owners spraying all of the places where their poor dog sleeps are very disturbing.
14
@Jen Febreze, in all its forms, is toxic to parrots.
9
I am disappointed that the NYT did not mention potential problems for people with asthma, allergies and migraines in the article and how they are either going to be excluded from this very important site or may cause health issues if they visit. Besides those with obvious symptoms these toxic chemicals may cause potential health problems in many who feel fine at the moment and may even enjoy the scent. I am heartened by those who mentioned it in the comments but it really belongs in the article itself. This is what real journalism should look like, not just regurgitation of press releases, etc.
79
All the casinos in Las Vegas have a weird perfume smell, that is quite annoying. Maybe they are trying to mask the smell of cigarettes?
12
I recall being in The Cosmopolitan in Vegas among other casinos who used such methods to mask cigarette odor. It resembled bathroom air freshener and induces nausea and headaches. The result is a facility that smells like a smoky bathroom. Good job. Who with half a brain thinks this is a good idea or remotely appealing?
52
@Max Better than the old high volume ozone generators which instead of smelling like fresh rain after a storm, were more like a burned out, arcing, electric motor.
And, it is very reactive with respiratory tissues, and has triggered more than one visit to the Emergency Department.
6
Standing up there looking out through the windshield at the top of the world, wouldn’t little pine tree air fresheners hanging from rear view mirrors stuck to the glass say and scent it all the best?
9
@John Doe
NO. Hoping that wasn't a serious question.
1
The "observatory" should have that dank subway stink. Visitors should feel an overwhelming need to shower the minute they return to street level.
9
@MKR Add a touch of "raw sewage" to really top off the experience.
2
A couple years ago, a new hotel opened in Chicago, whose restaurant was highly reviewed. So I went, and was assaulted by the aroma. I asked the concierge on my way out, who explained that it was the "hotel scent". The food and service were very good, but I could not properly appreciate my meal or the good craft beer I had with it, due to the stench in the air. I have never been back to that hotel or restaurant. I will not go to One World Trade either - thanks for the warning.
I truly hope this is an idea whose time is over.
61
@Voter PLease name the hotel so I can avoid it!!
13
New York is not a single one of anything--least of all odors.
I guess I applaud the attempt at olfactory homogeneity. However NY is not Disneyworld and one of the things that distinguishes us is the diversity, variety and unevenness of the NY experience. It's what makes us a melting pot and a place where most people can discover something they have never experienced before. We should not try to gloss that over.
As someone who held his breath for years driving by the Fountain Ave landfill and knows well the sauerkraut and sewage smell of Penn Station, I think our visitors deserve a bit of authenticity at a site which is really hallowed ground.
Instead of 'Middle C', how about the smell of a chestnut cart in December, the smell of air conditioned air pouring out of an open store into Times Square in July or the interior of Matt Umanov's guitar store, Venezia's Bakery or any other now-gone landmarks that can remind us viscerally of what we have--and what we have lost.
8
@LKF
Yeah ...... or a carcinogen-free UNSCENTED experience ?
In spite of the brainwashing The Chemical Corps have given us for close to a hundred years, "CLEAN" doesn't HAVE a smell !
17
I was there last week and don't recall any specific smell. I tend to notice things like that. Cool experience though. Sad this article is turning people away.
5
@Kim
As a person disabled with chemical sensitivities, I appreciate this article as a warning !
17
“Now, whether or not you really could have the smell of blood and guts and graft and whiskey is another matter.”
Yes, another matter indeed. As I read this article I was overwhelmed by the indelible memory of the REAL smell emanating from the ashes of the WTC for weeks and weeks…jet fuel, burn and some other indefinable mix of, I could not help myself from thinking, was human incineration.
It has stayed with me from that time forward.
22
I couldn't agree more with your description and was hoping someone had the same reaction. Initially I thought the article was about the odd smell after 9/11. It wasn't pleasant and a scent we never need to smell again.
9
@rosemary L., yes, this was my reaction from reading the title as well.
Some time after 9/11 there was a building fire in New Jersey that I could smell from my home in Brooklyn. It reminded me so much of the smell of the WTC that I felt anxious.
There was almost something sweet about that smell. I still feel a little ill when I think about it.
