California IN BRIEF : MILL VALLEY : Ban on Perfume at Meetings Urged

A “fragrance-free” zone may be the first step toward a ban on perfume at public meetings in Marin County, environmentalists say. Members of the Environmental Health Network plan to present the Board of Supervisors with a resolution declaring public meetings fragrance-free because the odors make some people sick. “Some people don’t take it seriously and think we’re kidding or being frivolous,” said Susan Molloy, who becomes acutely ill around people wearing perfume. Fragrances have been banned at a Santa Rosa women’s health club since it opened five years ago. Chris Lecos, a spokesman for the Food and Drug Administration in Washington, said the agency that regulates cosmetics has received anecdotal reports of what is called multiple chemical sensitivity.