Wafting on the breeze
Mass. Meeting to Have Scent-Free Zones:

SHUTESBURY, Mass. - People who attend Shutesbury's upcoming town meeting will be segregated by scent to avoid disturbing those hypersensitive to chemicals and odors.

Splitting the meeting hall into three sections May 3 is part of a two-year-long effort that also has produced "fragrance-free" hours at the library.

One section of the room will be reserved for people who never use perfumes or scented deodorants, detergents or other products. The second will be for those who sometimes wear fragrance but not on the day of the meeting, and the third will be labeled, "Seating for those who forgot and used cologne and perfume."

Using fragrances in public is similar to smoking, said Town Administrator David Ames, who is also responsible for making the town compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. He said the Massachusetts Office of Disabilities recommended establishing the fragrance zones.

Hmmm, where's the section for people who eat beans?

UPDATE: Wait, there's more! Check out this screed by Ziporah Hildebrandt, Chair, ADA Committee for the Town of Shutesbury. (That's Americans with Disabilities Act to you civilians.)

Q: Why do we have to bother with being fragrance free?

A: Fragrance free is a civil rights issue. ...

Q: What if I am already contaminated with terrible smells but I have to go somewhere that is Fragrance Free?

A: If you can, shower beforehand using baking soda instead of soap and shampoo. ...

And to top it off:

Recent visitors to the Spear Library on Monday mornings have seen a new sign announcing Fragrance Free Hours.

This sign lists products that are strictly barred from the library from 10:30-noon, so that patrons disabled with severe Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS) can enter the building. These community members can be seriously affected with severe pain, fatigue, cognitive dysfunction, respiratory distress and other symptoms from just one whiff of many chemicals?even "natural" products.

The ADA Committee requests that the community offer maximum support from patrons who use the library at this time. Strict adherence to the requirements of the Fragrance Free Hours are necessary for the health and safety of disabled residents of Shutesbury, and their right to access library services.

If Fragrance Free Hours do not receive the voluntary cooperation of every patron, other measures (translation: expensive accommodations) will be necessary to ensure that disabled people have access to library services.

Oh yeah, Ziporah thinks she suffers from MCS herself. What a surprise!

Remember library patrons - no farting in the stacks!