to my knowledge anemia wouldn't cause you to crave certain smells like that. i love to smell tomato plants and fresh tennis balls but that doesn't mean i have a mineral deficiency :)
are you taking iron supplements to counteract the anemia?
If you smell gas(oline) it is a carcinogen (causes cancer)! (This was told to me by a relative of mine who is in the field of chemistry and like information.) Unless you have a death wish, don't inhale gas! When you get gas in your car, stand so the wind blows the gas away from you.
I think you may be describing more of a craving these smells than an "I like the smell" correct? I have the same thing. Add into that mix an addiction to carrots and ice chewing....my craving is to smell such things diesel exhaust, motor oil, gasoline, type fumes. I would equate it almost to a cat around catnip. haha As a kid age 5 or so, I loved filling my dad's lighters. I hope I didn't damage anything!!! I think it is some kind of vitamin/mineral deficiency lately. The body seems to be calling out for something here and it's not normal for me. I have a history of anemia forsure.
I know this is an old post, but in case anyone wonders about this, I have some fst hand experience. I have been anemic for 30 years. Over the last 10 or so it got severe enough to warrant intravenous iron in massive doses. Even though I had severe anemia I was really oblivious to it. My body accustomed to the lack of oxygen, I functioned like most people yet some weird stuff started as my counts got lower.
Craving for ice...so bad I would order soda fill the cup to the top with ice and just a tiny bit of soda to flavor it. This was several times a day. Also, the smell of gasoline was incredibly attractive all of a sudden. Same with the stuff they use when you get your nails done. Then the corners of my lips started cracking, my hair was dry, my heart fluttering. Finally I went to the doc...with the iv as horrid as it was...the anemia was gone along with the symptoms and cravings. Check your iron and hemoglobin. That's my 2 cents :)
I dont know why out of nowhere i wanted to smell gas right out of the gas can all the time it smells so good to me im 9 months pregnant and ive been doing this for about 3 months now i wonder if this is bad for my baby everytime i do it but i cant help it i do this like 5 or 6 times a day sometimes. Sometimes right when i wake up i run to the gas can just to smell it or right before i go to bed and during the day all the time . I even like the smell of comet and ajax cleaner i think all this is weird ive never been like this before in my life. Has anyone gone through this besides me?
I just googled Is it normal to crave dirt and I read all these comments. I thought I was crazy but I found out that I'm not alone. Like you, I also love the smell of comet. I am anemic and have other health issues. Wow, I see that this does not mean we are crazy but something is going on in our bodies. thank you for sharing.
I love the smell of Ajax and soft scrub. Basically household cleaning objects. Im 6months pregnant and my iron levels are fine. Idk why I enjoy the smells, I wish I didn't. I feel like I'm harming my baby girl or like later on in her life she will have a problem because I like the smell that has bleach in it. :(
I think airports should hire you. Dogs are great, but they cannot discuss the nuance of a smell.
I feel I can tease you because I have the same kind of nose.