The Canary Report

Open Tabs

Posted on Mar 12, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, Environment, Government Regulation, News, Susie Collins

More from my series Open Tabs, sharing links to the pages I have open on my browser.

I’m sorry I don’t always remember where the links come from, many are sent to me through Facebook or email. I try to give credit when I can. I’m not working in a vacuum, most info I find is sent to me in one way or another and I thank all of you for taking the time to share. xoxo

Clean, Green, and Lean: Get Rid of the Toxins That Make You Fat by Dr. Walter Crinnion

My online friend, Missy, sent me this link to a book about losing weight, Clean, Green, and Lean: Get Rid of the Toxins That Make You Fat by Dr. Walter Crinnion. Before you get the wrong idea, this book is not about another fad diet so your can fit into your Gucci pants, this is serious information of value to people who have a weight problem due to toxic chemical or mold exposure. It’s also available on Kindle.

A renowned naturopathic doctor shows you how to get lean and be green while helping to save the planet.

Now you can lose weight and be good to the environment, too-without starvation diets, calorie counting, complicated meal plans, or even having to exercise. Dr. Walter Crinnion, a naturopathic doctor and environmental medicine physician, shows you how to clean up your diet and clear out your body and home to eliminate unwanted pounds and toxins from your life. You’ll be able to get rid of nagging health problems such as allergies and fatigue and enjoy greater energy and a greener planet. Clean, Green, and Lean:

* Shares an effective program to shed pounds and stay healthy by getting rid of toxins in your body and your life in just four weeks
* Combines losing weight with being good to the environment
* Can help reduce aches and pains, depression, and other health problems
* Is written by one of the country’s foremost authorities on environmental medicine who has appeared on The View and other programs

If you’re serious about losing weight and safeguarding your health, follow the expert advice of Dr. Crinnion and start getting clean, green, and lean today.

Here’s an enlightening essay by Helen Larkin on Women and the Environment: Understanding Connections.

America was created, designed, and governed by men, yet now we are one of the most violent Westernized countries, infested with cancer, and have the greatest disconnection from our ecological impacts. Young women today need to enter into the sciences with a vengeance studying toxicology, agriculture, biomimicry, conservation, green chemistry, alternative energy, health, nutrition, and ecological dynamics. Women today must enter all realms of governance. We need to preserve the best of modern living while walking as gently as possible on the planet. We must educate and KNOW that female is creation, female is nature, and female is the future. Most important: Female is Life.

The Environmental Working Group has an excellent page on Scented Secrets: Fragrances Hide Toxic Chemical Ingredients. It was produced as guidance for Valentine’s Day presents, but can be applied any day. The Environmental Working Group is one of the best places on the web to get information about toxic chemicals in consumer goods, it’s info you can trust.

Take a quick look at a personal care product label, and you’ll nearly always find a long list of chemical ingredients in tiny print. Chances are, somewhere in the midst of these technical chemical terms, is the simple word “fragrance.” Although companies are required by law to list all chemicals ingredients in a product, a special loophole allows them to hide what’s in the “fragrance” component[1]. And what’s hidden in that simple word can include complex mixtures of up to hundreds of chemicals that studies show may be linked to a variety of health problems, including allergies, skin reactions, endocrine/hormone disruption, and possibly even birth defects. Companies are not required to test cosmetics for safety before they are sold. The label is the primary protection we have to make decisions about products we rub, pour, and lather on our skin and hair. Yet when it comes to fragrances, we don’t even have this simple protection.

An online friend asked me to share some info about burn pits. I’ve covered this story previously on The Canary Report, but here’s a recent report in the New York Times: Veterans speak out against burn pits, a range of health problems are linked to the pits on military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan, toxic substances have been found in the smoke.

On the website Fragrance Free Living, Bonnie tells her story about losing her job and almost her house due to her Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. I’m pleased to see my online friend Roberta Bradley, vice president at the Environmental Health Association of Alberta, leave a comment for Bonnie with links and information.

Common Dreams reports Cities Sue Manufacturer of Weed-Killer Found in Tap Water: Federal Lawsuit Seeks Funding to Remove Atrazine from Water Supply. This story is interesting because the states are arguing that they shouldn’t have to pay for filtering out the contaminant that the chemical company is responsible for manufacturing and selling as safe. I would argue the federal government is equally to blame for this problem, having not done their job of protecting public health before protecting corporate interest.

Annie Bond writes about toxic teeth, BPA and dental bonding materials. This is a product about which every canary should be aware.

Okay, that’s enough, that should keep you busy for awhile! Thanks to everyone who sent me the links!

