Why Was a Radio Program on “Fragrance Harm” Removed? — A Citizens’ Group’s Protest and Nippon Cultural Broadcasting
It has been learned that Nippon Cultural Broadcasting removed a radio program about “fragrance harm” that was broadcast on August 5 after receiving a protest from a citizens’ group. The program had also been available on YouTube, but it can no longer be accessed.
The group that protested was Canary Network Japan, represented by Kazuko Aoyama and Keiko Fukaya. The group claimed that Dr. Riko Muranaka, who spoke about fragrance harm on the program, made incorrect statements.
“Fragrance harm” refers to health problems that people say are caused by fragrances from products such as fabric softeners. Reported symptoms include nausea, dizziness, headaches, and various other physical reactions. The issue is also discussed in connection with multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), although there is no established medical consensus about its causes or mechanisms.
Symptoms such as nausea, dizziness, and headaches can also occur in everyday life without exposure to chemicals. This makes it extremely difficult to determine whether such symptoms are actually caused by chemical exposure.
A similar issue arose in the Yokohama secondhand smoke lawsuit, in which cigarette smoke was said to be the cause of health problems. During the case, it was also argued that psychological factors might have played a role in the symptoms reported by the plaintiff. One reason was that the plaintiff reportedly complained of harm from cigarette smoke even when the defendant was away from his home. This was supported by records including a diary kept by the father of one of the people involved.
The details of the debate over “fragrance harm” will be examined in a future article in Media Kokusyo. But there is another issue that should be considered first.
The citizens’ group asked Nippon Cultural Broadcasting to broadcast a correction, remove the archived program, and issue an apology. Nippon Cultural Broadcasting removed the program.
However, the fact that the program was removed does not necessarily mean that Nippon Cultural Broadcasting or Dr. Muranaka admitted that the program contained errors. That question needs to be considered carefully.
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It is not especially unusual for media organizations to come under pressure from citizens’ or activist groups. Similar cases have been seen in connection with groups such as Shibakitai. However, when an issue has become a matter of public concern, it is better to discuss it openly in a public forum.
Based on my experience covering the Yokohama secondhand smoke lawsuit, I believe that some of the explanations given for what is called “fragrance harm” may be pseudoscientific.
From my reporting experience, it seems quite possible that some people really do react physically to very small amounts of chemicals. At the same time, we also need to consider the possibility that psychological factors may be involved in some cases.
The Yokohama secondhand smoke lawsuit provides a useful case for thinking about “fragrance harm.” People who argue that fragrance harm is a real phenomenon should also examine what can be learned from this case.
