Archive for 'Linda Sepp'
Toxic soup, phthalates, and checking your house for chemicals
Posted on Mar 06, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, Environment, Linda Sepp
Canary’s Cry.
Post by Linda Sepp.
Above is the trailer for Toxic Soup: The Politics of Pollution. Toxic Soup shares the stories of everyday Americans fighting to keep their blood, water and air safe from pollution.
Environmental Health News reports phthalates predispose mice to allergies. Phthalates are the chemicals that make your laundry and deodorant smell fresh forever. DBP is an endocrine disruptor associated with developmental, metabolic and reproductive disorders. It has also been shown to sensitize skin during immunological studies.
Enviroblog, the Environmental Working Group’s blog, reports on checking your house for chemicals. If you’ve ever wondered what’s toxic in your house, you’ll want to watch this home walk-through with Jane Houlihan, EWG’s Senior Vice-President for Research.
The Globe and Mail reports that road salt is poisoning water bodies. During winter thaws, some streams have salinity levels just under those found in the ocean. There are too many things being put down our drains and I think it’s time to take water quality seriously. The old saying “the solution to pollution is dilution” only worked till saturation point. We are past that point and need to seriously clean up everything we do that ends up in our water if we want to remain alive. That includes getting toxic chemicals out of laundry, personal care and cleaning products, pharmaceuticals and pesticides. As well as everything that drips out of cars and gets used on roads.
Brené Brown at Ordinary Courage blogs about “i’m pretty. pissed.”
The word is getting out. Oprah Radio host Dr. Mehmet Oz talks with Rick Smith and Bruce Lourie, authors of Slow Death by Rubber Duck: The Secret Danger of Everyday Things. (Audio.)
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The health and ability for those with environmental sensitivities rests with the choices and actions of others. For more information, see The Medical Perspective on Environmental Sensitivities.
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Linda Sepp launches a blog about her urgent housing needs
Posted on Jan 17, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, Linda Sepp, MCS, Susie Collins
The main purpose of Linda’s blog is to send out a clarion call for help in securing safe water, clothing and place to live. Are you able to help?
Canary Report contributor Linda Sepp launched her own blog today! I am doing the admin on the site but the writing is all Linda’s.
As many of you know, Linda suffers severe Multiple Chemical Sensitivity and is housebound. She faces eviction on April 4. She’s using the blog to explain her urgent housing needs in the hopes of finding people who can help her in securing safe water, clothing and place to live. Other than a limited amount of support given by Canada’s social services, Linda’s basically been abandoned by her country’s safety net, even though Multiple Chemical Sensitivities and Environmental Sensitivities are fully recognized by the Canadian Human Rights Commission.
The urgency of Linda’s situation cannot be over emphasized given the looming eviction. Please visit her blog, read through the posts and pages, and if you are able to help her in any way, please do so! I’m especially interested in finding people in Toronto who can help Linda with everything from daily chores like shopping and shoveling snow, to the larger challenges such as installing a water filter and finding her a safe home.
Linda’s challenges are great but I’m convinced there are people out there who can help her. We just need to find them and enlist their help. Please do all you can to brainstorm about this, or more importantly, implement action!
From Linda’s “About” page:
I am disabled and housebound from severe Multiple Chemical Sensitivities / Environmental Sensitivities (MCS/ES) and chemically induced Fibromyalgia (FM) as well as some ElectroHyperSensitivity (EHS). My symptoms and abilities are directly, and often severely impacted by exposure to petro-chemicals, moulds, wireless technologies and high electrical fields, yet most resolve when I am able to avoid exposures. There may be some residual and permanent brain damage, but we won’t know until I have safe housing and the therapeutic supports required to repair and heal the damage.
My critical and urgent needs list includes: 1) a whole house water filtration system and installation, 2) a washing machine, 3) clothing, 4) a housing search and preparation, and 5) an advocate to help me navigate the processes to secure it all. Are you able to help me in any way?
Bloggers, please add Linda’s blog to your blogroll and share her story with your readers. Please do all you can to find people who can help her secure safe water, clothing and a place to live. You can also donate funds by check or PayPal, or purchase some needed clothing for Linda.