4
It’s a an instantaneous migraine for me. I’ll never set foot in the place.
48
I have canceled magazine subscriptions because of the scented cards. I'll cancel my trip to this, too. NO $$$ from moi!
59
I think I remember The Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas had a unique scent pumped through it. I have not returned since 2007 . Can anyone confirm that?
7
I once worked in the North Tower of the WTC, so I'll have to take everyone's word for it since I still can't bring myself to visit the area that was once our Ground Zero -- but whatever that smell is, it can't be worse than the lingering scent down there in the days just after 9/11.
23
Marriott uses a scent diffuser in their front lobby. I travel for work and every time I check into a Marriott, I know I'm home in a strange city. It's a comforting and reassuring feeling when the body is battered by travel and time zone changes. I haven't been to One World Trade but I know first hand how scent can associate a place with an emotion and help you remember it.
9
@Shourya Ray: I take your point, BUT I would suggest that the last thing I'd want would be a scent to associate me to the emotions of the destruction of the WTC on 9/11 - and no matter what scent they're using in that "observatory," that's what the effect on me would be.
12
Note to Dr. Laven ; I'd rather smell the citrus and wood smell than the smell of unwashed bodies ; typical in subways , here and may I add in Britain where they take baths (sometimes) instead of showers .
9
@sm
I am no great fan of body odour on the London tube, which I admit can be 'rich', especially in the summer months, but, while it is unpleasant, it doesn't actually make me gag, give people headaches or trigger asthma attacks.
For what it is worth, the British certainly used to spend more on soap and hygiene products than the overwhelming majority of mainland Europeans. (I haven't got recent statistics.) I don't think this necessarily translated into our being especially sweet-smelling, but ultimately a bit of sweat won't hurt anyone ... pumped smells (about which you are not warned in advance) might well have detrimental consequences for health.
15
@sm Try the Paris Metro on a workday morning. Talk about some ripe people. Phew!
4
@John Harper I have , double phew ! But here too guess there's something to be said about the unwashed masses .
3
Why don’t they just bake chocolate chip cookies and hand them out?
Us asthmatics can’t handle fragrances. We number in the millions. Thanks for the warning.
137
@Louisa Glasson
I am asthmatic....have been for 45 years. I can handle fragrances.
10
@ray
I can’t.
12
@ray someone's fragrance at a concert nearly caused me to expire. It was a supreme effort at relaxation that got me through it. I didn't bring my albuterol. I had to leave. It was as if a skunk had come in the room.
23
“Research has shown, he said, that a mixed floral scent increases the speed of learning and baked goods can make people nostalgic for childhood. Other research on mood and behavior has indicated that scents can prompt people to spend more money, or at least to spend more time in a store — the ‘linger-longer factor,’ marketers call it.”
Studies show that studies show . . .
4
@Paul Connah
Frightening. Especially to people like me, with serious sensitivity to perfumes.
27
@Paul Connah
Studies show that studies show that studies are often wrong...
11
@Della
Right on, Della.
2
YUCK. I now know one more place I will have to avoid, but at least I know it ahead of time, but what a shame that it's this one. I am tired of leaving the mall, or even a single store, with my respiratory system rapidly deteriorating. I left a major dept. store yesterday after only making some returns and looking at shoes for a little while before I was nearly overcome by the fragrances.
Also, the idea of intentionally attempting to manipulate the way people feel with aromas, while I don't remember it being mentioned specifically, could be straight out of George Orwell's 1984.
70
As we live in an era where many products have a CA prop 65 warning (may cause cancer), should visitors be informed of any potential harm?
Playing with emotions is one thing, playing with health is another.
42
@Robert B. As with many of the scented products you can buy (shampoos, dish soap, detergents, dryer sheets, candles, plug-ins) these diffused scents do not have to be tested or given a green light by the FDA. We do ingest them through our lungs and skin but they are exempt from oversight. Also, the ingredients of many scented products do not have to be disclosed--they are "trade secrets." As such, it is difficult to find material safety data sheets for these products, or at least their full ingredient list.
16
Most of these scents are made with toxic chemicals. As a person with MCS, I would not be able to go there without my throat starting to close. Definitely discrimination against people with allergies.
63
It's fake, period. There is no "new York scent", but if you wanted to choose something that's most universally prevalent or common to all five boroughs (if not necessarily omnipresent), you would indeed have to choose something negative.
