Law & Disability Rights | The Canary Report

Checklist for physicians seeing patients with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity

Posted by Susie

Sep 052011

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity patients are advised to ask physicians for specific items during an office visit or examination, rather than merely asking for “accommodations.”

MCS America publishes a check list for physicians: Accommodating Multiple Chemical Sensitivity in the Doctor’s Office.

While a chemical- and fragrance-free office would be the most ideal situation, there are still simple ways to accommodate a patient with MCS. It is best to ask the patient what would work for them based on their knowledge and history of MCS. Patients are advised to ask for specific items, rather than merely asking for “accommodations.”

Setting the Appointment
• Provide a first appointment of the day when not many other patients are around and wait time will be minimal.
• Ask the patient what would help to make their visit more comfortable.

Before the Appointment
• Flag the patient’s chart for “allergies.”
• Remove candles, air fresheners, and other scenting devices.

On the Day of the Appointment
• Allow the patient to wait outside or in vehicle when weather permits.
• Provide an isolated room for the patient to wait where contact with other patients is limited.
• Allow the patient to enter through the back door or staff entrance to avoid contact with other patients.
• Refrain from the use of any scented personal care products the day of the appointment.
• Assign unscented staff to work with the patient.

During the Appointment
• Check with the patient before coming into contact with them or administering any medications, including the use of alcohol and latex gloves.
• Provide oxygen, if/when needed.
• If the patient unavoidably experiences a reaction to an exposure, remove the offending substance or person immediately. Move the MCS patient outdoors or to another room with separate ventilation.
• Refrain from using cleaning products, aerosols, and office equipment such as faxes and copiers while the patient is in the building.
• Listen attentively to the patient. They usually know what they are reacting to and how to best remedy the situation.
• Refrain from creating tension and feelings of being misunderstood by telling a patient “try not to think about it” or “relax.” These suggestions are no more effective than telling a diabetic not to think about her low blood sugar emergency. Corrective action is the only way to remedy the emergency.

PDF of full article.
Photo by benchilada.

Letter: I wanted to thank you for your help and advice

Posted by Guest Blogger

Aug 082011

My friend Mary says she could not have won her hearing without your help, advice and website.

Letter to the Editor by Joyce Jallo.

Dear Susie,

I wanted to thank you for your help and advice for my friend Mary. She also wanted me to thank you. She just won the [social security disability insurance] hearing and now just has to wait for 4-6 months. Mary printed info off of your website and educated her doctor so her wonderful doctor wrote that she has Environmental Illness/Multiple Chemical Sensitivity in her chart and with all of her records over the past 8-9 years, she won. She took your advice and quit work and had several meetings to make sure she would get enough money to keep her home and started the paperwork. She feels a lot better now that she is not working and is slowly getting her house safe.

Mary says she could not have done it without your help, advice and website. Bless you for all of your hard work and helping my good friend. Mary’s whole world changed after reading the Washington State Proclamation. That just goes to show that they really do help educate people.

Blessings,
Joyce Jallo

New Social Security Administration rules on re-filing while appeals council review is pending

Posted by Contributor

Aug 022011

In a new ruling, the US Social Security Administration states you cannot file a new application while an appeal is pending at the Appeals Council level on a previous application.

By contributor Michael J. Walkup, Esq.

Michael J. Walkup, Esq.

In those Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Social Security disability cases that are not successful at the hearing stage, my clients have several options. First, they can appeal to the Appeals Council, which is part of the Social Security Administration. This usually takes up to two additional years and, at best, will only usually result in having the case sent back to the same Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) who denied the case the first time. Most often, that ALJ is prejudiced against MCS and will just clean up his or her act the second time around.

The other option is to file a new application for benefits. This will take about the same amount of time as an appeal and the ALJ will be selected randomly from the half a dozen or so that are typically assigned to any particular hearing office.

The problem with a new application is that you give up any retroactive benefits that had accrued while the first claim is pending.

Up until last month, we had a third option, which was to both file an appeal and a new application. This meant that if the appeal was not successful, the new application would already have found it’s way to the hearing level and at least another hearing could be obtained without additional waiting. You also might get a different ALJ on the new application who would be more open to the MCS diagnosis.

SSA has now foreclosed the third option. In a new ruling, they have stated that you cannot file a new application while an appeal is pending at the Appeals Council level on a previous application. You have to decide between an appeal and a new application. If you decide to forgo the appeal, they will accept the new application (again, you will lose the retroactive benefits from the previous case).