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Tags: Books, Chemicals, Environment, Fragrance, Perfume, Pesticides, Policy, Pollution, Products, Research, Toxic

Film: Gasland

Posted on Mar 12, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, Environment, Government Regulation, Susie Collins

A cross-country odyssey uncovers toxic streams, dying livestock, flammable sinks and weakening health among rural citizens on the front lines of the natural gas drilling craze.

This is a follow-up on the same topic of yesterday’s post about fellow canary Sandra DenBraber, who is battling an oil and gas company contaminating her neighborhood with toxic emissions from a natural gas drill site near her home.

Meet Josh Fox, who is offered $100K for rights to drill for natural gas on his property, but Josh smells a rat and decides to travels through 32 states to discover for himself what happened in other areas that cut a deal. There he discovers the hellish world of fracking, the highly toxic process of natural gas extraction. And he catches the whole nightmare on film.

This film is currently on the film festival circuit. The next three Gasland film fests: WASHINGTON DC Environmental Film Festival, March 16th; the PHILADELPHIA film fest, April 9-11; and at the YALE Environmental Film Fest, April 11th.

Link to the Gasland website.

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Tags: Environment, Policy, Pollution, Video

Gas well drilling operation impacts health of an entire neighborhood

Posted on Mar 10, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, Government Regulation, MCS, Susie Collins

Woman with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity is the first in  her neighborhood to detect toxic emissions from gas well drilling site; her health deteriorates while she fights for clean air.

Drilling at the University of Texas at Arlington.

Sandra DenBraber

Sandra DenBraber, who has Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, sent me an update about the toxic emissions from a natural gas drill site near her home. She wanted me to share with Canary Report readers an update about her health and a report in the Fort Worth Weekly published today.

“I really wanted you to have this story since the reporter did such an excellent job,” she wrote me. “The more people that hear about what happens to chemically sensitive people the more hope for change. I will continue to fight for change in drilling. It is essential since now 25% of children in the drilling area have respiratory problems per a recent news article.”

Here’s an excerpt from the Fort Worth Weekly report:

DenBraber, a former occupational health nurse, moved to her neighborhood more than 24 years ago after developing severe chemical sensitivities that forced her to quit her job. She went to great lengths to make sure her environment was as free of chemicals as possible: Her home has no carpeting, no gas lines, and several heavy-duty air filtration units. She lived there in relative good health, getting by on disability payments supplemented by a small income from making and selling charcoal masks for others who suffer from the same problem.

But in 2008, in the midst of drilling operations near UTA conducted by Houston-based Carrizo Oil and Gas, her health declined rapidly. Both DenBraber and her physician, Dr. Alfred Johnson, began to suspect emissions from the well site might be responsible.

“It got to the point I wasn’t able to leave my home without getting an instant migraine,” DenBraber said. “I have an above-ground pool for exercise [following joint replacement surgeries] that I was unable to use. I couldn’t work in my garden; I couldn’t step out the door.”

The change in her health became so pronounced that both Johnson and Dr. Susan Murphy , a rehabilitation specialist at UT Southwestern Medical Center, sent letters to Carrizo on her behalf in March and April of 2008, asking that the company work with DenBraber to find a mutually agreeable solution to her situation.

“Sandy tends to react more strongly to chemical exposure than most because of her chemical sensitivity,” Johnson said. “In a sense, she’s kind of like the canary in a mineshaft.”

My guess is that no one from Carrizo Oil and Gas lives anywhere near this operation. It shouldn’t be that the people who have been made ill are the ones at the front lines of the battles for clean air, but that is too often the case. Sandra has my respect and admiration for fighting the good fight not just for herself, but for the health, safety and welfare of her entire neighborhood. Brava, Sandra! I hope this is resolved soon so that you and your neighbors, including the students at UTA, are soon protected from this major polluter.

Photo credit of drilling site, Carrizo Oil and Gas.

Photo of Sandra ©2010 Sandra DenBraber

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Tags: Air, Children's Health, Environment, Indoor Pollution, MCS, Nontoxic, Policy, Pollution, Stink, Toxic

$100K awarded to woman with chemical sensitivity denied proper accomodations at work

Posted on Mar 10, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, Disability Rights, MCS, Susie Collins, Worker's Rights

Woman with chemical sensitivity awarded $100K for being denied proper accommodations at work; her coworker’s perfume made it difficult for her to breathe.

Modern perfume contains known toxic chemicals that can cause serious cognitive and respiratory problems in people with chemical sensitivity.