Because it's a city! A BIG one!
And our collective culture doesn't lend itself to keep it as clean and tidy as, say, Tokyo. Priorities: it's just that simple.
8
YUCK. YUCK. YUCK.
I'm allergic to perfume and cologne. I will never go there. How could anyone think it's a good idea to bombard visitors with an artificial scent? It's disgusting.
And how much money was WASTED researching, developing and instituting this horrible idea? My toll dollars are being wasted.
79
Look to Target. They have the great smell down on lock.
3
What an obnoxious idea to stink up a perfectly pleasant experience otherwise.
This goes down in the top ten list of really stupid ideas. Congratulations to all involved.
75
A knife, a fork, a bottle and a cork
That's the way we smelll New York
Right on!
Right on!
(Anybody got a tip how to get that nasty fork smell out of my carpet?)
@Jeroen Darkskywise
Now why didn't I think of the great Dillinger when being interviewed ...
'I'm gonna teach you the right way and the proper way to spell New York, man
Well, go ahead, man
A knife, a fork, a vodka and a Cork
That's the way we spell New York, man'
2
The views from the observatory are truly incredible and cannot be disparaged due to a scent. It's refreshing to walk into a space, especially at an altitude like the observatory, and to be greeted by such a refreshing scent. I will continue to recommend everyone to visit at least once as I always have.
3
@Abby Rollins: How have you "always" visited at least once? Did your first visit coincide with amnesia, leading you to think that your next visit was your first visit?
4
Read it again and I think you’ll figure it out. Good luck.
2
@L lol. I think Abby means that she always suggests that visitors go there at least once.
2
I visited this Observatory for the first time in my life and the first thing I noticed was the amazing smell. The elevator up was a life changing experience. When I finally arrived on the 102nd floor the smell was even better. It was actually different than down on the first level. I would describe it as a clean jasmine fragrance and wow it felt warm and welcoming. It helped to make One World Observatory my own little escape. I was able to not think about the rest of (smelly) Manhattan and escape into my happy place. I hope they start selling this scent so I can take it home with my to always remember this experience.
11
The smell of burning on the Brooklyn Heights Promenade was occasionally very intense on September 12th. People were sitting on benches crying, hugging, staring at the big yellow smoke-filled skyline hole across the river. It was obvious to everyone what we were smelling, but no one left.
I understand why the operators of the observation deck at 1WTC want to create a less stressful experience for the people who want to see the extraordinary view, but there is something disrespectful lurking not-to-far below the surface here. The complaining about perfume sensitivity seems to me to miss the point entirely.
Please remember...
14
@Michael c
For the many of us with sensitivities to fake scents,the toxic, artificial scent detracts from the personal
experience one may garner from the journey up to and on the observation deck. Having worked in #2 WTC in the 80's on the 101 thru 104 floors and in DataPort 8 floors below the main floor I don't need to be medicated with a manufactured scent to feel, to remember, to grieve, and rejoice at the view. I too could smell the burning on Sept 12th on that beautiful clear sorrowful day . 100 miles away.
29
@Michael c
When you're in the presence of something that can make you very sick, it can be very stressful.
22
@Michael c
Huh? What? Do you have any idea of what "perfume sensitivity" is? It means migraines, dizziness, weakness, and worse. "Complaining" it's not.
33
I long for the world where you were encouraged to provide your own sensory distractions: wear a dab of fragrance, hum or even whisper to yourself if so inclined, think idle thoughts if you wanted.
I find it very intrusive that someone unknown and unseen is making olfactory and auditory choices for me all day every day. Don't even mention that phone pinging with all kinds of suggestions!
Muzak was bad enough; could leave you humming "It's a Small World" for days.
But frankly I don't think the entity choosing the smell du jour knows any of us well enough get it right.
35
@jb
I concur.
Whatever happened to the "sounds of silence" and the absence of odor? There truly can be beauty and appreciation in the void of nothingness.
64
@Marge Keller
Agree .... "If it ain't broke - don't FIX IT !!"
6
They're just jealous of the MTA. The subway has had its own distinctive scent for decades.
26
@Left out ha! well done! As a transplanted New Yorker, I remember that smell - "unwashed schizophrenic".