Given that most appeals just result in a second hearing in front of the same ALJ who denied the first case, I usually do not recommend appealing and counsel my clients to file new applications. If, however, you intend to move out of the area in which you are currently residing, you might fall under the jurisdiction of another hearings office and would have a different ALJ on the remanded (original) case.

Also, if you had passed your “date last insured” for disability benefits prior to the first ALJ denial decision, you cannot file a new application for the same benefit period and would be limited to Supplemental Security Income benefits, if you qualify for those financially (must be below the “poverty line”). Clients who are married with working spouses would not qualify for SSI benefits. They will have no choice other than an appeal.

You can still file a new application while your case is appealed to the Federal Court following an Appeals Council denial.

~~~

UPDATE

January 4, 2012

Here is an addendum to my previous article on filing a new application for benefits while an appeal is pending:

In the above article, I informed the readers that the Social Security Administration had adopted a new rule that would prevent people from filing a new application while an appeal was pending at the Appeals Council on a denial decision from an ALJ.

The problem with this, particularly for people with MCS, is that the Appeals Council case will take a couple of years and by that time a new application will have made it up to the hearing level. Therefore, if the appeal is denied, the claimant has another case in the hopper ready to go. Otherwise, they have to apply and wait another two years to get to the hearing level again.

One of the advantages of a new application is also that it will be randomly assigned to one of the ALJ’s in that hearing office so if the original hearing ALJ was prejudiced against MCS cases, you might not get that ALJ the second time. However, if the Appeals Council remands the case for another hearing, the original ALJ is usually assigned again.

In addition, if you cannot file a new application, and lose the appeal on the first application, you will lose an additional year of benefits as the new application can only go back one year before the date of filing for retroactive benefits for SSDI. In SSI cases, you will lose two years of benefits as the retroactive benefits can only run from the date of filing in those cases.

You may also run out of your insured status for SSDI cases while all of this is going on and many not even be able to file a new application for those benefits.

A potential partial remedy has been suggested. What you would do is send a certified letter to the SSA District Office that you “intend” to file a new application. Be sure to get a return receipt. They may be able to avoid processing the new application, but they may have to at least accept the “filing.” This may then be able to be used later if you lose the appeal to establish a protective filing.

~~~

Michael Walkup is an experienced disability practitioner with more than 25 years experience in the disability law field. In 2001, he became disabled due to Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS), Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS). He now provides a service to advise clients with potential disability claims who have MCS, CFS and/or FMS. As these programs and law are usually federal, he is able to practice in all 50 states and, therefore, represent clients regardless of location.

Michael is a long time Sustaining Member of the National Organization for Social Security Claimants’ Representatives, the only national body for disability representatives. He is also certified as a Federal Trial Lawyer and is admitted to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veteran’s Claims.

Michael would welcome the opportunity to possibly help with disability claims. For more information, visit his website MCS Legal Help at walkuplaw.com. Contact info: email MJWalkup@Amertech.net or call 866-880-4878.

Woman with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity describes the difficulty finding safe housing

Posted by Susie

Jul 112011

“Knowing you have a right to accessibility is very different from being able to get that accessibility, especially when you are dependent on people’s good will and you have no guarantee that the future will not bring new chemical injuries.” –Client of the Centre for Equality Rights in Accommodation, Canada

The Centre for Equality Rights in Accommodation reports on a client trying to find environmentally safe housing. CERA is a not-for-profit in Canada (offices in Toronto and Ottawa) established to ensure that human rights protections in housing are effective for low income households and to address systemic barriers to accessing affordable accommodation.

These are the experiences of one of our clients, Jane, who lives with environmental sensitivities and has been struggling to find safe housing.

I had no idea that when I started experiencing increasing migraines, sudden weight gain, rashes, coughing, IBS, difficulty concentrating, irritability, and other symptoms at work, that I was developing MCS/ES. Very small amounts of chemicals found in fabric softener, air freshener, perfume, scented personal care products, detergents, pesticides and more, were toxic to my body — chemically injuring the organs of my body. At first, I would be fine when I returned home, but over many months, the exposures to chemicals caused chronic MCS/ES and my home was no longer safe. I needed, what is known in human rights as “a scent-free/chemical avoidance” environment. And so I began the search for safe housing.