On Point reports a Detroit city planner with an allergy to perfume is savoring the sweet smell of legal success after the city agreed to pay her $100,000 and be more sensitive to the chemically sensitive.

The agreement -– obtained by On Point through a public records act request — settled Susan McBride’s lawsuit under the Americans With Disabilities Act which alleged the City of Detroit failed to reasonably accommodate her allergy after she complained that a co-worker’s perfume made it difficult for her to breathe.

Some critics attacked McBride for being overly sensitive and abusing the court system. But many workplaces are now perfume-free and a judge in November 2008 denied the city’s motion to dismiss, ruling McBride could proceed with a disability claim “based on the major life activity of breathing.”

As part of the settlement, which the parties signed last month, the city will post a notice on bulletin boards in its offices announcing that “Our goal is to be sensitive to employees with perfume and chemical sensitivities”

Let’s hope it sets precedent for future cases. If you have Multiple Chemical Sensitivity and are having trouble with your employer giving you proper accommodations, you might like to share the agreement with them. This is an access issue, the same as any other disability protected under the ADA.

<a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/momoe365photos/4154731316/”>Photo credit.

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Tags: Air, Chemicals, Environmental Illness, Fragrance, Law, MCS, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Perfume, Personal Care, Policy, Sick Building, Stink, Toxic, Work

Please sign Italian petition for recognition of Multiple Chemcial Sensitivity

Posted on Mar 07, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, Disability Rights, MCS, Social Justice, Susie Collins

Our fellow canaries in Italy are asking for our support: Please take a minute to sign this petition for the recognition of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity in Italy.

Italian flag

There are just a couple more days left to sign in support of the Italian petition to recognize Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. In the middle of March, the Association for Chronic and/or Environmental Diseases by Intoxication (AMICA) will meet with Senators to present the petition. Please sign; last day to sign is March 10.

Click here to sign– it’s all in Italian, so once you get to that page, click on “Firma,” then fill in the fields for First Name, Last Name, Email, Telephone (not necessary), and postal code (CAP). Direct link here to sign the petition.

THE PETITION TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH:

Petition promoted by the Association for Chronic and/or Environmental Diseases by Intoxication (AMICA) www.sensibilitachimica.it

To the Presidency of the Senate of the Italian Republic

To the President of the Chamber of Deputies

To the XII Committee of the Social Affairs at the Chamber of Deputies

To the XII Commission of the Senate Health and Hygiene

Since the Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) is a chronic disabling condition that involves multiorgan reactions to exposure to various chemicals in quantities normally tolerated by the general population and that the diagnostic criteria were established by international consensus in 1999;

Seen that from 2 to 10% of the population is hyper-sensitive to environmental chemicals and products in common use and an increasing proportion is affected by multiple substances – that is suffering multiple chemical sensitivity, or MCS – with impaired capacity for work, social life and autonomy that varies from mild to very severe depending on the stages of the disease;

Since the MCS is recognized in the United States by federal law for the Disabled American with Disabilities Act, federal agencies – such as the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Housing and Urban Development, the Social Security Administration – and many local governments;

Since the MCS is recognized by Canada federal and Provincial government agencies;

Since the MCS is classified by Germany since 1998 in the International Code of Diseases by the T 78.4 in Chapter 19 (Injury, poisoning and other consequences resulting from external causes) and Section T66-T78 (Other and unspecified damage from external factors);

As the Ministry of Welfare and Labor of Germany, who had classified the MCS in the of list of motor disability (as compared to those for the inability of patients to move), has removed the description of illness as psychosomatic (of psychological origin / Psychiatry), putting an end to discrimination of this disease environment;

As the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (Japan), which for years have recognized the sick building syndrome – similar to the MCS, said insert MCS October 2009 in the list of diseases covered by the insurance of the National Health Service;

Since in Italy there is no law that equalize the rights of the environmental patients (not only MCS, but also of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, to Elettrosensibilità of Fibromyalgia, Sick Building Syndrome, etc..) Than those of any other form of disability in terms of job protection, the right to treatment, the right to a home “safe”, etc..;

The petitioners demand that are challenged with the highest priority of the six bills initiative of the House of Representatives (No. 1621 August 5, 2008, No. 1654 of September 18, 2008, No. 1667 of 18 September 2008, N . 2287 March 12, 2009) and Senate (NS1019 of 17 September 2008, No. 1165 of 28 October 2008) for the recognition of MCS as a social disease, using the international consensus in 1999 as a benchmark for the diagnosis, as in the world.

Thanks Rose and Francesca! Keep up the good work!