Together, we can make this happen!
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Book ties toxic chemicals to rising healthcare costs
Posted on Jan 11, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, Environment, Home & Garden, Linda Sepp, Media/Videos, Research
Our Chemical Lives And The Hijacking Of Our DNA: A Probe Into What’s Probably Making Us Sick, by Catherine J. Frompovich (2009, BookSurge Publishing)
Post by Linda Sepp.
I just ran across a reference to this.
From the Industrial revolution and onward, the world has become an environment that is overflowing with dangerous toxins. Mass manufacturing has resulted in thousands of chemical pollutants being released in the atmosphere, water, and soil. As well, there has been a widespread increase of chemicals being added to almost every type of food and retail product. With this overwhelming chemical exposure, there has been an increase in research and studies showing the life threatening impacts on our health and well being. In her book, Our Chemical Lives And The Hijacking Of Our DNA, author Catherine J Frompovich delves into the effects of a chemical laden world on the body at a cellular level.
Our Chemical Lives And The Hijacking Of Our DNA is an important “wake up call’ about the current and future state of our toxic environment and what will happen if important changes are not made. Not only is it highly educational, the attention to detail makes the book a handy health resource tool. It is highly recommended to not just mass readers, but also to politicians, manufacturing industry officials, and health professionals.
Link to the author’s website.
Link to Amazon.com and good review.
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Film review: Chemerical
Posted on Dec 26, 2009 by Susie Collins in Blog, Healthy Living, Linda Sepp, Media/Videos
Review by Linda Sepp.
I would give a copy of this film to everyone if I could afford it.
I received a copy of the new documentary film Chemerical and wanted to share a few thoughts with you about it. The film shows how a family detoxifies and survives to tell the tale, AND not only that, they save money by cooking up some of their own products.
This is a really good film for people who haven’t thought about how they are poisoning themselves and just buy chemicals off the shelf for their kitchen, bathroom, cleaning and personal care use, either because they don’t believe there is a problem or they think buying healthy products is too inconvenient.
The film isn’t heavy, even though the subject is, and encourages the viewer to make changes instead of just hitting you on the head.
I would have made a few more points, including some info on neuro-toxins and endocrine disruptors, as well as hammered in that air “fresheners” are poison instead of just not fresheners. The microbiologist made a comment about air fresheners, which showed he wasn’t a chemist. That should have been edited, but his other stuff was good. They didn’t mention that essential oils have to be USDA certified organic to be safe, and that EO need to be used carefully as they can be sensitizers even if organic. I might also have mentioned that not all soap is created equal, but that might be in the documentation that can be downloaded if you join the Chemerical Community from their website. (All the site’s pages might not be up and running quite yet.)
The film has a segment with a woman with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, and Dr. Lynn Marshall from the Environmental Health Institute in Ontario. Stacy Malkan is also there for a bit, as is Dr. Rick Smith from Environmental Defence. They mention the Environmental Working Group’s cosmetics safety database, too. And a few other experts, like one who tests their indoor air quality before and after they embark on detoxifying their lives from unnecessary chemical use.
I would give a copy of this film to everyone if I could afford it.
In Sweden a number of years ago, Dr. Karl-Henrik Robèrt, a Swedish doctor and cancer scientist, wanted to create a consensus among governments, business people and environmentalists as to what must at least be agreed to safe guard prosperous life.
“With the support of His Majesty the King of Sweden, Karl XVI Gustaf, this ‘consensus document’ and accompanying audio tape was sent to every household and school in Sweden.”
This eventually went on to become The Natural Step.
If only we had a King Gustaf who would help deliver films like Chemerical, we would soon have a safer world for all living beings.
Link to purchase Chemerical.
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The false promise of miracle cures for Multiple Chemical Sensitivity
Posted on Nov 30, 2009 by Susie Collins in Blog, Guest Bloggers, Linda Sepp, MCS
All ten warning signs of a medical scam are present when it comes to curing MCS, CFS, and FM with amygdala retraining.
Op-ed by contributor Linda Sepp and guest contributor Lourdes Salvador, MCS America.
