N.Y. State Legislator Turns Up His Nose at Perfumed Ads

ALBANY, N.Y. — Those magazine pages that reek of perfume when opened would be banned by a state legislator who says they threaten the health of certain sensitive types.

“If you think the only hazard of leafing through a magazine or opening an envelope is a paper cut, think again,” said Sen. Martin Connor, a Democrat who introduced a bill requiring that perfume samples be sealed in odor-free packaging.

Mary Lamielle, president of the Voorhees, N.J.-based National Center for Environmental Strategies, said 10% to 20% of the population can be bothered to some degree by the chemicals in fragrance and cosmetics.

But Michael Petrina of the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Assn., in testimony for a hearing today organized by Connor, said, “We know of no scientific data linking such samples to any significant threat to the public health.”