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Tags: Law, MCS, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Policy, Support

Film: Living Downstream

Posted on Mar 06, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, Environment, Media/Videos, Susie Collins

Based on the acclaimed book by ecologist and cancer survivor Sandra Steingraber, Ph.D., Living Downstream is an eloquent and cinematic feature-length documentary.

This is sure to be an incredible film, making the connections between cancer and toxic chemicals in our environment. Public screenings begin this month.

There once was a village overlooking a beautiful river.

The people who lived here were very kind.

These residents, according to parable, began noticing increasing numbers of drowning people caught in the river’s swift current and so went to work devising ever more elaborate technologies to resuscitate them.

So preoccupied were these heroic villagers with rescue and treatment that they never thought to look upstream to see who was pushing the victims in.

Living Downstream is a walk up that river. The river of human cancer.

Based on the acclaimed book by ecologist and cancer survivor Sandra Steingraber, Ph.D., Living Downstream is an eloquent and cinematic feature-length documentary. This poetic and character-driven film follows Sandra during one pivotal year as she travels across North America, working to break the silence about cancer and its environmental links.

Link to the Living Downstream website.

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Tags: Air, Children's Health, Environment, Pollution, Research, Toxic, Video, Water

Who’s chirping about Multiple Chemical Sensitivity?

Posted on Mar 04, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, MCS, Susie Collins

Here’s what some members of our Canary Report community are up to!

Kimberly at Adventurous Canary reports that the Sedona Film Festival is going scent-free.

Meg is looking for land, in or around the state of Virginia, to park her new airstream trailer. If you have any leads or ideas, please let Meg know!

My airstream trailer will finally be done soon. I have been trying for a year or so to find safe land to put it on, but no luck so far. Not entirely surprising, considering how polluted this part of the country is! I just need someplace for a bit here until I am well enough to really move to a better place. Anyone know of anything? I would be happy to rent or possibly buy, or rent with someone else if they are understanding of extremely severe MCS.

Rob at DTOX Radio created a blogroll page that includes The Canary Report and the blogs of several of our members. Thanks for the shout out, Rob!

Kathy wrote a post on her blog at Open Salon called There is no other way to tell you this… but YOU STINK!

Melva at Multiple Chemical Sensitivity: Living with Altered DNA recently redesigned her website. She’s included a link to The Canary Report cap on her links page. Thanks, Melva!

Spanish blogger Eva at NO FUN launched an English section. Now peeps like me who weren’t paying enough attention in Spanish class can read some of Eva’s blog!

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Tags: MCS, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity

Open tabs

Posted on Feb 25, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, News, Susie Collins

Every night when I turn off the computer, I have dozens of tabs open from all the sites I’ve explored during the day. In the first of a new regular series on The Canary Report called “Open Tabs,” I’d like to share some of the more interesting with you!

Every night when I go to turn off the computer, I have dozens of tabs open from all the sites I’ve explored during the day. Some links are emailed to me, some I pick up on Twitter and Facebook, some I get from peeps during chats on our network, some I find on my own. I thought it might be fun to share them with you from time to time: it will give you a glimpse into the roaming I do all day to satisfy my uncontrollable urge to stick my nose into absolutely everything.

Here are a few of the tabs that I’ve had open for the past few days:

A sign every canary will love.

Someone sent me a link to this awesome sign, “Environmentally Sensitive Area.”

My cat’s been very sick for months, unable to eat without throwing up. We put her through myriad tests, which all came up with nothing. Then, I remembered my holistic vet from when I lived on Kauai, Dr. Ihor Basko. Ihor’s specialty is homemade diet and Chinese medicine, including acupuncture and medicines. From his website: “Dr. Basko provides high quality, caring, holistic veterinarian services and healing acupuncture services on the Islands of Kauai and Oahu. Dr. Basko also provides guidance to pet owners world-wide for preventing disease and supporting the well-being of their pets through telephone consultations, a weekly radio show and through products and resources available through this website.” I filled out an online questionnaire, sent it off along with all the test results, and within five minutes on the phone, Dr. Basko had the problem diagnosed as gall bladder problems. He prescribed a special diet and some Chinese medicine, and after only a couple of days, my cat was doing almost 100% better! We are in week two of the Basko Protocol and she’s getting stronger every day. Thank you, Dr. Basko!

[...]

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Tags: Air, Chemicals, Children's Health, Environment, Environmental Health, EPA, Policy, Products

MCS researcher Martin Pall published at The Townsend

Posted on Feb 25, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, MCS, Research, Susie Collins

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity researcher Martin L. Pall’s paper, “How Can We Cure NO/ONOO− Cycle Diseases? Approaches to Curing Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, Fibromyalgia, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Gulf War Syndrome and Possibly Many Others,” is published in the February/March 2010 issue of The Townsend Letter: The Examiner of Alternative Medicine. Pall is Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry and Basic Medical Science at Washington State University.