This post was originally published at MCS America.
The History of Health Scams
People with incurable illnesses are often the target of miracle cure scams. These promises usually involve the marketing of unproven cures for a fee. Often the cure is easy and painless and the aggressive marketing is loaded with lucrative testimonials and success stories in bold fonts and bright colors with flashing text and lots of exclamation points.
They come in the form of websites, word-of-mouth, multi level marketing, email marketing, printed ads, mail, telemarketing, and the backs of traveling wagons.
The danger is not merely the wasting of time and precious money to purchase these cures. In addition, these miracle cures often delay appropriate medical care. Some may even be harmful or interact with prescription medications in a negative way.
These scams are often widely touted by the chronically ill because they offer false hope. When one is sick, scared, in pain, and desperate for relief, the promise of being cured is easy to grasp onto. However, the pain of being duped and realizing it was only false hope can be devastating.
Ten Warning Signs of a Scam
1. The Promise Of A Quick And Easy Cure
2. Presents Unproven Patient Testimonials & Emotional Appeals Instead Of Science
3. Claims To Cure Many Ailments Which Have No Cure In Medical Science
4. It’s Not Sold In Stores
5. It Has Undisclosed Ingredients Or Content
6. You Have To Keep At It To Get Results
7. It Doesn’t Work Because You Did It Wrong
8. Science Hasn’t Even Bothered To Discredit It (No Threat To Pharmaceutical Sales)
9. The Seller Lacks A Medical Degree Or Similar Qualification
10. It’s Too Good To Be True
Targeted For A Scam
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), fibromyalgia (FM), and multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) are debilitating illnesses which have no cure and leave sufferers lives in ruins. Even those with the best ability to adapt and cope often suffer from the abuse of other well-meaning people who think the ill somehow brought these illnesses upon themselves or that the illnesses don’t really exist. This can create a situation of desperation in which a patient is willing to try anything to get better.
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Toxic construction, cancer, and biotech crops
Posted on Nov 18, 2009 by Linda Sepp in Blog, Contributors, Linda Sepp, Media/Videos, News
Canary’s Cry.
Post by Linda Sepp.
The Colorado Daily reports on sidewalks finally getting built in the shopping district of Nederland, Colorado, but not everyone is happy with the construction project. Judith Thackray, a 17-year resident of Nederland, said she’s been forced to evacuate her home because it sits so close to the project’s construction yard. “There are so many vehicles, and Nederland sits in a bowl, that the level of toxicity from the diesel fumes is impossible for me,” said Thackray, 62, who has been diagnosed with acute chemical sensitivity. “I am being ousted from my home.” Thackray, who has been taking up temporary residence in rented hotel rooms and mountain cabins, said her requests for the city or the construction company to move the work yard has fallen on deaf ears.
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center reports cancer patients and doctors report drug side effects differently. The study showed patients generally reported adverse symptoms earlier, more frequently, and with greater severity than their clinicians, and their responses appeared to better reflect real-time suffering.
Reuters reports biotech crops cause big jump in pesticide use-report.
The Seattle Post Globe reports on infuriated mom: Why can’t I protect my body? Study pinpoints chemicals in moms-to-be.
Dr. Oz reports on the link between cell phones and cancer.
The Bloomington Alternative launches a blog on Autism and the Indiana Environment. It explores the parallel rises of environmental pollution and autism in Indiana.
The New York Times reports For Some Smokers, Even Home Is Off Limits. This month, the Related Companies will ban smoking at some of its downtown apartment buildings because of health concerns about secondhand smoke, according to company officials.
The University of California-Los Angeles reports nanoparticles used in common household items caused genetic damage in mice.
Burlington Free Press reports A Chemical Reaction film explores dangers lurking in lawns.
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The health and ability for those with environmental sensitivities rests with the choices and actions of others. For more information, see The Medical Perspective on Environmental Sensitivities.
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A victim of my own environment
Posted on Nov 12, 2009 by Susie Collins in Blog, Linda Sepp, MCS, Media/Videos
The story of my life was published today, it would have been nice if they got it right.
Post by Linda Sepp.