My first attempt was completely unsuccessful, mainly because it takes a great deal of research to know what is safe and what is not safe. I can tell you now that living near ‘brownfield’ remediation is not safe, living near a major street or highway is not safe; neighbours using fabric softener, detergents like Tide or Gain and venting these chemicals out of hot dryers; pesticide use in the neighbourhood, industry, rail lines and gas stations nearby; and the list goes on. Also, the house, itself, was not safe. Air freshener residue is very hard, if not impossible, to remove; products such as laminate and carpets ‘off-gas’; mold can make life impossible; and, again, the list goes on.

Read full report.

Thanks, Linda!

Changes in the Americans with Disabilities Act may affect people with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity

Posted by Contributor

Apr 282011

The Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act, effective May 2011, may make it easier for people with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity to secure accommodations at work.

By contributor Michael J. Walkup, Esq.

Michael J. Walkup, Esq.

Effective May 24, 2011, new changes to the Americans with Disabilities Act, called the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA or Amended Act), will go into effect after implementation of federal regulations.

The previous Act had been misinterpreted by the U.S. Supreme Court shortly after it’s enactment in the early 90′s to place the focus on first establishing if the individual worker was “disabled enough” to qualify under the Act, instead of the Congressional intent of focusing on the discrimination and the reasonableness of accommodations that would be required to allow the worker to function in the job.

People with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity were universally unable to meet the definition of disability due to lack of official recognition of MCS by the mainstream medical community, and their cases were dismissed.

Under the Amended Act, this will no longer be so much of an obstacle. The focus has now shifted to determining if discrimination has occurred and if it there is a reasonable method of accommodating the employee without undue burden to the employer, rather than analyzing the claimed disability of the employee. This should make things a bit easier for people who are still trying to hold onto their jobs who have MCS.

Although many MCS sufferers will still require such extensive accommodations that it may not be realistically possible for the employer to meet their needs, there are others for whom some simple things, such as not placing their workstation near other employees who wear fragrances, allowing them to work next to a window that can be opened, not placing them next to the photocopier, or allowing them to have a portable air filter machine in their workstation, may be possible. It may also be feasible to do some jobs, or at least portions of some jobs, from home.

Should you require an accommodation, you should request it in writing and cite the Amended Act as the basis for your request. Then try to get a meeting with the employer to see if you can jointly craft a solution. You may wish to consult with an attorney to assist you in trying to work things out with your employer.

~~~

Letter: Alternative physicians opting out of Medicare no longer allowed to provide full services to patients

Posted by Guest Blogger

Apr 212011

I’ve been notified that any alternative medical practice, which has opted out of Medicare, will now be prohibited from writing prescriptions, ordering labs, x rays, any tests, or making referrals to another doctor, further marginalizing people with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity from a doctor’s care.

Letter to the Editor by Catherine Hollingsworth.

Yesterday I received a call from my metal toxicologist, who is also an MD. She practices at her own alternative medical clinic here in Anchorage. She has been my rock and understands MCS, porphyria and even uses Key Pharmacy in Seattle for glutithione Pall protocol. The subject of this call was that she was notified by Medicare that any alternative medical practice, which has opted out of Medicare, will now be prohibited from writing Rx, ordering labs, x rays, any tests, or making referrals to another doctor.

Needless to say, I am shocked, although I have seen the writing for some time.

At this point, I will be out of thyroid meds, migraine meds, and my protocol in a couple of weeks, and without a doctor to turn to in the state of Alaska. This will begin to impact my “safety net” shortly as I must obtain supporting letters from an Alaska doctor for housing, public assistance and other needs.

I called my care coordinator this morning and told her what was happening to my case, she was stunned at the abruptness of this. After making a call to my doctor herself, the care coordinator confirmed this is so and that I would, indeed, be without a doctor now.

So, I wanted to let you know this has already happened here, apparently, I am the first at this practice to find I couldn’t even get my IMitrex filled and then found the reason for that.

Perhaps you have been aware of this or have others who are being further marginalized from a doctor’s care. Please do let the other canaries know that IF they are currently paying cash for any doctor who has opted out of Medicare, they had better stock up on their Rx’s fast or face a gap without medicine.

Catherine Hollingsworth
Alaska

Letter: 2002 toxic chemical incident at Canadian aviation facility never properly investigated

Posted by Guest Blogger

Feb 272011

The actual number of people poisoned and injured at the Canadian aviation facility is unknown as no one has spent the time to find out. Let’s launch a letter writing campaign to Prime Minister Stephen Harper asking him to help the people who were hurt by this corporate irresponsibility and are now being ignored by the government of Canada.

Help support the aviation workers chemically injured in 2002: Send a letter to Canadian Prime Minister Harper about the lack of justice at the hands of the Labour Program.

Letter by Rob Neis.

Rob Neis

In the morning hours of March 17, 2002, a hazardous chemical release/exposure incident occurred at an aviation maintenance facility in western Canada. This single incident changed the lives of five people and their families forever.

Safety is self-regulating in aviation companies in Canada. In this case, the company did write investigative reports and submit them to the proper authorities. However, there was important information missing from these reports. The authorities missed that and simply did not respond. As a result, incidents such as what took place on March 17th were allowed to reoccur repeatedly and employees were exposed to these hazardous products without intervention.

The actual number of people poisoned and injured at this facility is unknown as no one has spent the time to find out. During a phone conversation with one injured worker in 2006, a Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) claims adjudicator mentioned the number of disability claims they were dealing with was at 30. Since that time the number of individuals coming forward has grown considerably. Current estimates run between 50 and 70 people who should be on full disability.

I have a letter I’d like to ask readers of The Canary Report to copy and email to the Prime Minister of Canada about the people who were exposed to the toxic chemicals at the aviation facility in 2002, and where there has been no enforcement of existing laws to protect workers. Mistakes were made and as a result people were seriously hurt.

The purpose of the letter is twofold. First, to make the government aware that it is publicly known they made errors while handling this situation. Secondly and more importantly, to get help for the people who were hurt by this corporate irresponsibility and are currently being ignored by the government of Canada.

If you live in Canada, please copy, paste and send the first letter (you’ll find the template below). If you live outside Canada, please use the second letter. Make sure to include your name and address; your phone number is optional.

Please send letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper with a cc to Labour critics Member of Parliament Maria Mina and Member of Parliament Chris Charlton. (Contact info is included in the letters.)

Feel free to send the letter anywhere else you’d like; we do need your support.

Thank you,

Rob Neis
DTOX Radio

