The Canary Report

A timeline of health horrors caused by the BP oil well blow out

Posted on Jun 28, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, Environment, MCS, Susie Collins, Worker's Rights

Clean up workers are already visiting their doctors with symptoms of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity.

A still from the BP oil well blow out live cam taken June 28.

Have you been as crazed as I’ve been watching the images of people without respirators working on the so-called “clean up” in the Gulf? We all knew it was only a matter of time before cases of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity were reported. Take a look at the timeline: reports of MCS started fairly soon after the blow out.

5/03: MSNBC reports that the oil spill has little impact on human health: gunk spreading across Gulf a disaster for ecosystem, but not the public. Yeah, right.

5/23: Gina Solomon at the Natural Resources Defense Council Staff Blog, called Switchboard, reports Oil Spill Clean-Up Workers Getting Sick.

5/27: The Washington Post reports that illnesses among workers highlight concerns about health risks of oil cleanup.

6/03: CNN reports on a gutsy fisherman’s wife who breaks the silence about her husband’s deteriorating health since he worked on clean up efforts in the Gulf. “After attending a lecture by Rikki Ott [sic], a toxicologist who’s worked with families affected by the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska, [fisherman's wife Kindra] Arnesen decided to organize other wives to ask questions about the safety of working near the oil.” (See next entry for more info on Riki Ott.) Here’s the CNN vid about Kindra and her husband:

Here’s a couple of asides from our Timeline– Here’s Riki Ott in the documentary film Black Wave about the Exxon Valdez spill:

Here’s more from Riki Ott on 20 years after the Exxon Valdez spill:

Back to our current disaster:

6/03: The Huffington Post reports Gulf Oil Spill Sickness: Cleanup Workers Experience Health Problems, Complain Of Flulike Symptoms.

6/07: I contacted Alison Johnson, author of Amputated Lives: Coping with Chemical Sensitivity, a book about the development of chemical sensitivity in Exxon Valdez cleanup workers, Gulf War veterans, 9/11 First Responders, and FEMA trailer residents. I spoke to Alison on the phone and she expressed concern for the people in the Gulf region that had lived through the toxic soup of hurricane Katrina, including the toxic FEMA trailers, and were now experiencing the fumes from this BP disaster. Given that MCS can be initiated by repeated exposures to toxic chemicals, people in the region should take note of Alison’s concern.

6/08: Ariel Schwartz at Fast Company warns clean up crews to Read This Before You Volunteer to Clean Up the BP Oil Disaster.

Merle Savage has a wheezy, guttural smoker’s cough. But the 71-year-old former Alaska resident and author of Silence in the Sound never smoked a day in her life. She did, however, spend four months as a general foreman during the Exxon Valdez oil spill recovery project in 1989. And she has a message for anyone working at the BP oil disaster sites: “You’ve got to use your common sense. Breathing crude oil is toxic.”

6/11: The Raw Story reports that a human rights group says BP is discouraging crews from using respirators. “BP’s logic seems to be that if the oil cleanup doesn’t look dangerous then it must not be. The oil company has told workers not to wear respirators because it’s bad for public relations, according to one human rights group.” [Emphasis added.]

AND HERE’S THE REPORT WE KNEW WAS COMING:

6/15: Janet Kwak at WOAI TV reports that a mysterious illness plagues Gulf oil disaster workers. Clean up workers are visiting their doctors with symptoms of Toxicant-Induced Loss of Tolerance or TILT, which is another name for Multiple Chemical Sensitivity.

“What makes it challenging is that patients show up with non-specific symptoms. Headaches, fatigue, problems with memory and concentration, upset stomach,” lists Dr. Claudia Miller at UT Health Science Center.

The illness is called “TILT,” or Toxicant-Induced Loss of Tolerance. Patients lose tolerance to household products, medication, or even food after being exposed to chemicals, like burning oil, toxic fumes, or dispersants from the spill.

“Things like diesel fuel, exposure to fragrances, cleaning agents that never bothered them before suddenly bother them,” adds Dr. Miller.

6/18: Politics AP reports BP’s records on ill workers tell only part of the story.

This is about the time I discover the Louisiana Environmental Action Network report on the Health Impacts Associated with Dispersants and Louisiana Sweet Crude. I felt from the beginning of the disaster that the dispersant Corexit was going to cause as much if not more damage to people, animals and the environment as the crude oil. Take a look at the lists on that page for health impacts of both the dispersant and the oil.

And yesterday I found a report in the New York Times about how Cleanup Hiring Feeds Frustration in Fishing Town. Don’t you just love how BP has managed to destroy the environment, livelihoods and probably the health of most workers and many others in the affected regions while at the same time remaining the main employer with “clean up” efforts?