The Star reports on my housing situation:
To read the article, click on photo to enlarge.
And here is my Letter to the Editor in response:
I’m really disappointed by these articles.
The reporter had all the information, including letters from doctors about my situation and medical need for “safe” housing, which does not exist and should be provided by the health care system for people who are severely chemically injured as a primary part of our required health care.
And how the landlord has placed impossible to overcome obstacles into his seemingly generous offer, and that I owe the rent money because the landlord moved my mother out from the downstairs unit with an offer she couldn’t refuse, while knowing that I could not afford it here alone.
And how the province is refusing to provide the type of assistance one would expect from a social safety net, that I almost froze to death here as a result, that I have no safe warm clothing to wear because I cannot afford chemical free safe clothing, which is another prescription from my doctors, or wash it here without whole house water filtration.
Also, that Martin Pall’s paper about Multiple Chemical Sensitivities / Environmental Sensitivities being caused by toxic chemicals, and the info about it in the Toxicology text with all kinds of peer reviewed documentation debunking the industry line about MCS/ES being a psychological condition.
The articles also completely minimized my symptoms, which are completely disabling, and neglected to mention the Human Rights Commission’s recognition of the disability.
Other relevant links are below:
A victim of her own environment.
A poisoned home life: Woman with environmental sensitives struggles to find safety.
The Canadian Human Rights Commission Policy on MCS/ES.
The Medical Perspective on Environmental Sensitivities by: Margaret E. Sears (M.Eng., Ph.D.).
Toxic chemicals found in common scented laundry products, air fresheners.
Dr. Steinemann’s research: “Fragranced consumer products and undisclosed ingredients.”
When Neighbours Smoke: Exposure to Drifting Second-hand Smoke in Multi-unit Dwellings.
NOTE: fragrance chemicals and other VOC’s migrate in exactly the same ways.
Pollution & air quality – Indoor air quality – Scents.
Health Care Without Harm and Cleaners, Pesticides, and Fragrances: Global Overview.
General and Applied Toxicology, 3rd Edition, Chapter 92: “Multiple Chemical Sensitivity: Toxicological Questions and Mechanisms,” by Martin L. Pall:
Breakthrough study on Multiple Chemical Sensitivity shows MCS is an epidemic caused by toxic chemicals; peer-reviewed paper is published in prestigious toxicology reference work.
A major paper on Multiple Chemical Sensitivity by Professor Martin L. Pall (at left) is to be published Oct. 23 as chapter 92 in a prestigious reference work for professional toxicologists, General and Applied Toxicology, 3rd Edition (2009, John Wiley & Sons). Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) is also known as chemical sensitivity, chemical intolerance, and toxicant-induced loss of tolerance, with this last name emphasizing the role of chemicals in initiating cases of this disease. Pall’s paper, entitled “Multiple Chemical Sensitivity: Toxicological Questions and Mechanisms,” establishes five important facts about MCS:
1. MCS is a stunningly common disease, even more common than diabetes. This has been shown in a series of nine epidemiological studies from the United States and one study each from Canada, Germany, Sweden and Denmark. In the U.S., approximately 3.5% of the population is affected by severe MCS, with much larger numbers, at least 12% of the population, being moderately affected. MCS is, therefore, a very large international disease epidemic with major implications in terms of public health.
2. MCS is caused by toxic chemical exposure. Cases of MCS are initiated by exposure to seven classes of chemicals. These include three classes of pesticides and the very large class of organic solvents and related compounds. In addition, published studies implicate mercury, hydrogen sulfide and carbon monoxide as initiators. All seven of these classes of chemicals have been shown in animal studies to produce a common response in the body, excessive activity of a receptor in the body known as the NMDA receptor. Furthermore animal studies have demonstrated that chemicals belonging to each of these seven classes can have their toxic responses greatly lowered by using drugs that lower this NMDA response. Because excessive NMDA activity is implicated in MCS from other studies, we now have a compelling common response that explains how such diverse chemicals can produce the disease that we call MCS.