The entire essay is published at the Townsend, here’s an excerpt:

Feb/March 2010 cover of The Townsend Letter

The NO/ONOO− cycle is a biochemical vicious cycle that is thought to cause such diseases as chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME), multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), fibromyalgia (FM), and possibly a large number of other chronic inflammatory diseases. The chemistry/biochemistry of the cycle predicts that the primary mechanism is local such the depending on where it is localized in the body, it may cause a variety of different diseases.

Previous studies have shown that agents that lower such cycle elements as oxidative stress, nitric oxide, inflammatory responses, mitochondrial dysfunction, tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) depletion and NMDA activity produce clinical improvements in CFS/ME and FM patients, consistent with the predictions of the cycle mechanism. Multiagent protocols lowering several aspects of the cycle appear to be the most promising approaches to therapy. These include an entirely over-the-counter nutritional support protocol developed by the author in conjunction with the Allergy Research Group.

However, such mulitagent protocols to date have not produced any substantial numbers of cures of these presumed NO/ONOO− cycle disease. Why is that? This paper argues that what is called the central couplet of the cycle, the reciprocal relation between peroxynitrite elevation and BH4 depletion, is not being adequately downregulated by these multiagent protocols. Ten agents/classes of agents are available, each of which downregulates one or the other end of this central couplet. It is suggested, then, that treatments that simultaneously effectively downregulate both ends to the central couplet, when used along with multiagent protocols lowering other aspects of the cycle and avoidance of stressors that otherwise upregulate the cycle, will lead to substantial numbers of cures of these chronic diseases.

Martin L. Pall, PhD

It’s very exciting to see Pall published at The Townsend. I think he’s on the leading edge of MCS research, and I urge you to learn more about his findings.

A major paper on Multiple Chemical Sensitivity by Pall (at left) was published last year as chapter XX in a prestigious reference work for professional toxicologists,  General and Applied Toxicology, 3rd Edition (2009, John Wiley & Sons). Pall’s paper, entitled “Multiple Chemical Sensitivity: Toxicological Questions and Mechanisms,” establishes five important facts about MCS: 1) MCS is common; 2) MCS is caused by toxic chemical exposure; 3) the role of chemicals acting as toxicants in MCS has been confirmed by genetic studies; 4) there is a detailed and generally well supported mechanism for MCS, the NO/ONOO- cycle; and 5) MCS is a physiological disease initiated by toxic chemical exposure that has been falsely claimed to be psychogenic.

Pall 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.

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Tags: MCS, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Research

The Canary Report launches online shop!

Posted on Feb 25, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, Products, Susie Collins

I’m pleased to announce the launch of The Canary Report online shop!

Women's Organic Cotton T

Men's Organic Cotton T

I’ve started us off with some organic women and men’s t-shirts; a darling organic infant “onesie”; some buttons, magnets, keychains and bumperstickers (made with sustainable paper products).

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The Canary Report Cap

Of special interest, as we approach MCS Awareness Month in May, is our yellow hat, designed specially for the Yellow Hats and Feathers Multiple Chemical Sensitivity awareness campaign! (Come join our Yellow Hats and Feathers Group on our network and post a photo of you in your yellow bling!)

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Our 2010 Calendar, “The Naked Truth About Multiple Chemical Sensitivity,” is still available for purchase, but is hidden from view on the public shop because of the nudity and strong language. Here are the direct links: Version 1 and Version 2. All profit from sales of the calendars goes to The Environmental Working Group.

I’ll be launching a T-shirt slogan contest very soon! So put on your thinking caps, Canaries, and come up with some brilliant slogans you’d like to report to the world on your t-shirts. More soon on that! (And yes, the contest will offer a chance at some free merchandise! WoOt!)

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Tags: MCS, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Products

Jacki and John are married!

Posted on Feb 14, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, Healthy Living, Susie Collins

Jacki reports she and John married yesterday in the midst of a snow-covered forest! Their dear friend Coleen officiated.

The ceremony

Exciting news from Jacki!

Coleen did a great job making it very special and full of love. Thank you to all my friends that wrote a email for her to read during the wedding. You were all there in love and words. THANK YOU for making John & my day so special…

LOVE,
j & j

Videos to follow soon! Read more about Jacki and John’s story of love here.

