Scent-Scares Thread

[elfismiles]

I know there have been several of these type of events posted here over the years. I believe I was just lamenting not being able to find one or another here just the other day.

Here is one from my home state:

DrudgeReport headlline...

"BIG STINK: 34 hospitalized after co-worker sprays perfume!"

Perfume sets off events in Fort Worth that put 34 in hospitals
By BILL MILLER and ANTHONY SPANGLERwmiller@star-telegram.com

FORT WORTH — A rush of hysteria over what was initially reported as a gas leak likely resulted in 34 people being sent to area hospitals Wednesday afternoon.

But the actual culprit was perfume, brand unknown.

That’s right — perfume.

Lt. Kent Worley, a Fire Department spokesman, suggested that the situation escalated because of "psychosomatic behavior."

Medical experts often refer to such episodes as "contagious fear."

Fort Worth firefighters and ambulances were called about 12:45 p.m. to the Bank of America building at 5401 N. Beach St. in Fort Worth, just north of Loop 820.

Emergency officials responded to what they were told was a leak of carbon monoxide, a colorless, poisonous gas with no odor.

Firefighters soon learned, however, that a spray of perfume was the flashpoint for chaos.

"Two employees reported some dizziness in close association with someone spraying on some perfume," Worley said.

He said that when the two reported being dizzy to a supervisor, "an announcement was made over the building’s PA system saying that anyone feeling these symptoms should exit the building to an outside location."

Subsequently, Worley said, many people left the building, but many others continued working "with no ill effect."

Jumana Bauwens, a spokeswoman for Bank of America, said about 1,800 to 2,200 employees work in the building. She did know how many left the building.

Worley said: "We called a [hazardous materials] unit to the scene but they didn’t detect anything on their air monitoring unit. That air monitoring unit can detect carbon monoxide and several other chemicals and products that can be in the air. But they found nothing that would have caused people to get sick."

At about 3 p.m., firefighters declared the building safe.

Still, 12 people went to hospitals by ambulance, MedStar spokeswoman Lara Kohl said. Twenty-two with less serious symptoms went to hospitals on a city bus, she said.

An additional 110 people were evaluated and released at the scene, Kohl said.

"We haven’t heard anything back from the hospitals yet," she said.

'Contagious fear’

Episodes of "contagious fear" are not uncommon and should not be treated lightly, medical experts say.

Fort Worth psychologist Hap Klinefelter said the power of suggestion can manifest itself in medical symptoms.

"Emotions are real contagious," he said. "A lot of times people will reason from their feelings. It introduces the power of suggestion and it makes them real susceptible to misinterpreting physical cues or it will distort their perceptions."

Thinking about something can make someone feel a certain way, said Mary Lynn Crow, Fort Worth clinical psychologist who teaches at the University of Texas at Arlington.

"Your thinking can actually cause you to feel pain or discomfort," she said. "Fear is one of the most contagious emotions there is. When you say to people, 'Hey, there is a contaminant in the building and it is making people sick,’ then it easy for them to feel accordingly."



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A prominent case Cases of people becoming ill during supposed toxic exposure are not uncommon and should not be treated lightly, medical experts say.

One of the most prominent cases was the subject of an article in The New England Journal of Medicine in 2000, detailing the events at McMinnville, Tenn., in 1998 when a teacher noticed a smell like gasoline in her classroom.

She soon had a headache and became short of breath and dizzy. The school was evacuated, students and staffers were taken to the hospital, and 38 people were hospitalized overnight, according to the article.

But the report, spearheaded by Dr. Timothy Jones, now the state epidemiologist with the Tennessee Department of Health, concluded that the outbreak featured "widespread subjective symptoms thought to be associated with environmental exposure to a toxic substance in the absence of objective evidence of an environmental cause."

BILL MILLER, 817-390-7684

http://www.star-telegram.com/804/story/1511194.html

[elfismiles]

FLASHBACK...

Muslim Children Gassed at Dayton Mosque After “Obsession” DVD Hits Ohio.
by Chris Rodda.
Sun Sep 28, 2008 at 08:50:29 PM PDT.
(From the diaries — kos)

On Friday, September 26, the end of a week in which thousands of copies of Obsession: Radical Islam’s War Against the West — the fear-mongering, anti-Muslim documentary being distributed by the millions in swing states via DVDs inserted in major newspapers and through the U.S. mail — were distributed by mail in Ohio, a “chemical irritant” was sprayed through a window of the Islamic Society of Greater Dayton, where 300 people were gathered for a Ramadan prayer service. The room that the chemical was sprayed into was the room where babies and children were being kept while their mothers were engaged in prayers. This, apparently, is what the scare tactic political campaigning of John McCain’s supporters has led to — Americans perpetrating a terrorist attack against innocent children on American soil.