Continue Reading

Tags: Air, Environment, EPA, Pollution, Products, Toxic, Video, Work

US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issues indoor air quality policy for all CDC offices nationwide

Posted on Apr 07, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, Government Regulation, MCS, Policy, Susie Collins, Worker's Rights

This is arguably the strongest and most important toxic chemical-free and fragrance-free policy in existence for the workplace.

CDC′s Roybal campus in Atlanta, GA.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services, recently issued a policy on indoor air quality that will affect all CDC offices (owned, leased and rented) and more than 15,000 employees nationwide. Among a host of indoor air quality standards, the policy includes specific guidelines restricting the use of fragrance in cleaning and personal care products.

Housekeeping Guidelines

CDC will ensure that products used in the workplace, such as soaps, cleaning products, paints, etc. are safe and odor-free or emit low levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to the fullest extent feasible. Only green cleaning products shall be specified and used within CDC facilities and leased spaces unless otherwise approved by the Office of Health and Safety. [...]

Non-Permissible Products

Scented or fragranced products are prohibited at all times in all interior space owned, rented, or leased by CDC. This includes the use of:
• Incense, candles, or reed diffusers
• Fragrance-emitting devices of any kind
• Wall-mounted devices, similar to fragrance-emitting devices, that operate automatically or by pushing a button to dispense deodorizers or disinfectants
• Potpourri
• Plug-in or spray air fresheners
• Urinal or toilet blocks
• Other fragranced deodorizer/re-odorizer products

Personal care products (e.g. colognes, perfumes, essential oils, scented skin and hair products) should not be applied at or near actual workstations, restrooms, or anywhere in CDC owned or leased buildings.

In addition, CDC encourages employees to be as fragrance-free as possible when they arrive in the workplace. Fragrance is not appropriate for a professional work environment, and the use of some products with fragrance may be detrimental to the health of workers with chemical sensitivities, allergies, asthma, and chronic headaches/migraines.

Employees should avoid using scented detergents and fabric softeners on clothes worn to the office. Many fragrance-free personal care and laundry products are easily available and provide safer alternatives.

Further, the policy extends to enforcement. Within the document itself is clearly stated the process by which an employee may file a report about air quality problems through a questionnaire, and further still, who is responsible for overseeing the investigation:

Building occupants who experience irritation or symptoms that may be related to the quality of indoor air should notify their supervisors, and the OHS or local Safety Officer to initiate a complaint. BFO must also be contacted upon initiation of a complaint, to identify and/or review any potential structural, maintenance, or heating, ventilating or air conditioning (HVAC) issues. Building occupants must also complete the Indoor Air Quality Questionnaire (see Attachment B) in order to properly document the complaint. Each IEQ complaint poses a unique set of circumstances that will determine the investigative procedures used to resolve each IEQ concerns.

Office of Health and Safety/Designated Safety Officer Administers the Indoor Environmental Quality Program and serves as the primary coordinator and investigator for reported incidents involving IEQ hazards or conditions; educates CDC supervisors and workers; develops report findings and recommendations for corrective action; and reviews and updates to meet future needs and regulatory changes.

You’ll also be happy to see that there is a section on pest control. Although it’s not perfect, it’s far safer than the hazards many workers endure with ubiquitous application of hazardous pesticides, usually performed without notice: “Pest management, for both buildings and lawn care, will emphasize non-chemical management strategies whenever practical, and the least-toxic chemical controls when pesticides are needed. Integrated Pest Management practices must be utilized.”

Coming from the CDC, this is arguably the most important toxic chemical- and fragrance-free policy in existence for the workplace. In the words of former CDC director Dr. Julie Gerberding, the agency is charged with confronting “the challenges of 21st-century health threats.” It looks like the current CDC director, Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, believes this responsibility covers not only the general public, but CDC’s own employees and workplaces as well.

Creating nontoxic work environments is not just good for employees’ health, it’s good for the bottom line, too. Workers who are not being slowly poisoned by toxic chemicals on the job can think clearer, work more efficiently and be more productive. Employees who suffer toxic chemical sensitivity, asthma and other respiratory ailments will take less sick days. People who are prone to developing health problems triggered by toxic chemicals will be safer; in fact, everyone who works in CDC buildings will now be safer.

For those of you with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity who are currently battling it out with your employer over hazardous chemicals in your work environment, in addition to discussing your rights to safer accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act, you might want to print out this new CDC policy and give copies to your boss, your CEO, and your human resources director. Explain to them that the experts at CDC understand that indoor air quality is greatly compromised by a host of toxic chemicals, including those from cleaning products used by maintenance personnel and personal care products used by employees. Tell them that this recent CDC policy is indicative of the way trends are going, and any company getting on board now will be spared future costs caused by condoning an unsafe environment for employees.