Congratulations, Jacki and John! The Canary Report community wishes you both all the happiness in the world in your new life as husband and canary! xoxo

~~~

02/17/10 UPDATE: Video now posted here.

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Tags: Healthy Living, Support

International Multiple Chemical Sensitivity awareness project is launched

Posted on Feb 13, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, MCS, Susie Collins

Some members of our flock have launched an MCS awareness campaign: If you or someone you know suffers from Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, please wear a yellow scarf, yellow hat, or yellow feathers pinned on a tie or top to help raise awareness for this debilitating and avoidable modern illness!

MCS feather pin by Karen, who lives in Australia.

Karen, a member of our community from Australia, wrote me a week or so ago with a wonderful idea:

Can we have a “yellow hat day” for MCS, to send a message out to others that wearing yellow like the Canary badge — yellow on our hats or a yellow feather pin or tie or in our hair –  means “stay away, I am sensitive to your perfume or cigarette smoke.” That way people will get to know about this illness and will be able to help by staying clear of us. And maybe look at chemicals in a different light, for their own lives. We can pass the word around via the Face Book and Canary Report and all the other internet means.

I wrote Karen back telling her I thought it sounded like a really fun project. Next thing you know, word was spreading and people were coming up with cute ideas about how to wear yellow, like the beautiful pin above made by Katarina. People from USA, Germany, Australia, Spain and Japan translated the announcement into their own language and shared on Facebook. I don’t think the campaign is limited to just one day, but I do like the catchy phrase “Yellow Hat Day!”

Here’s the announcement of the project in several languages. Please share!

If you or someone you know suffers from Multiple Chemical Sensitivity please wear a yellow scarf or yellow HAT or yellow feathers pinned on a tie or top to help raise awareness for this debilitating and avoidable modern illness! The yellow represents the Canary in the coal mine, and stands as a symbolic warning that these toxins effect on everyone. Please copy and paste this message onto their profile page. Thanks to all.

SPANISH – Si usted o alguien que conoce, sufre de SQM porfa lleve un pañuelo o sombrero o plumas amarillas puestas en una corbata o encima de su ropa. Así podrá ayudar a crear conciencia de esta enfermedad debilitante moderna y evitable! El amarillo representa el canario en la mina de carbón, y es una advertencia simbólica todos estos efectos tóxicos que afectan a todos. Por favor, copia y pega este mensaje en su perfil. Gracias a todos.

DUTCH: Als u of een kennis van U lijdt aan multiple chemical sensitivity, draag dan aub gele sjaal of hoed of pluim bevestigd aan uw hoed/pet of op uw kleding. Zo helpt U bij de bewustwording van deze slopende en vermijdbare moderne ziekte! Het gele vertegenwoordigt de kanarie in de kolenmijn, en is een symbolische waarschuwing voor deze toxinen die op iedereen effect kunnen hebben. Kopieer dit en plak het op hun profiel page. Bedankt

FRENCH: Si vous ou quelqu’un que vous connaissez souffre de SQM svp portez un foulard, un chapeau ou une plume de couleur jaune pour aider à sensibiliser la population de cette maladie debilitante, moderne et évitable! Le jaune représente le canari dans la mine de charbon, et constitue un avertissement symbolique de l’effet de ces toxines sur tous le monde. Svp copier et coller ce message sur leur page de profil. Merci a tous

ITALIAN: Se voi o qualcuno che conosci soffre da Sensibilità Chimica Multipla si prega di indossare un foulard giallo o cappello giallo o piume gialle appuntato su un pareggio o superiore per contribuire ad aumentare la consapevolezza di questa malattia debilitante ed evitabile moderna! Il giallo rappresenta il Canarie nella miniera di carbone, e si pone come un monito simbolico che queste tossine effetto su tutti. Copia e incolla questo messaggio sulla pagina del loro profilo.

GERMAN: Wenn Du oder jemand, den Du kennst, an Multiple Chemical Sensitivity leidet, tragt bitte einen gelben Schal oder einen gelben Hut oder eine gelbe Feder am Kragen oder am Oberteil, um Aufmerksamkeit für diese schwächende und vermeidbare moderne Krankheit zu erzeugen! Die Farbe Gelb repräsentiert den Kanarienvogel in der Kohlengrube und steht für eine symbolische Warnung, das diese Schadstoffe jeden betreffen. Bitte kopiere und füge diese Mitteilung auf deren Profilseite ein. Danke an alle für’s Mitmachen.

JAPANESE: もし、あなたかあなたが知っている誰かが化学物質過敏症で苦しんでいるならば、人を衰弱させもするが予防可能なこの現代病についての関心を高めるために、黄色いスカーフや黄色い帽子を身につけるか、黄色い羽根をネクタイや上着にピンで留めてください。黄色は、炭鉱のカナリアを表し、有害物質は誰にも影響を及ぼすことへの警告を象徴的に表しています。このメッセージをあなた方のプロフィールページにコピーして貼り付けてください。すべての協力者に感謝します。

Thanks to Cathy, Lourdes, Silvia, and Ryozo for the various translations!

2/14 UPDATE: And more translations coming in!

SWEDISH: Om du eller någon som du känner, lider från Multipel Kemisk Känslighet be dem att ha på sig en gul scarf eller gul hatt eller gul fjäder som klämmas fast på en slips eller blus för att skapa medvetande om denna försvagande och undvikbara moderna sjuka! Gul färg föreställer kanariefågeln i kolgruvan och står som en symbolisk varning att dessa toxiner påverkar alla. Kopiera och klistra detta meddelande på deras profiler sidan.

Thanks, Katarina!

2/26 UPDATE: Sherry also contributed to the original announcement.

Thanks, Sherry!

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Tags: MCS, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Support

More blogging canaries

Posted on Feb 09, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, MCS, Susie Collins

I’ve discovered a couple more blogs by canaries!

On her blog After Gadget, Sharon blogs about life after the loss of her beloved service dog Gadget. After Gadget is a new blog with only a few posts, but if you get hooked like I did, you’ll read every page and then subscribe so you don’t miss the next entry!

Along with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Sharon also suffers myalgic encephalopathy (ME), also called chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) or chronic fatigue immune dysfunction syndrome (CFIDS). Her bio is here. An excerpt from the page about how MCS affects her life:

In my case, the low-level, constant exposure to the sick building was the initial trigger. If I had recognized what was happening and taken steps to lower my toxic burden, I might have regained my health and not become disabled. Instead, I moved into an apartment with freshly painted walls, bought cheap pine furniture (which is usually imbued with fungicides, insecticides, and formaldehyde), and then painted the new furniture. My symptoms increased in severity and number, and still I didn’t see the connection. Being so ill, I was forced to stay home from work and from teaching; I didn’t know this was the nail in the coffin of my health. The ancient gas stove and furnace in my kitchen and living room were leaking. As a result, I suffered several months of low-level, chronic carbon dioxide poisoning. By the time I found a doctor who diagnosed me with MCS and told me to shut off my gas, I’d developed severe MCS and CFIDS/ME.

Here’s Gadget delivering a message for Sharon to someone in another part of the house:

Because Sharon has speech disabilities, when she lost Gadget, she also lost this way of communicating with others in her home, which increased her sense of isolation and loss. But she’s adapting to life after Gadget, and while her heart still mourns for him, she’s also looking forward to bringing home a puppy in the very near future.