3. The role of chemicals acting as toxicants in MCS has been confirmed by genetic studies. Four such studies have shown that genes that determine the rate of metabolism of chemicals otherwise implicated in MCS, influence susceptibility to becoming ill with MCS. These four studies have been published by three research groups in three countries, the U.S., Canada and Germany, have collectively implicated six genes in determining susceptibility to MCS. Each of these six genes has a role in determining the rate of metabolism of MCS-related chemicals. The German studies by Schnakenberg and colleagues are particularly convincing on this because of the extremely high level of statistical significance of their studies implicating four of these six genes. There is only one interpretation for the role of these six genes in determining susceptiblity to MCS. It is that chemicals act as toxicants in initiating cases of MCS and that metabolizing these chemicals into forms that are either less or more active in such initiation, influences therefore, the probability that a person will become ill with MCS. It is clear, therefore, that MCS is a toxicological phenomenon, with cases being caused by the toxic response to chemical exposure.
4. We have, a detailed and generally well supported mechanism for MCS. This mechanism explains both the high level chemical sensitivity that is the most characteristic symptom of MCS, as well as many other symptoms and signs of this disease, can be generated. This mechanism is centered on a biochemical vicious cycle, known as the NO/ONOO- cycle, which interacts with other mechanisms previously implicated in MCS, notably neural sensitization and neurogenic inflammation. These act locally, in various tissues of the body, to generate local sensitivity in regions of the brain and in peripheral tissues including lungs, upper respiratory tract and regions of the skin and the GI tract. Because of this local nature, different MCS patients differ from one another in their sensitivity symptoms, because the tissues impacted differ from one patient to another. In addition to the evidence discussed above, this general mechanism is supported by various physiological changes found in MCS and in related illnesses, by studies of MCS animal models, by objectively measurable responses of MCS patients to low level chemical exposure and by therapeutic responses reported for MCS and related illnesses.
5. For over 20 years, some have falsely argued that MCS is a psychogenic disease, being generated in their view by some ill defined psychological mechanism. However this view is completely incompatible with all of the evidence discussed earlier in this release. While such incompatibility is more than sufficient reason to reject these psychogenic claims, the MCS toxicology paper lists eight additional serious flaws in the psychogenic arguments. There is a long history of false psychogenic claims in medicine, where such diseases as asthma, autism, Parkinson’s disease, ulcers, multiple sclerosis, lupus, interstitial cystitis, migraine and ulcerative colitis have been claimed to be generated by a psychological mechanism. The 2005 Nobel prize in physiology and medicine was give to Drs. Robin Warren and Barry Marshall for showing that ulcers are caused by a bacterial infection, and are not of psychogenic origin. It is clear, now, that MCS is physiological disease initiated by toxic chemical exposure that has been falsely claimed to be psychogenic.
Martin L. Pall is Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry and Basic Medical Science at Washington State University.
He is located on Pacific time in the U.S. and can be contacted at: 503-232-3883 and at martin_pall@wsu.edu. His web site is: thetenthparadigm.org.
Linda Sepp
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The nocebo effect, burn laws, and explosives detectors
Posted on Nov 07, 2009 by Susie Collins in Blog, Linda Sepp, Media/Videos, News
Canary’s Cry.
Post by Linda Sepp.
Don’t read this unless you want your blood to boil: The American Council on Science and Health reports on the Nocebo Effect: Think Sick and You’ll Be Sick.
The Herald Bulletin reports that fall is a very busy time for burning leaves and that burn laws may vary. Ann Swartz, who lives in an unincorporated area near Chesterfield, Indiana, said open burning has caused
health problems for her over several years. Swartz suffers from fibromyalgia and multiple chemical sensitivity, she said, conditions that are worsened each time she is exposed to smoke from open fires, including fatigue and depression.
The New York Times reports on check points in Baghdad where new detectors designed to discover explosive materials are picking up on perfume, air fresheners and soap, but not guns.
Vickie Ashwill at The Des Moines Register reports that she’s a “smell-aholic.” She writes, “The closest I’ve been able to artificially recreate that fresh Midwest scent is by doing a load of whites with Clorox bleach. I’d love to carry a damp, just-washed, very-white towel around with me for those moments when I need a whiff of something great.”
