I have been working with Alaska Airlines to try and get the deodorizer cakes removed from their airline lavatories when I or any other person with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity takes a flight with them.
By Joy Jaber

In my written communications with Alaska Airlines, I have been requesting that they agree in writing to remove all lavatory deodorizers from the plane entirely.
Hello Susie and all at Canary Report!
As you know, Susie, I have been working with Alaska Airlines to try and get the deodorizer cakes removed from their airline lavatories when I or any other person with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity takes a flight with them. Below is a summary of the progress so far.
The issue: Up until a few years ago, aircraft lavatories didn’t have permanent deodorizers in them, just scented soap, and some sort of fragranced disinfectant, which released when the toilets were flushed. But now all aircraft (at least on Alaska, the airline I fly on once or twice a year) have little deodorizer cakes sitting up in holders in every tiny lavatory on the plane. As we all know, these emit toxic chemicals and gasses 24/7 and the fumes from them permeate the airplanes, and do not just stay in the bathrooms (see www.seattlepi.com/local/371779_toxicfragrance23.html for a great article regarding scented products). Since there are already a host of chemical exposures associated with any airplane flight, this excess deodorizer load has made flying even more hazardous for me, producing severe headaches and disorientation, and requiring a lot of recovery time, and so constitutes an “impairment of a major life activity,” i.e. breathing, as defined under the Americans With Disabilities Act. I feel they are unnecessary, and are posing a serious barrier to MCS sufferers being able to fly.
Up until now, I have tried the tactic of —as I am about to board— asking the flight attendants and/or check-in clerks to please remove them, stating my problem with them. This is sometimes successful, and sometimes not. Check-in can be a chaotic time, and these people are busy, making it difficult to fully explain the problem and ask for accommodation at the same time (particularly when the person you’re talking to is loaded with perfume themselves, causing brain fog and unclear thinking).
The immediate goal: In my written communications with Alaska Airlines, I have been requesting that they agree in writing to removing all these deodorizers from the plane entirely (they slip easily out of their U-shaped holders). What I wanted to acquire was a letter from them which I could present upon initial check-in, which would then make it more hassle-free to get the flight attendants to remove them all before boarding. (It only takes a few minutes to do; it’s a simple and quick procedure.)
At first it seemed like they would comply with this request, but ultimately they agreed to remove the deodorizer from only ONE of the lavatories. They think this is enough of an accommodation, since they then consider that one bathroom will be “fragrance-free” and accessible to the person with MCS. What I have been trying to make them understand is that these chemicals permeate. Merely removing one disc still leaves not only a percentage of the pollution still in the lavatory, but the other lavatories on the plane still continue polluting the common air. The analogy I have used with them is that it is tantamount to saying you can smoke in one section of the plane but not the other. Since the air is shared, there is no way to keep the pollution away.
Having stalled in communication with Alaska on this issue (agreeing to remove one is just not good enough, sorry), I then contacted the Department of Transportation, which ultimately sets the rules by which all airlines are governed and must comply.
After lengthy communications with their attorneys, they told me that the only way Alaska (or any other airline) could be forced to comply with this disability accommodation to our satisfaction would be to have the actual rules of the Air Carrier Access Act amended. The Air Carrier Access Act is what governs the airline industry, and supersedes the Americans With Disabilities Act when it comes to anything to do with air travel. However, the wording of it, when applied to disability accommodation, is essentially the same. To amend this Act is a big process requiring the filing of a formal petition with the Department of Transportation (a legal document prepared and submitted by an attorney), which would be followed by a period of public comments and then the DoT will make a ruling on whether and/or how to amend the rules. There is a similar petition under review at the moment regarding peanuts.
The ultimate goal: To have all aircraft in this country fragrance free. To have every lavatory free of deodorizers and fragranced soap, the planes cleaned with non-toxic cleaners, and the flight attendants required to wear no fragrances or scents of any type.
The only way this will ever be accomplished is by filing a Petition with the Department of Transportation and getting them to make a ruling on it.
The fact that the CDC has recently mandated that their headquarters be totally fragrance free is an amazing precedent, and hopefully will be a huge help in achieving our ultimate goal of getting airlines fragrance free as well.
There may need to be a little fundraising drive to help cover the costs of attorney’s fees (unless anyone knows of an attorney familiar with this type of law who would like to do it pro bono), but I haven’t gotten that far yet.
I do have in my possession a letter from the Customer Care Representative at Alaska that can be used when checking in to require they remove ONE deodorizer prior to boarding. If anyone would like a copy of that to use when they next fly, please feel free to e-mail me at Joytotheworld[at]centurytel.net and I will forward it.
It’s a small start, but hopefully fragrances will be as banned as smoking now is on all airplanes in the not-too-distant future!
Airport Bathrooms: Additionally, some airport bathrooms have been made fragrance-free (upon request) for up to a week before an MCS person has informed them they were going to fly (for example, Logan Airport in Boston). Each airport is different (some airports do not use air fresheners), so contacting them in advance is important, to find out if there is already a fragrance-free bathroom and requesting that deodorizers be removed in advance, if necessary.
My own experience at Sea-Tac airport in Seattle is that the “family” single unit disabled bathrooms are already deodorizer-free. Since these types of bathrooms are designated for people with disabilities, it would be good if everyone could contact their local airport to request the disabled lavatories become or stay fragrance-free to accommodate those with MCS and other breathing difficulties.
Ultimately we WILL get airplanes and airport bathrooms fragrance free! Not just for the sake of those with MCS, but others who have conditions such as asthma and other types of breathing difficulties which are adversely affected by the toxic chemicals from synthetic fragrances.
Joy Jaber