~~~

Faith at An Ocean of Joy gave The Canary Report two shout outs, so nice of her! First post here and second here. In the more recent, she explores biochemist Martin Pall’s MCS research. Faith has mast cell problems, and through process of elimination, has recently come to the conclusion that she has Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. I’m not familiar with mast cell problems, so I welcome the education I’m getting from her blog on that topic.

Pall explains how mast cells can be triggered by the cycle in the context of MCS, which may be of interest to anyone with Mast Cell Activation Disorder. In addition, he lists the 6 genetic polymorphisms associated with a susceptibility to MCS, including the UGT1A1 polymorphism associated with the heretofor ‘benign’ Gilbert’s Syndrome.

The way out of the cycle, according to Pall, is to reduce nitric oxide levels in the body, and he presents an experimental treatment protocol designed to do so.

Thanks for the education, Faith!

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Tags: Children's Health, Environment, Environmental Illness, MCS, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Research, Sick Building, Toxic, Work

CFL bulbs are not a safe choice for people with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity

Posted on Feb 09, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, Products, Susie Collins

Lighting can be a difficult issue for people with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, but compact fluorescent bulbs are not the answer.

Compact fluorescent lighting (CFL)  is a classic example of something being touted as green but in fact being anything but. While CFL bulbs use less electricity, and therefore are lessening the burning of fossil fuels at power plants, they contain trace levels of mercury, which can be released into the environment if they are accidentally broken, like in your home. In many states, CFL bulbs are regarded as hazardous waste, and in those states it is illegal to just throw out the old bulbs with the regular trash; they must be recycled at hazardous waste recycling centers. Of course the problem with this is that most people are not doing that, they just toss out the bulbs with the trash.