4
Instant migraine.
51
Since it's up high, how about the (non) smell of clean mountain air, assuming it can still be copied from anywhere.
9
@uga muga In order for something to become clean, something else must become dirty.
-- Imbesi's Law of the Conservation of Filth
1
One can only hope for society’s enlightenment on this issue.
A noticeable artificial scent anywhere - whether perfume on a woman, cologne on a man, a scented candle in a lobby or diffused fragrance pumped through air ducts - is perhaps the most thoughtless and deplorable kind of offense. . . for there is no escaping it.
85
@Isaiah -also thoughtless... wind-chimes
9
@Isaiah
Thank you.
4
@Robert I hate wind chimes.
3
This is just awful news but I am glad to know so that I can avoid. Fragrance stinks!
If they want to add something to enhance the experience, why not live plants or other biophilic elements.
74
If they really want the scent of trees why not bring some in? Most large office towers have plenty of space to accommodate even large trees.
29
Perfume is Poison. " Fake Scents" ! What might seem subtle to some is outright overpowering and nauseating to others. I am sensitive to perfumes and "fake scents" and try to avoid them as they make me physically sick. Just more chemicals and carcinogens being pumped into people. If you can smell it, it is in your body. It would be interesting to see what the ingredient list for this product is. Probably just as bad as Juul. And I will bet someone got a prize for this.
70
"As for the observatory, Leslie Vosshall...wondered if some visitors would have an emotional reaction about Sept. 11. She said that she had not gone to the trade center site since the attacks on the twin towers."
If a person scales the heights of 'Freedom Tower', and manages to not feel a bit emotional in the process, then that might be an indicator that they're a sociopath.
My mind is still seared with the memory of fighter jets, shaking the earth as they scrambled overhead, to potentially intercept and destroy the second plane in order to prevent it from reaching its target.
That there is even a skyscraper standing in that spot is bad enough. That there exists some compulsion to add perfume to protect people's emotional bruising is ineffably perverse.
29
Lots of people are sensitive to chemical fragrance -- that's why many people have been able to claim their chemical sensitivity makes them disabled under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
I cited the act when I asked my workplace to provide me with access to a restroom that did not have automatic chemical fragrance dispensers, and they complied.
https://eeo.okstate.edu/sites/default/files/8-Fragrance.pdf
I will just add that many people are apparently not aware of this, including NYU. I took a brief adult-ed course in June at NYU, and the classes were held in NYU's portion of the Woolworth Bldg downtown. None of the women's restrooms in that building were free of chemical fragrance dispensers, so NYU was not in compliance with the law.
I would have complained about it but I was only taking a brief 4-week course. I hope someone does complain about it because I'm sure there are people who work and study there who are injured by the chemicals.
38
@PeteH Walk a mile in someone's shoes first before you judge whether or not their condition "exists". Chemical sensitivities can come on suddenly and dramatically and are still an active subject of medical research. At the very least, it is will established that perfumes and air diffusers exacerbate asthma.
26
@PeteH
Oh, dear. I hope that you never find out. I have worked with people with Chemical Sensitivity for 40 years, most of whom have had to leave their jobs, sometimes their homes, and change their life-styles radically, because of an incident with pesticides, medications, or other phenomena of our modern world.
23
@PeteH
Yeah ...... just like people who originally denied X-Rays on the basis of "If I can't see it, it *cannot
BE there." The AMA denies it bcuz, obviously, it cannot be treated with *drugs ! MORE chemicals.
3
I've noticed this on some public buses. Nauseating strawberry or some other invention. Horrible! These are CHEMICALS, period. Why should ANYONE be forced to inhale more pollution than a big city already provides? Utterly sickening.
59
It Smells Like Team Spirit.
6
@RonRich
Fresh Garbage - Spirit
Also by Spirit - 'Nature's Way'
"... it's nature's way of telling you somethings wrong..."
When it's not natural ...? Could be, we the sensitive ones
know somethings wrong.
2
Why must everything have a forced, man-made smell to it? Between tissues, fabric softener sheets, cleaning products, you name it, some kind of godawful scent has been added.
There are a lot of us out there who are allergic if not severely sensitive to odors, especially that fake, sickening "lavender" scent that seems to be in every laundry product known to man and woman.