~~~

Use this letter if you are a resident of Canada.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper
Office of the Prime Minister
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A2
Fax: 613-941-6900
E-mail: pm@pm.gc.ca

CC:
Member of Parliament Maria Mina
Email: Minna.M@parl.gc.ca

Member of Parliament Chris Charlton
Email: Charlton.C@parl.gc.ca.

Re: Canada Labour Program

Dear Prime Minister Stephen Harper,

I am writing to express extreme dismay about hazardous chemical practices in a self regulated aviation industry that took place at Cascade Aerospace 2002, leaving many permanently ill and unable to work. Because a mistake was made during the initial investigation and never properly addressed by the Labour Program, the injured former employees are unable to receive Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) payments.

After reading the article on the DTOX Radio website, I learned that in March 2002 hazardous chemical products were incorrectly used on a Boeing 737 in the Cascade Aerospace building. Paint stripper was applied with high pressure paint guns, causing the product to become airborne. Several employees become violently ill both in the immediate area and throughout the building. Nine years later, the employees exposed that day remain permanently incapacitated and entirely unsupported by the government of Canada or other relevant agencies.

I used to feel that I lived in a safe and supportive country where my rights AND health were protected. As a Canadian, I am deeply alarmed to learn that my fellow citizens can be severely injured on the work site and left to fend for themselves without appropriate government assistance. I am even more alarmed by the idea of a self regulating industry that clearly doesn’t understand the effects of chemical exposure.

I urge you to right this terrible wrong and revisit the original incident. The remedy for the injured workers continues to be denied due to mistakes that were made by government agencies.

They need your help.

For more information, visit DTOX Radio at http://www.therobnetwork.com/

Sincerely,

[Your name and address (phone number is optional)]

~~~

Use this letter if you live outside Canada. If you are not in the United States, you will need to change “American” to your nationality in the third paragraph.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper
Office of the Prime Minister
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A2
Fax: 613-941-6900
E-mail: pm@pm.gc.ca

CC:
Member of Parliament Maria Mina
Email: Minna.M@parl.gc.ca

Member of Parliament Chris Charlton
Email: Charlton.C@parl.gc.ca

Re: Canada Labour Program

Dear Prime Minister Stephen Harper,

As an American and after reading what you have allowed to happen to your citizens, I don’t find visiting or doing business with your country as appealing as I did before. I am deeply alarmed to learn that you allow your citizens to be severely injured on the work site and left to fend for themselves without appropriate government assistance. I am even more alarmed by the idea of a self regulating industry that clearly doesn’t understand the effects of chemical exposure.

I urge you to right this terrible wrong and revisit the original incident. The remedy for the injured workers continues to be denied due to mistakes that were made by government agencies.

They need your help.

For more information, visit DTOX Radio at http://www.therobnetwork.com/

Sincerely,

[Your name and address (phone number is optional)]