Insurance Headlines reports insurers are fighting claims over toxic Chinese drywall.
And some useful tidbits:
The Center for Social Gerontology reports on The Federal Fair Housing Act and the protection of persons who are disabled by secondhand smoke in most private and public housing.
Chemists at McMaster University say they have developed an inexpensive “dipstick” test to detect pesticides in foods.
Horticulturists at the University of Georgia tested ornamental indoor plants for their ability to remove harmful VOCs from indoor air and came up with five super ornamentals identified for cleaner indoor air. That’s Hemigraphis alternata at left, or purple waffle plant, one of the highest rated ornamentals for removing indoor air pollutants.
Borax.com reports that the inclusion of about 1wt.% sodium perborate in laundry detergent powders results in destruction of chlorine bleach.
University of Michigan researchers say chronically ill people may be happier if they give up hope. Study shows that colostomy patients who felt their condition was irreversible reported better quality of life than those with faith that they would be cured. “We think they were happier because they got on with their lives. They realized the cards they were dealt, and recognized that they had no choice but to play with those cards,” says researcher and professor in the Department of Internal Medicine.
The health and ability for those with environmental sensitivities rests with the choices and actions of others. For more information, see The Medical Perspective on Environmental Sensitivities.
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Perfume, poisoning, and green spaces
Posted on Oct 22, 2009 by Susie Collins in Blog, Linda Sepp, Media/Videos, News
Canary’s Cry.
Post by Linda Sepp.
Green and Save reports on Perfume and Colognes: Dangerously Chemical.
CTV News reports that getting the recommended treatment for severe carbon-monoxide poisoning depends on where you live in Canada and who your doctor is.
CBC News reports green spaces boost the body and the mind.
Reuters reports polluted air may give you a headache.
Building Green reports on an EPA warning: Older buildings may harbor PCBs.
The Canadian Center for Occupational Safety reports a webinar will be held on ototoxic industrial chemicals and potentially harmful exposure. Dr. Thais Morata of the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health will discusses the effects of chemical agents, the interaction between these agents and noise, and strategies for preventing work-related hearing loss.
The Star reports Web surfing boosts brain circuitry in older adults.
King’s College London reports on research showing pesticides exposure is linked to suicidal thoughts. Full article here.
The Wall Street Journal reports a bill backed by industry and environmental groups would set federal limits on a potentially dangerous chemical inside your home: formaldehyde.
Best selling author Barbara Ehrenreich has a new book out, Bright-sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America. I just saw her talking about it on the Daily Show and she was brilliant. She said there’s an empathy deficit (no kidding). She also said, “I never think delusion is ok.” YAY for speaking up!
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Barbara Ehrenreich | ||||
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The health and ability for those with environmental sensitivities rests with the choices and actions of others. For more information, see The Medical Perspective on Environmental Sensitivities.
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The Happy Planet Index 2.0
Posted on Jul 10, 2009 by Susie Collins in Blog, Environment, Linda Sepp
New report shows we are heading in the wrong direction but the achievements of some countries provide reasons to believe that we can achieve true sustainable well-being.
Reported by Linda.
Download the new report The Happy Planet Index 2.0: Why good lives don’t have to cost the Earth, first published in July 2009. The report presents the results of the second global compilation of the Happy Planet Index, based on improved data for 143 countries around the world – representing 99 per cent of the world’s population. The results shows that globally we are still far from achieving good lives within the Earth’s finite resource limits. But although the evidence shows that we are heading in the wrong direction, the achievements of some countries around the world provide reasons to believe that we can achieve true sustainable well-being.
The HPI is an innovative measure that shows the ecological efficiency with which human well-being is delivered around the world. It is the first ever index to combine environmental impact with well-being to measure the environmental efficiency with which country by country, people live long and happy lives. The second compilation of the global HPI, published in July 2009, shows that we are still far from achieving sustainable well-being and puts forward a vision of what we need to do to get there.
The Index doesn’t reveal the ‘happiest’ country in the world. It shows the relative efficiency with which nations convert the planet’s natural resources into long and happy lives for their citizens. The nations that top the Index aren’t the happiest places in the world, but the nations that score well show that achieving, long, happy lives without over-stretching the planet’s resources is possible.