Chris Rodda’s diary :: ::
http://chris-rodda.dailykos.com/

I read the story as reported by the Dayton Daily News, but this was after I had received an email written by a friend of some of the victims of these American terrorists. The matter of fact news report in the Dayton paper didn’t come close to conveying the horrific impact of this unthinkable act like the email I had just read, so I asked the email’s author for permission to share what they had written. The author was with one of the families from the mosque — a mother and two of the small children who were in the room that was gassed — the day after the attack occurred.

“She told me that the gas was sprayed into the room where the babies and children were being kept while their mothers prayed together their Ramadan prayers. Panicked mothers ran for their babies, crying for their children so they could flee from the gas that was burning their eyes and throats and lungs. She grabbed her youngest in her arms and grabbed the hand of her other daughter, moving with the others to exit the building and the irritating substance there.

“The paramedic said the young one was in shock, and gave her oxygen to help her breathe. The child couldn’t stop sobbing.

“This didn’t happen in some far away place — but right here in Dayton, and to my friends. Many of the Iraqi refugees were praying together at the Mosque Friday evening. People that I know and love.

“I am hurt and angry. I tell her this is NOT America. She tells me this is not Heaven or Hell — there are good and bad people everywhere.

“She tells me that her daughters slept with her last night, the little one in her arms and sobbing throughout the night. She tells me she is afraid, and will never return to the mosque, and I wonder what kind of country is this where people have to fear attending their place of worship?

“The children come into the room, and tell me they want to leave America and return to Syria, where they had fled to from Iraq. They say they like me, … , and other American friends — but they are too afraid and want to leave. Should a 6 and 7 year old even have to contemplate the safety of their living situation?

“Did the anti-Muslim video circulating in the area have something to do with this incident, or is that just a bizarre coincidence? Who attacks women and children?

“What am I supposed to say to them? My words can’t keep them safe from what is nothing less than terrorism, American style. Isn’t losing loved ones, their homes, jobs, possessions and homeland enough? Is there no place where they can be safe?

“She didn’t want me to leave her tonight, but it was after midnight, and I needed to get home and write this to my friends. Tell me — tell me — what am I supposed to say to them?”

When acting as a representative of Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), the 501(c)3 non-profit organization that I work for, I cannot engage in political activities. The distribution of Obsession, however, although a political campaign scheme, clearly crosses over into the mission of MRFF. So, I’m going to make two statements here — one in my capacity as MRFF’s Research Director, and another as an individual whose disgust at the vile campaign tactics of John McCain’s supporters completely boiled over when I opened up the email about children being gassed.

My statement as MRFF’s Research Director:

The presidential campaign edition of the Obsession DVD, currently being distributed by the Clarion Fund, carries the endorsement of the chair of the counter-terrorism department of the U.S. Naval War College, using the name and authority of an official U.S. military institution not only to validate an attack the religion of Islam, but to influence a political campaign. For these reasons, this endorsement has been included in MRFF’s second lawsuit against the Department of Defense, which was filed on September 25 in the Federal District Court in Kansas.

My opinion as an individual and thoroughly appalled human being:

John McCain has a moral obligation to publicly censure the Clarion Fund, the organization that produced Obsession and is distributing the DVDs; to denounce the inflammatory, anti-Muslim message of Obsession; and to do everything in his power to stop any further campaign activities by his supporters that have the potential to incite violence.

Daily Kos: Muslim Children Gassed at Dayton Mosque After “Obsession” DVD Hits Ohio

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/9/28 ... 536/613742

[elfismiles]

Flashforward...

Afghan school girls 'poisoned'


Girls' schools have been attacked in various parts of Afghanistan in recent years [GALLO/GETTY]

At least 13 girls have fallen ill after a suspected poisonous gas attack at a school in northern Afghanistan.

The government has accused fighters opposed to female education of being behind the attack.

Sunday's incident - the third in Kunduz province - brings to 80 the number of school girls reporting symptoms such as headaches, vomiting and shivering after suspected poisoning.

On Saturday, 47 girls from a different school had reported feeling dizzy and nauseous, while on Wednesday 23 girls said they felt unwell under similar circumstances.

'Strange odour'

Fauzia, a 13-year-old girl and one of those affected in the latest incident, said when she stepped out of the classroom she "smelled a strange odour and then fainted".

"I don't think my parents will allow me to attend the school after
this incident," she said.