~~~

Telework from a home office may be a reasonable accommodation

Posted by Susie

Nov 122010

Allowing someone with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity to work at home may be a reasonable accommodation when the person’s disability prevents successfully performing the job on-site.

Looking through French doors into a home office.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said that allowing an individual with a disability to work at home may be a form of reasonable accommodation.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has a great info sheet on Work At Home: Telework as a Reasonable Accommodation. I have been lucky enough to have this type of accommodation provided to me thanks to the very cooperative employer. As a writer, this type of accommodation works perfectly for both my employer and me because all incoming assignments and outgoing work can be transmitted through telecommunications.

In its 1999 Enforcement Guidance on Reasonable Accommodation and Undue Hardship Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (revised 10/17/02), the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said that allowing an individual with a disability to work at home may be a form of reasonable accommodation. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires employers with 15 or more employees to provide reasonable accommodation for qualified applicants and employees with disabilities. Reasonable accommodation is any change in the work environment or in the way things are customarily done that enables an individual with a disability to apply for a job, perform a job, or gain equal access to the benefits and privileges of a job. The ADA does not require an employer to provide a specific accommodation if it causes undue hardship, i.e., significant difficulty or expense.

Not all persons with disabilities need – or want – to work at home. And not all jobs can be performed at home. But, allowing an employee to work at home may be a reasonable accommodation where the person’s disability prevents successfully performing the job on-site and the job, or parts of the job, can be performed at home without causing significant difficulty or expense.

Click here for the EEOC fact sheet explaining the ways that employers may use existing telework programs or allow an individual to work at home as a reasonable accommodation.

Here is some additional information about The ADA: Your Employment Rights as an Individual With a Disability and Job Applicants and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

All kinds of info about disability discrimination here.

If you have Multiple Chemical Sensitivity and need accommodations in the workplace, the ADA laws and EEOC provide great guidelines if your employer is cooperative and willing to provide accommodations. Unfortunately, the laws are weak and pretty much useless if your employer is not willing to provide anything for you. If your employer or perspective employer is unwilling to provide accommodations, it can be a really tough fight for you to secure your disability rights even with legal representation. We have members in our community who have been let go from their jobs simply because the employer did not want to bother with providing a safe, nontoxic work environment. It’s very sad when that happens and can lead to untold suffering and hardship when the person cannot secure another job. That said, we do have many people in our canary community who have asked for, often pressed for, and received accommodations at their workplace, so I always encourage people disabled by MCS to try to work with their employer to secure accommodations.

A great resource to support you in working with your employer on accommodations is the wonderful website and staff at the Job Accommodations Network. They have specific informational pages dedicated to Multiple Chemical Sensitivity and workplace accommodations. Take a look at these two posts for more information about JAN: Chemical sensitivities in the workplace and Workers rights and chemical sensitivity.

Photo credit.

South Australia includes Multiple Chemical Sensitivity in new disability access guidelines

Posted by Contributor

Oct 042010

The South Australian Government’s Department for Transport Energy and Infrastructure has completed guidelines for disability access to government buildings that include Multiple Chemical Sensitivity.

By contributor Harry Clark, President, MCS Society of Australia, Inc.

Australian flag, blue with the union jack and white stars.

Flag of Australia

Harry Clark, with a beard, short hair, and smiling. He has a filter mask loosly hanging around his neck, ready to wear if he needs to.

Harry Clark, President, MCS Society of Australia

With all speed please share this far and wide, everybody needs to know about this most important development of international significance: South Australia is a global hot spot for Multiple Chemical Sensitivity policy advancement. The South Australian Government’s Department for Transport Energy and Infrastructure has completed guidelines for disability access to government buildings that include Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. Checklist questions include non-toxic renovating products, avoiding pesticides and toxic cleaners, and ensuring that the building is smoke and fragrance free.