Sometimes the lack of odor is the best thing solution. Having to smell stinky odors everywhere is comparable to being forced to hear background music pumped into every elevator, restaurant, store, market, bank, you name it.
What's wrong with silence and zero smell?
If I want to smell wood and citrus, I'll buy some oranges at the market and a block of cedar at a hardware store to put in the bottom of my dresser drawer.
"When you smell something that everyone acknowledges is a really calming smell, everyone will feel better.” The problem is that there is no universal smell in which EVERYONE would like, much less feel calmer.
I love the smell of chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven. But do I want to smell that everywhere I go? Every day? Heck no. Pretty soon, I will not only get sick of smelling those delicious treats, I will get sick of even thinking about them, much less eating them.
This is another one of those great ideas on paper, but lousy ideas when put into practice.
100
Can some of that scent be re-directed up to Times Square/Theater Disrict, please. It's August. In NYC! Streets smell like a horse stable.
1
@mrd As someone who works in this area - I second this request! The smell of garbage, etc. in the morning is nauseating.
2
Great. My wife pretty much faints from fake smells.
We'll skip this trip.
Gee, thanks.
39
Did the people in charge not hear that many humans are allergic to synthetically created smells? Some cities have outlawed perfumes in public meetings and spaces. This is ridiculous and for some possibly dangerous.
78
Petrochemical fragrance branding is an outrageous assault to life. It's everywhere. Why? Who's idea is it to deem it necessary to add chemically toxic scents telling us...they should experience "the one thing that's truly not available". Please. How about eating with a server standing next to you doused in eau de Downy. Swallow that. There is something really toxic regarding the justification of fake scents. I can't get away from the sensory attack fast enough. God,even taking my dog for a walk the dryer vents spewing "breath of spring scents" makes me want to scream.
58
Spare me the new-tower smell. You know what I want to smell when I'm up there? Nothing.
76
@MIKEinNYC
BINGO! Could not agree more!!
23
@MIKEinNYC
Could not agree more.
You hit the proverbial nail on the head!
17
Scents and perfumes = air pollution
70
Never send to know for whom the smells smell; it smells for thee.
7
@J J Davies
Out of three million readers, four get it .
I feel as though my life is finally validated.
1
May Mr. Douglas be condemned to spend eternity in room full of magazines with perfume samples.
53
What about people for whom scents can initiate an instant migraine?
43
My reaction to perfumes ranges from sneezing to headaches, nausea, and full blown asthma attacks. I also find many perfumes just nasty smelling and resent being exposed to them because someone else thinks they smell nice. For that reason, I use unscented personal care and cleaning products. Thanks for the warning -- I won't be visiting the observatory.
67
I recall when department stores used to spray scent into the vestibules as a free trial of their fragrances. When this stopped due to health complains, they stationed women with sprayers. If you reached out to take a pamphlet, they would get your hand before you could say anything.
A scent that typifies NYC brings up humorous thoughts: Fresh Kills, Lincoln Tunnel, pot, and that old standby, Hot Day in Yankee Stadium. We do associate scent with places we have visited. I think I will always recall the incense of Japanese Temples. I prefer unscented personal products as I do not like to be constantly exposed to perfumes. It might be better judgment to have the observatory scent-free.
28
@David
I spent a lot of time in London in the 90's and the smell of diesel exhaust instantly brings it back. Hopefully London's air has improved since then.
1
I used to like the smell of fresh bread from the Silvercup factory in Long Island City when I road the elevated subway or the LIRR.
7
@cl,wow, silvercup! Brings me back!
2
I've never been up to that "observatory" and after reading this, I can absolutely say I never will go there. I'll also discourage my out-of-town visitors from going there as well.
The air smells nice when you'e on the Staten Island Ferry, and that doesn't even cost you anything. So I'll be directing my visitors away from the WTC tourist trap, and onto the Staten Island Ferry for a true NYC experience that won't cost them a penny.
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@L Having been to One World I would say the experience is a must for everyone. The visuals, the stories, the setting, the views, the meaning, the elevator ride up and down, are all amazing. We don't always live on an island in the ocean or in the middle of a forest. We move about between natural and man-made. Enjoy the experience for what it offers, the story it tells, and the senses that are affected by it, and you will be amazed.