Another girl, 12-year-old Sumaila, said she was in class "when a smell like a flower reached my nose".

"I saw my classmates and my teacher collapse and when I opened my eyes I was in hospital"

Twelve-year-old Sumaila

"I saw my classmates and my teacher collapse and when I opened my eyes I was in hospital."

Humayun Khamoosh, head of the Central Hospital in Kunduz, said all the girls were in stable condition after initial treatment.

Authorities said they were still investigating the incidents.

Waheed Omer, a spokesman for Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, said anti-government groups intent on spreading fear were to blame for the incidents.

"Whoever prevents children from going to school is an enemy of Afghanistan and its prosperity," he said.

Taliban denies involvement

But a Taliban spokesman denied the group had any involvement in the attack, and condemned the targeting of school girls.

Girls' schools have been attacked in similar fashion in other parts of Afghanistan over the past few years.

In one attack in Kandahar in 2008, around 15 girls and teachers were sprayed with acid by men on motorbikes.

During Taliban rule, from 1996-2001, girls were banned from attending school.

In parts of southern and eastern Afghanistan, particularly in Taliban strongholds, schools for girls still remain closed.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/ ... 79658.html

[elfismiles]

Tacoma school closed by strange odor will reopen
Comments Apr 18, 2010 11:47 AM (9 days ago) AP

SEATTLE (Map, News) - Jennie Reed Elementary School in Tacoma will reopen Monday after a sickening odor forced students and staff members to evacuate last week.

The News Tribune of Tacoma reports that health officials and investigators inspected the school Friday night and gave it a clean bill of health.

The school was closed Friday after 25 students and staff members were sickened by a strange gas-like odor. Eleven students were taken to the hospital for nausea, dizziness and other problems but none was admitted.

A report from Orion Environmental Services of Federal Way says the odor could have come from a residential gas leak, a construction site or traffic from Interstate 5.

---

Information from: The News Tribune, http://www.thenewstribune.com

http://article.wn.com/view/2010/04/19/T ... ll_reopen/

[82_28]

Strange odor sickens 25 at Tacoma elementary school

TACOMA, Wash. - Jennie Reed Elementary in Tacoma was evacuated for a second time Thursday, just hours after a strange odor sent 11 children to the hospital.

The school canceled classes for Friday as investigators look for the source.

The new evacuation was ordered just before 2 p.m. after firefighters inspecting the building detected a metallic taste in their mouths, said district officials.

The school's more than 500 students were sent to the playground for the final hour of school, and released at the regularly scheduled time, 3:30 p.m.

At about 11 a.m., the school was evacuated for the first time after several students reported being sick from a strange odor. Tacoma Fire Department spokesman Joe Meinecke says 25 kids and staff members reported being sick. Eleven of those -- all students -- were transported to Mary Bridge and St. Clare hospitals as a precaution, but were later released.

"There was something bad smelling in our class, in the hallways, so we had to come outside for a little bit," said Hallee Crain, 7.

"I smelled this [smell] like burning rubber," said Rosalita Kerney, 7.

Symptoms included general sickness, nausea, and headaches. Nobody passed out, though some witnesses reported seeing students vomit.

"It was my stomach," said Hallee Crain, who was not hospitalized, but said she did feel sick.

"A lot of the kids were crying, a lot of them were freaking out because you had big plastic bags over doors," said her mother Alicia Crain.

District spokesman Dan Voelpel said the kids who were hospitalized all came from classes in the same hallway just beyond the school office. Shortly after the initial evacuation, the kids were all taken to the gym, which had been deemed safe by firefighters, Voelpel said.

Classes resumed a couple hours later, though firefighters and Puget Sound Energy had not determined the cause of the problem.

"We were unable, through our air monitoring equipment, the gas company checking all their equipment, to identify the source of where it all came from," said Joe Meinecke with Tacoma Fire.

Firefighters say the second evacuation was just a precaution, as no one felt sick that time.

http://www.nwcn.com/news/washington/Tac ... 57979.html

[82_28]

Whoops. Crosspost!

[Seamus OBlimey]

I'm thinking of buying some Coleus Canina

[kissing blarney]

Holmes gets clean bill of health after mysterious odor sickens students

April 22, 2010 3:01 PM
JOEL MILLMAN
THE GAZETTE
A second sweep of Holmes Middle School did nothing to clear up the mystery of what sickened dozens of students Thursday afternoon and sent 11 to the hospital with symptoms consistent with carbon monoxide poisoning, officials said Friday.