Part 3 of the guide provides a checklist of the likelihood of low level atmosphere contaminates within the building environment, with the objective to minimizing contaminate exposure levels to persons with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity so they are not undeservedly affected. (NOTE: A recent survey by the Department of Health that assessed the prevalence of MCS and chemical sensitivity in the South Australian community found 1% had been medically diagnosed with MCS and 16% reported chemical sensitivity.)

The South Australian Government’s Department for Transport Energy and Infrastructure has completed guidelines for disability access to government buildings that include Multiple Chemical Sensitivity.

The guide “provides a checklist of the likelihood of low level atmosphere contaminates within the building environment, with the objective of minimizing exposure levels to persons with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity”.

Checklist questions include non-toxic renovating products, avoiding pesticides and toxic cleaners, and ensuring that the building is smoke and fragrance free.

You can download the guidelines here.

Harry Clark

President
MCS Society of Australia, Inc.
Email: MCS-Society-of-Australia@bigpond.net.au

Founder
MCS News Australia, an online social network for people with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity

Guest Blog: Woman with chemical sensitivity fumigated by Leon county government

Posted by Guest Blogger

Sep 152010

County fogs a neighborhood in Florida exposing a woman with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity to toxic synthetic phyrethroids; official’s aide calls to inform her that the 1/4 mile buffer zone policy she was previously protected under was reversed due to election concerns.

By guest blogger Lourdes Salvador, MCS America.

Man using a fogging machine, aiming the billowing toxic fog into a garden.

Fogging to kill off mosquitoes.

After a 15 year battle to protect her property from toxic chemical trespass, Kathy Termotto breathed a sigh of relief when Leon County Commission in Florida established a one-quarter mile buffer zone to protect the health of residents who were placed on a no-spray list for mosquito control.

Then on Friday, just a few months later, Termotto found her home bathed in a gaseous aerosol of insecticide.

The insecticide, a synthetic phyrethroid was pumped into the air by a truck driving through her neighborhood in the name of mosquito control.

Mosquito control often takes residents by surprise. Concerns have been raised by residents who are exposed to these toxic insecticides while barbecuing, exercising, swimming, enjoying an open window, or growing (once) organic vegetables in their yards.

One case in New York found a woman, her small child, and their dinner fumigated while eating on the patio of a restaurant. Both became ill and the incident raised concerns over human safety of these fumigants and the potential for food contamination.

Synthetic pyrethroids are dangerous to both human health and the environment. Merck warns that they may cause dermatitis, systemic allergic reactions, nausea, vomiting, tinnitus, headache and central nervous system disturbances. They kill by affecting the nervous system, so they also have the potential to damage the central nervous system.

The effect may be particularly pronounced in pets and small children who are not fully developed. Some people are allergic to phyrethroids and others, such as children and those with chemical sensitivity, are easily poisoned by doses even smaller than those used for mosquito control.

Termotto says she suffers from Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, a condition which makes her more susceptible to the effects of low doses of toxic substances. The gaseous cloud of chemicals disbursed upon her and her home is a fundamental human rights violation that occurred after her doctor provided medical evidence of her condition to the Leon County Commission.

Termotto says that Bob Rackleff, chairman of Leon County Commission, had his aide, Kate Brady, call her to inform her that the 1/4 mile buffer zone policy she was previously protected under was reversed due to election concerns.

“When is the Commission going to address this medical crisis for the many citizens in Leon County who suffer from MCS (multiple chemical sensitivity), EI Syndrome (environmental illness syndrome), and serious chemical allergies,” asks Termotto. “If Chairman Bob Rackleff´s wife had a similar hyper-allergic reaction to these chemicals, do you think Parwez Alam, the Leon County administrator, would allow those trucks to get within a mile of Rackleff´s home? I don´t think so.”

Children playing in the street and yard are most vulnerable to fumigation.

Termotto says, “How would Commissioners Dailey and Sauls vote on this matter if either of their children could be incapacitated and sent to the local emergency room because of the indiscriminate, systematic, and wide-area spraying of these noxious chemicals in their neighborhoods?”

Termotto is not against mosquito control. She supports mosquito control that is truly responsible and effective, non-toxic to human life, which she says is much less expensive to taxpayers.

“We all have a fundamental right not to be sprayed by the county mosquito control programs currently in operation throughout the state,” asserts Termotto, “Does anyone have the right to walk onto your property and indiscriminately spray toxic chemicals wherever they wish? We think not. Should they do so, repeatedly, they would probably end up being arrested for trespass and chemical assault.”

Photo credit.