9
@Paul Loechl: I'm a life-long New Yorker and that makes me VERY skeptical of anything that's touted as something that's "a must for everyone" - b/c that usually means "TOURIST TRAP ALERT!"
I know quite well the views from the original WTC, from the Empire State Building, and from the top of Rockefeller Center, and I don't think anything at this sensory-manipulative observatory would "amaze" me, frankly.
You're trying to defend a place that's decided it needs to "perfume" its entire location - ugh, gross, no thanks! They'd be more honest if they piped in the "smell" of post-9/11 air.
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To deliberately infuse scent into public buildings is a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. There are many people, myself included, that have medical sensitivities to fragrances, some of which are life threatening. To impose a fragrance on a person with such a sensitivity is a form of physical assault. Because of the pervasiveness of fragrances in our society today, many people must suffer adverse medical effects in order to meet basic human needs such as shopping for food or going to a doctor's office. They must choose between preserving their health and enjoying experiences that many of the general public can. Fragrance-sensitive people must suffer these hardships so that others can have an enjoyable yet unnecessary experience. A secondary issue is a general public health one as the safety of constant, chronic fragrance exposure has not been adequately studied by scientists. As a person who has suffered great disability, significant limitations, and tremendous isolation due to the pervasiveness of fragrances, I implore our politicians, the FDA, the CDC, and medical experts to recognize that the imposition of these chemicals on many people without their consent is a form of assault and a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act and that it may be a public health issue for all Americans as well. I hope after doing so they will enact regulations to protect not just fragrance sensitive people but the general population from unwanted fragrance exposure.
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@Jennifer
Agreed! And, speaking of greed, there's big bucks for the vendor who got the contract to supply chemical compounds for all the circulating air ducts. Who is that, I wonder? And who invited it?
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Great comment on the problem. I seldom talk about the issue of chemical allergies since so few people understand or believe this is a serious issue for so many people.
25
As a regular visitor to NY, I might have considered checking this out. But because I avoid scented products and perfumes, I will now have to avoid the Observatory. I can't understand why they would think this is appealing.
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People should not be subjected to unwanted chemical scents. We are bombarded with enough chemicals already.
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Fake scants? NO THANKS!
So many people I know have severe allergic reactions to such smells. I hope you’ve got docs and epi pens for free!!
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I don't have asthma or allergies, but I find this trend of piping "fragrances" into public spaces extremely disgusting. If a place stinks, then start cleaning and ventilating. Just don't add more stench on top of an existing stench. And if a place doesn't stink, be grateful and leave it that way! Otherwise I'll be the one who leaves. Many other people clearly share my aversion.
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Everyday the workers very likely go home smelling like the scent and have to shower so they don't smell like that scent. One person's idea of a good scent is not another's. It is not fair to do this to anyone. Scents can also affect allergic reactions and skin issues for sensitive people. Once they are aware of this taking place, they can't visit. Fresh clean air bypasses all of this - who doesn't like fresh clean air?
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@Judy
Yes - and one day many years from now, the workers may get cancer and have no idea why or where it came from.
7
For those with Multiple Chemical Sensitivities, a growing population in this day of toxic smells, this means One World Trade is now off limits to 4% of the population. Add the people with allergies and asthma and this will create many issues for a good chunk of people traveling in groups as one of their number gets ill in the environment.
I surely hope there are signs as you enter warning of the toxins in the air. There are those among us that can be gretly debilitated from such exposures.
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@Kate I believe that about 1/10 people have some sensitivity at this point to chemicals in the environment.
12
As someone who gets migraines triggered by perfume, I obviously think this is a terrible idea. Scent is a common trigger. I’m sure I’m not alone. Thanks for the warning. I’ll never go there again.
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As a chemically sensitive person -- I'd rather not inhale more chemicals than necessary. In an uber or lyft, I can open the windows but I wouldn't be able to find a gulp of fresh air at the top of One World.
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I love perfume. I even like the scent of cigarettes. But the air-conditioning driven fragrance ambiance diffusers in hermetically sealed hotels, and places like One World Trade? It is like the worst sort of pollution. I travel a lot and it is being used at many hotels. It's like being stuck in an elevator with someone with truly horrible perfume on. I vote with my dollars- you are losing money because of this phenomena. There are many people with breathing problems or low tolerance to fragrance- I can't imagine what they must experience.
