And Why We’re Banning Popcorn at WordCamp Lancaster 2019
Chemical fragrances affect folks who suffer from migraines and allergies, and you can respect the personal environment of others at our event by not wearing any. More than two million Americans have fragrance allergies or sensitivities.
Many products contain chemical fragrances. It’s hard to pinpoint which ingredients cause irritation or allergic reactions because the large number of ingredients in scented products (some of which are corn-based!) and the permissible use of the word “fragrance” as an ingredient in the USA.
“For most people, fragrance allergy symptoms abate once the scent is out of range. But this isn’t always the case.”
webmd.com/allergies/features/fragrance-allergies-a-sensory-assault
The CampTix plugin ships with every WordCamp website like ours and makes it easy for attendees to identify allergies and dietary preferences during registration. If someone denotes an allergy as life-threatening, the organizers get an immediate notification. This is my favorite feature this year.
Among the allergies identified by our attendees this year, a handful of them have some allergy to corn, and at least one identifies the allergy as life-threatening. We’ve instituted a popcorn ban and have approached our caterer and sponsors to make sure they are aware so they can do their best to accommodate us.
You won’t find dusty corn snacks at lunch, and if your typical conference kit contains corn chips or a microwavable bag of popcorn, we ask that you please make alternate plans for WordCamp Lancaster so we can create a day that everyone can enjoy.