The HPI shows that around the world, high levels of resource consumption do not reliably produce high levels of well-being, and that it is possible to produce high well-being without excessive consumption of the Earth’s resources. It also reveals that there are different routes to achieving comparable levels of well-being. The model followed by the West can provide widespread longevity and variable life satisfaction, but it does so only at a vast and ultimately counter-productive cost in terms of resource consumption.
How much more do we need to know before we do the right thing?
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Hibiscus in bloom
Posted on Jun 29, 2009 by Susie Collins in Blog, Linda Sepp, Media/Videos, Organic Gardening
Double hibiscus
Post by Linda.
I found a flower on my indoor hibiscus yesterday, totally missed that it had a bud!
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Monsanto, pesticides, and genes
Posted on Jun 24, 2009 by Susie Collins in Blog, Environment, Linda Sepp
LINDA’S LUGUBRIOUS LACHRYMALS.
Post by Linda Sepp.
CTV reports Monsanto Co. and Dole Fresh Vegetables Inc. are formalizing a partnership to breed broccoli, spinach and other vegetables that would be more attractive to consumers.
UC Berkeley reports children are susceptible to pesticides longer than expected, study finds.
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia reports pediatric researchers have identified hundreds of gene variations that occur more frequently in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) than in children without ADHD. The reports says any of those genes were already known to be important for learning, behavior, brain function and neurodevelopment, but had not been previously associated with ADHD. “Because the gene alterations we found are involved in the development of the nervous system, they may eventually guide researchers to better targets in designing early intervention for children with ADHD,” said lead author Josephine Elia, M.D., a psychiatrist and ADHD expert at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. I think we should be looking for what is damaging these genes and stop using those chemicals, instead of focusing on future drug targets which may have more unintended consequences.
Wiley-Blackwell reports new research discovers link between smoking and brain damage.
Dr. Peter Carlen at The Globe and Mail reports on review of the literature that found consumption of aspartame could cause neurological and behavioural disturbances in sensitive individuals. These included headaches, insomnia and seizures, and could in part be attributed to changes in regional brain concentrations of certain neurotransmitters, or chemical messengers, according to the findings published in the Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2008.
The Globe and Mail also reports Health Canada wants to ban six types of phthalates, the so-called “rubber duck” chemical, from children’s toys, but consumers interested in avoiding the compound in other products will find that a nearly impossible task.
Of interest to people who are isolated at home, Rush University Medical Center reports less frequent social activity is linked to a more rapid loss of motor function in older adults.
And from my archives:
WECT6 Wilmington reports the little word “fragrance” can actually stand for thousands of different chemicals and thousands of other different chemical combinations, all untested for safety. Includes a good video on the subject.
The Organic Consumers Association reports “secretive” chemicals are being hidden in food under “artificial flavors” label.
Grassroots Environmental Education reports on The ChildSafe School, a solution-based program designed to reduce children’s exposures to common environmental toxins found in and around schools. The three areas of focus include diesel exhaust from school buses, toxic chemicals in cleaning products, and pesticides used on playing fields and school grounds.
How much more do we need to know before we do the right thing?
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Mosquito spray, scented children’s books, and radioactive consumer goods
Posted on Jun 13, 2009 by Susie Collins in Blog, Environment, Linda Sepp
LINDA’S LUGUBRIOUS LACHRYMALS.
Post by Linda Sepp.
The Woodlands Villager reports mosquito season prevention efforts amping up:
Spraying is done with insecticides such as Permethrin, which Cottingham says isn’t harmful to humans save for those with chemical sensitivities.
Spraying is done in the late evening or early morning to avoid people, however, and drivers are conscious of people who might still be outside and turn off the foggers when they see them.
“If you hear the mosquito truck, you should probably go inside,” Cottingham said. “If nothing else, it means there are a high number of mosquitoes or diseases in the area, and no one needs that.”
Statewide, many public officials judge spraying as largely ineffective, in part based on the findings of a Texas A&M study conducted after the first appearances of the West Nile virus in the United States in 2002.