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@Neltje Yes, air fragrances are a form of air pollution. In addition to the very real issues for people with chemical sensitivities as mentioned in other comments, synthetic fragrance ingredients are part of everyone's toxic load. Choosing to use them in your own home is one thing (be aware that certain ingredients still used in the U.S. have been banned in the EU as possible carcinogens), but subjecting people in public spaces is quite another. Should be regulated as a form of indoor air pollution, like smoking.
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Now, I would be curious to know how often they will change the air filters, clean A/C coils and make sure the systems don't spew all kinds of dust and mold...judging from how we maintain our infrustructure in general, I am afraid not too often...
34
It wasn't too long ago, people complained about employees wearing perfumes in the work place, people had allergies, etc. Now, suddenly scents are coming at you from everywhere and it's not a problem. First of all, what might seem like a nice fragrance to one person, might not be a favorite of somebody else, that's why there are so many different fragrances on the market. And if you're using it to mask other odors, it just becomes obnoxious. It's like smelling a vanilla scented candle while eating a steak, it doesn't work. I happen to love fragrances, a big fan of perfume, but, I don't wear it on flights as a courtesy to the person sitting next to me, and I wear very light fragrances, but I can see how it could annoy some people. I have mixed feelings about this.
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@Lisa
It is a problem.
3
@Lisa
very thoughtful of you not to wear perfume on a plane. Scent can do more harm than just annoying someone. Some are allergic and get headaches and breathing problems. Perfume should be banned on planes.
13
This is a public health issue. Asthmatics may not all speak up, but I will. For years it was considered oversensitive to object to second-hand tobacco smoke everywhere. It was learned that it was a public health issue and regulations were passed. They are spottily enforced, but are on the books. Eventually this will be the case for excessive perfuming/cologning, and air-quality degradations such as described here
192
It's very sophisticated manipulation of people. Scary.
22
@Joyce Ice and for what reason? Isn't the view enough? Does it make visitors buy things in the gift shop?
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@casablues
No, it makes humans breathe and take in poisons thru the pores in their skin without their knowledge and/or permission.
9
A scent pumped in the air means you are being forced to breath more chemicals. This is not healthy. I feel bad for the staff at any location who has to breath this toxic air all day.
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@Ede Not all "chemicals" are toxic. Oxygen and nitrogen, to name two popular for breathing.
18
Not only that, some people are extra sensitive to smells and become sick from them. I'm usually fine but I have patients who get migraines, become nauseous, have problems breathing. This type of behavior is just asking to be sued. In the perfume section of a dept store, people know to avoid them but not while visiting a tourist site where I doubt people go for the smell.
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Is it healthy for people to breathe artificial scents everywhere they go?
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@Linda Short answer: no. Part of our toxic load from exposure to synthetic chemicals.
33
This was fun to read. First click of the day!
2
This sits weird with me. I link smell so strongly to September 11- the smell of the fire burning. Dunno. I don't like it.
24
That seems unfair to the workers.
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I’m allergic to fragrance, so I can’t visit this tourist attraction. Thanks for the warning.
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What about people (like me) who are allergic to chemical fragrances? Isn’t there enough air pollution without adding to it?
266
Hotels are doing the same. My daughter's building in Brooklyn has scent in the air vents in the lobby. I do not like it. Very annoying and cloying ,but ,it seems ,I am the only one that notices the scent: Sort of like how people have tuned out music in every public place these days.
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@patricia I know what you mean. Seems the world is now divided into those who have learned not to notice all the artificial scent & bad music, and those who are botherered by them (count me in the latter group). Which makes me wonder what the point of the artificial scent and bad music is in the first place--just to make the world a little uglier and less welcoming?
29
This is what happens when an organization has too much money. If you want to do something really nice, try lowering the price of a souvenir.
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@Jerry
Or lowering the ridiculous price of the elevator ride.
81
That's for the warning. Now those of us with asthma can avoid it.
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@kat
YES!
I also hope there's an exit available for those of us with allergies to fragrances.
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@kat: Yep. And those of us who get migraines, too.
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@Ernie Mercer: And exit AND a refund.
27