The Colorado Springs Fire Department's Hazardous Materials unit tested for carbon monoxide, natural gas and other toxic chemicals that could have caused the nausea, dizziness and headaches reported by students. All of the tests came up negative.

Utilities also found no sewer gases and a chlorine leak from the water treatment plant in the area also has been ruled out, Fire Lt. Mike Smaldino said Friday.

Chlorine gas was used as a weapon in World War I and has a distinctive smell described by some soldiers as peppery or like a pineapple. It combines with water in the respiratory system to form hydrochloric acid and can be fatal.

Carbon monoxide is odorless, but students reported smelling an odor before they became ill around 2:45 p.m. The odor was described by different students as smelling like alcohol, sweet, vinegary and musty, Colorado Springs District 11 spokeswoman Elaine Naleski said.

When students reported feeling sick, the school was evacuated, with the more than 700 students and faculty taken to a separate building that houses the school's gymnasium. From there, students were bused off campus where they were picked up by their parents.

Smaldino said haz mat has given Holmes a clean bill of health and Naleski said the school will reopen Monday. A teacher work day was scheduled Friday so no classes were held.

Naleski said Holmes has geothermal heat and the only natural gas in the building is in the science lab and the kitchen.

"It's a mystery at this point," Naleski said. "The kids who thought they were sick really believed they were sick. They weren't making it up."

http://www.gazette.com/articles/school- ... dents.html

There hasn't been any follow up so far.

Though it's been edited out of the story, the kids were evacuated to the Masonic Hall around the corner. This isn't the first time the school was evacuated and relocated to the Hall. Not insinuating anything, I just find it amusing.

[elfismiles]

No Source Found for Mysterious Odor at School (Video)
By Aaron Hepker

Cedar Rapids emergency responders investigate an odor that was detected at Harding Middle School on Monday, Jan. 30, 2012, in northeast Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The odor made several students sick. Students were evacuated from the cafeteria, where the odor was detected, as well as the gymnasium. Students were kept in unaffected parts of the school. (SourceMedia Group News/Jim Slosiarek)

Story Created: Feb 13, 2012 at 3:37 PM CST
(Story Updated: Feb 13, 2012 at 5:27 PM CST )

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Cedar Rapids fire officials say the source of a mysterious odor that sickened two dozen students and staff in the cafeteria at a middle school is still a mystery.

Fire department spokesman Greg Buelow says Monday that the exact cause is inconclusive.

Emergency crews were called to Harding Middle School on Jan. 30 after 24 students and adults became ill with symptoms from burning eyes to vomiting. Most of those who became ill were at a table closest to the kitchen.

Monitors detected no dangerous gases in the school.

Buelow says health officials found no evidence of a foodborne illness, and results of samples sent to the State Hygienic Laboratory were inconclusive.


http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/No-Sourc ... 42328.html

[AlicetheKurious]

Another girl, 12-year-old Sumaila, said she was in class "when a smell like a flower reached my nose".

Interesting. I've read of only one other case where poison gas was described as smelling pleasant, but with terrible effects:

The people of Khan Younis are utterly familiar with teargas; their neighborhood has long been known as one of the most heavily teargassed areas in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT). But no-one in Khan Younis had seen these strange canisters before, or their seemingly harmless multicolored smoke.

The smoking gas had no immediate effect. There was none of the instant irritation to the eyes and breathing passages caused by all forms of teargas. And, at first, the gas had no odor. "It's harmless - this gas is nothing!", yelled a few teenagers, taunting Israeli soldiers. "Throw more!" The soldiers complied.(3)

After a few minutes, the gas started to smell. "Like mint," several people said. One resident later recalled that, "the smell was good. You want to breathe more. You feel good when you inhale it." A girl reported that "its taste was like sugar. The smell was sweet." (4) Link

[Nordic]

Another girl, 12-year-old Sumaila, said she was in class "when a smell like a flower reached my nose".

Interesting. I've read of only one other case where poison gas was described as smelling pleasant, but with terrible effects:

The people of Khan Younis are utterly familiar with teargas; their neighborhood has long been known as one of the most heavily teargassed areas in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT). But no-one in Khan Younis had seen these strange canisters before, or their seemingly harmless multicolored smoke.

The smoking gas had no immediate effect. There was none of the instant irritation to the eyes and breathing passages caused by all forms of teargas. And, at first, the gas had no odor. "It's harmless - this gas is nothing!", yelled a few teenagers, taunting Israeli soldiers. "Throw more!" The soldiers complied.(3)

After a few minutes, the gas started to smell. "Like mint," several people said. One resident later recalled that, "the smell was good. You want to breathe more. You feel good when you inhale it." A girl reported that "its taste was like sugar. The smell was sweet." (4) Link

How awful. They learned a lot from Hitler, didn't they? Now they're gassing those they consider to be their "undermensch". The children, to boot.