But getting back to the topic of CFLs in regards to people with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. Here are my thoughts on the topic:

CFL bulbs are toxic, period. If one breaks, trace mercury is released into the environment– that means if the bulb breaks in your bedroom, the mercury is in your bedroom and you are at risk for breathing vapors. Mercury is a potent neurotoxin. Clean up would be an expensive nightmare. Here’s an article “objectively” arguing that if you break a CFL bulb, there’s really nothing to worry about because only trace amounts of mercury vapor are released and so it probably won’t do any harm– the problem with that argument is that people with MCS can be made seriously ill from trace levels of toxic chemicals, especially neurotoxic.

The very first rule for someone with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity is to limit exposure to toxic chemicals, limit risk. I don’t care how much electricity you save with a CFL bulb, it is not worth the risk to have a bulb break inside your home.

Further, many people with MCS also have problems with the flicker of fluorescent bulbs. It’s simply not the best choice for someone whose body is stressed from chemical injury.

Right now, Light Emitting Diode or LED (at left) is the best lighting choice if you can afford it. While some people with light sensitivity may have problems with the brightness of LED, there are things you can do to lesson that brightness like shades, filters, or fixtures that create indirect light in the room. Otherwise, halogen or plain old light bulbs are best for canaries (you can play with full spectrum to see if it works for you or not). Try to stay away from fluorescent and CFL lighting as much as possible; I do not recommended that you bring CFLs into your home at all.

Thanks to Dennis, Connie, Hank, Linda, and Katrina for their contributions to this report!

Photo credit

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Tags: Environment, Healthy Living, Home, Indoor Pollution, MCS, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Products, Toxic

US Senate committee holds hearing on public exposures to toxic chemicals

Posted on Feb 04, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, Environment, Government Regulation, Susie Collins

Now available: Transcript and webcast of today’s hearing at the United States Senate Subcommittee on Superfund, Toxics and Environmental Health entitled, “Current Science on Public Exposures to Toxic Chemicals.”

Led by Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ), at left, the United States Senate Subcommittee on Superfund, Toxics and Environmental Health held a hearing today entitled, “Current Science on Public Exposures to Toxic Chemicals.” I urge you to become familiar with Sen. Lautenberg’s work on the hill; along with Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), he’s the greatest advocate in the U.S. Senate for toxic chemical policy reform. For those of you who follow The Canary report, you’ll remember a post I did on Sen. Launtenberg back in February 2009 when he assumed the chairmanship of this committee. Lautenberg is the senator who introduced the Kid-Safe Chemicals Act, a proposal to overhaul federal restrictions on toxic chemicals.

Canaries will recognize the name of one other of our heroes among the panel members: Ken Cook, president at the Environmental Working Group.

Subcommittee on Superfund, Toxics and Environmental Health hearing entitled, “Current Science on Public Exposures to Toxic Chemicals.”
Thursday, February 4, 2010
10:00 AM EST
EPW Hearing Room – 406 Dirksen

Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Superfund, Toxics, and Environmental Health, will convene a hearing to examine the current science on public exposures to toxic chemicals.

Majority Statements
Barbara Boxer
Frank R. Lautenberg

Minority Statements
James M. Inhofe
Witnesses

Opening Remarks

Panel 1

Steve Owens
Assistant Administrator, Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances
Environmental Protection Agency

Henry Falk M.D., M.P.H.
Acting Director, National Center for Environmental Health/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

John Stephenson
Director, Natural Resources and Environment, U.S. Government Accountability Office

Linda Birnbaum Ph.D., D.A.B.T., A.T.S.
Director
National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences

Panel 2

Molly Jones Gray
Participant in a Biomonitoring Study

Ken Cook
President
Environmental Working Group

Charles McKay MD FACMT, FACEP, ABIM
Division of Toxicology, Department of Emergency Medicine, Hartford Hospital

Tracey J. Woodruff PhD, MPH
Associate Professor and Director
Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco

I don’t know how much change is going to be made as a result of these hearings, but I can tell you that trends are moving in the direction of toxic chemical policy reform. If President Obama manages to hang on to a second term despite the discontent that is brewing due to the economic problems, we will have a much better chance at stronger reform. I can tell you though, that even though the wheels of Washington, DC, move painstakingly slow, I’ve seen more happening to enforce the Clean Air Act and to put progressive environmental policies in place over the past year than I saw in the entire eight years of the Bush administration.

Link to transcript and webcast of today’s hearing.

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Tags: Air, Chemicals, Environment, Food, Law, Policy, Pollution, Products, Research, Toxic, Water