One contributing factor is wind, which often blows the sprayed chemicals away from targeted breeding areas. Another is that entire swarms of mosquitoes flee the chemical plumes.
OC Weekly reports on Mo’s Nose, an upcoming series of high-tech children’s books written by Margaret Hyde about a dog named Mo. The books contain “new Press-2-Smell Technology, in which hidden, nontoxic, scented packets allow kids to delight in Mo’s exciting discovery of strawberries, roses and much more.” There is no mention of how “non-toxic” is defined.
Scripps reports recycled radioactive metal contaminates consumer products. “Common kitchen cheese graters, reclining chairs, women’s handbags and tableware manufactured with contaminated metals have been identified, some after having been in circulation for as long as a decade. So have fencing wire and fence posts, shovel blades, elevator buttons, airline parts and steel used in construction.”
Wiley reports on a study finding a link between Parkinson’s Disease and pesticide exposure in French farm workers.
Greenwich Citizen reports a green group urges reduction of common chemicals use. The Go Greener Greenwich environmental task force points out: “Because of the high volume of chemicals we commonly use, children growing up now are predicted to be the first generation to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents. That is a staggering and chilling fact.”
Science News reports pesticide may seed American infant formulas with melamine.
The Canadian Press reports new life grows in the debate over genetically modified wheat, but experts say old seeds of doubt still abound.
SF Gate food writer Michael Bauer reports on perfume in restaurants: Let’s ban perfume from restaurants, and, in 2008, Dining with Coco Chanel.
How much more do we need to know before we do the right thing?
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Brain function, drug pushing, and DNA
Posted on Jun 05, 2009 by Susie Collins in Blog, Linda Sepp, News
LINDA’S LUGUBRIOUS LACHRYMALS.
Post by Linda.
Western Morning News reports farmers exposed to low levels of organophosphates in sheep dip may have impaired brain function.
Vitality News reports on BIG PHARMA UPDATE: The Sick Get Sicker as Legal Drug Pushing Puts Profits Before the Health of Patients.
The American Thoracic Society reports Environmental Exposures May Damage DNA in as Few as Three Days.
CTV reports a 10-year-old girl is battling breast cancer.
South Florida Business Journal reports the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s tests of high-sulfur Chinese drywall have confirmed differences between the imported material and U.S.-made drywall. The tests showed Chinese-made drywall contained sulfur that was not in U.S. drywall, strontium (a metallic element) at levels 10 times as high as in U.S. drywall and two other organic compounds generally found in acrylic paint.
Air Force Times reports groups disagree about Gulf War illness research.
On the research front:
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MCS/ES Needs and Recommendations
Posted on Jun 03, 2009 by Susie Collins in Blog, Linda Sepp, MCS
By making the world a safer place for people with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, everybody benefits.
Post by Linda.
This paper is a work in progress. Comments and suggestions for additions are welcomed.
Multiple Chemical Sensitivities/Environmental Sensitivities are symptoms of bodily systems gone haywire when exposed to certain chemicals or other triggering agents. The biological mechanisms are still being explored, and it is likely there are several of them.
Those with MCS/ES feel immediate effects from exposures to chemicals or Electromagnetic Fields/Electromagnetic Radiation (EMF/EMR), ranging from headaches and breathing difficulties, to seizures and paralysis. Symptoms are immediate from barely perceptible exposures to things that otherwise take years of research to definitively connect to other diseases.
Everybody is at risk. Cancers, birth defects, autism, Attention Deficit Disorder, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, diabetes, heart disease and asthma are a few diseases now linked to chemical exposures. The health care costs from these are enormous, and preventable.
By making the world a safer place for people with MCS/ES, everybody benefits.
Here’s what people with MCS/ES need:
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Welcome to The Canary Report!
The Canary Report is a blog and social network about Multiple Chemical Sensitivity.
We compassionately bring you unfiltered and uncensored news and information you can trust directly from the source: people who have MCS. Dedicated to sharing, supporting, and inspiring with the Aloha Spirit, The Canary Report gives all canaries a voice. Come join us!
Aloha,
Susie Collins
Founder and Contributing Editor
Hilo, Hawaii
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