[82_28]

It's somewhat funny that this particular thread came up, because I was thinking of starting a thread about scents/smells.

Namely, that when I get depressed I smell something "different" in the air. Smells kinda like copper??? Dunno. And I only get depressed because (like all of us) some outside influence. I'm sure it's psychosomatic, but when bad things happen, there is a certain scent in the air and as soon as I smell it, I know that something bad/sad is about to happen. I just noticed this this week. I was like "wow" this is the same smell I smelled last time I was super sad.

[elfismiles]

Flashforward...

Afghan school girls 'poisoned'


Girls' schools have been attacked in various parts of Afghanistan in recent years [GALLO/GETTY]
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/ ... 79658.html

Afghan school poisonings show hallmark of mass hysteria
June 1, 2012 Posted by idoubtit under Mass hysteria

Fear in the classrooms: is the Taliban poisoning Afghanistan’s schoolgirls? – Asia – World – The Independent.

Hundreds of Afghan schoolchildren have been admitted to hospital in the past six weeks after falling victim to what appears to be six separate major poison attacks. Three alleged attacks have occurred in northern Takhar province in the past week alone, affecting more than 300 girls.

Some government and police officials have blamed the poison attacks on the Taliban, whose hostility to girls’ education during its hardline rule in the 1990s is well documented. Others have blamed the “enemies of Afghanistan” and hinted at the involvement of Pakistan and Iran.

Tests by the International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) and government, however, have not found any toxic substances. One international expert has said the scares have all the hallmarks of mass hysteria.

Tip: Fortean Times Daily News

Laboratory test of multiple air, water and material samples were negative for any organic compounds such as poisons or other toxic material. That is significant. Chemicals that can cause such harm do not disappear without a trace, they leave remainders. An interesting point made is that Afghan people live in constant fear of attacks. The plausibility is there. Insurgents threaten schools partly because they do not support the government curriculum. So conversion disorder symptoms are ripe to manifest.

Robert Bartholomew, a sociologist who writes about myths and manias told the AFP news agency that the poisoning scare had “the tell-tale signs” of mass hysteria.

http://doubtfulnews.com/2012/06/afghan- ... -hysteria/

[elfismiles]

NJ Kohl’s Department Store Evacuated After Unknown Substance Sickens Shoppers
December 20, 2015 11:27 PM
Filed Under: Evacuated, Kohl's, Leak, New Jersey

SECAUCUS, N.J. (CBSNewYork) — A Kohl’s department store in Secaucus, New Jersey, was evacuated Sunday night after an unknown substance began to make shoppers sick.

The store was evacuated at around 9 p.m. after employees began telling customers to leave, CBS2’s Brian Webb reported.

The substance seemed to be coming from the front of the store by the cash registers, Webb reported. Witnesses said some shoppers were coughing, choking and even vomiting.

Officials said at least a dozen people were affected. Firefighters and ambulances were still on scene treated sick store goers at around 11 p.m. Sunday night.

“It was in the air and everybody had it all around the registers,” John Seboroski, a shopper, said. “When I got outside, my wife was in pretty bad shape.”

Officials said there is no indication of a gas leak at this point.

The investigation is ongoing.

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2015/12/20/ ... evacuated/

[elfismiles]

'Sweet smell' wafts through lower Manhattan
Post by nomo » 28 Oct 2005 18:08
viewtopic.php?f=20&t=2413


Maple syrup event - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maple_syrup_event
Wikipedia
The maple syrup event was the objective presence of a particular scent in New York City, and the response to this smell by the residents, various media outlets, and government agencies.

The maple syrup event - The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/06/nyregion/06smell.html
The New York Times
Feb 5, 2009 - Baffled city investigators began calling them “maple syrup events”: mysterious waves of sweet-smelling air that periodically wafted over ...

Mystery maple syrup smell returns to NYC | New York Post
http://nypost.com/2013/09/18/mystery-ma ... ns-to-nyc/
New York Post
Sep 18, 2013 - The mysterious, sickly sweet smell of Maple syrup hits the streets of Manhattan.

Mystery of NYC maple syrup smell solved! - Scientific ...
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/new ... 009-02-05/
Scientific American
Feb 5, 2009 - New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg today announced that the city had solved a years-old mystery, pinpointing the source of a maple syrup smell that has occasionally wafted into town since 2005.