This policy is incredibly good news– use the clout and expertise of this CDC policy to strengthen your arguments for a toxic chemical- and fragrance-free work environment.

Here’s the pdf of the policy.

Here’s the pdf of the questionnaire to be used when CDC employees file a complaint about air quality.

Thanks to Harry Clark for obtaining these documents from CDC and for sharing them so freely!

Continue Reading

Tags: Air, Asthma, Chemicals, Environmental Health, Fragrance, Indoor Pollution, MCS, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Perfume, Personal Care, Policy, Pollution, Products, Sick Building, Toxic, Work

$100K awarded to woman with chemical sensitivity denied proper accommodations 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.

Photo credit

Continue Reading

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

The risk of developing Multiple Chemical Sensitivity from exposure to photocopiers and laser printers

Posted on Feb 13, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, Guest Bloggers, MCS, Worker's Rights

Some persons suffering from Multiple Chemical Sensitivity may have developed their conditions or worsened them due to exposures to the toxic chemicals given off by photocopiers and laser printers in their office jobs.

By guestblogger M.R.E.

The following is information for the readers of The Canary Report concerning potential risks of exposure to photocopiers and laser printers. I have suffered a devastating respiratory condition from exposure to these types of machines, and so I am trying to raise awareness about this health hazard to hopefully receive feedback and get in touch with other persons who suffer the same.

Due to exposure to photocopiers and laser printers, I have suffered a devastating respiratory condition which produces in an extreme degree: difficulty for breathing, chest pain and oppression, fatigue, cough, mucosal dryness, inability to sneeze and plenty of disturbances in the throat, nose, mouth, eyes, skin, stomach and other systems plus an extreme, lasting intolerance to all chemicals in the air. After a lot of troubles it was diagnosed in two university hospitals as non-specific bronchial hyper-reactivity and Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS). The syndrome was caused by the irritant vapors released by a photocopier and a laser printer in my jobs and this appears very obvious from the full details of my story, too long for this page. Although my illness was initiated within 24 hours of intense exposure to these gases, it has not been officially recognized as occupational for any purpose. As many other sufferers with MCS, I have lived a nightmare of sickness and social neglect, but thanks to my family, who financially and psychologically supported me, I did not fall into marginality and eventual tragedy.

From my own experience of nearly three decades with this problem I see that the following points should be carefully taken into account:

[...]

Continue Reading

Tags: Air, Asthma, Chemicals, Environmental Illness, Indoor Pollution, MCS, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Products, Research, Sick Building, Toxic, Work

Canadian teacher fights for her right to workplace accommodations

Posted on Jan 07, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, Disability Rights, MCS, Worker's Rights

“The battles for those of us with disabilities, and especially for those of us with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, are huge.”

Elaine Willis reports on her blog about Arbitration: Final Day… just waiting for a decision. Elaine has been in a lawsuit for years about workplace accommodations: SCHOOL DISTRICT 36 vs BC TEACHERS’ FEDERATION, ELAINE WILLIS, DUTY TO ACCOMMODATE, which will set precedent in Canadian arbitration law.

The battles for those of us with disabilities, and especially for those of us with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, are huge. There are many false beliefs about our abilities and the nature of our disabilities. The truth remains that we are people, to be treated as all people, with dignity, equality and respect. We are not to be shut away in our homes as society continues to demand of us.

Education is enlightenment. I WILL CONTINUE TO BE A TEACHER! This process may enable me to do so for a living as well!

Here’s the statement Elaine read in court during the second day of arbitration back in August: I AM a teacher.

Brava, Elaine, for your warrior spirit and sense of what’s right! We are proud to have you as one of the flock.

Photo used with Elaine’s permission.

Continue Reading

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

Environmental illness and disability law proposed in Italy

Posted on Dec 27, 2009 by Susie Collins in Blog, Disability Rights, Government Regulation, MCS, Policy, Social Justice, Susie Collins, Worker's Rights

Silvia Müller at the Chemical Sensitivity Network wrote to tell me there’s an Italian law proposal for environmental illnesses and disability. The proposed law includes definitions of various environmental illnesses such as Multiple Chemical Sensitivity and Electromagnetic Sensitivity, diagnosis and prevention guidelines, guidelines for health care professionals, building and planning rules, employment protections, and financial coverage.

This is really good news. We are seeing country after country enact these types of laws, most recently Germany and Japan. Getting these laws enforced is another story, but we should still celebrate this forward momentum toward global recognition of environmental illnesses, moving us closer to full rights given to those who need medical care, safe housing, financial, and other support.

MeP DOMENICO SCILIPOTI (IDV): “HOW TO HELP PEOPLE AFFECTED BY ENVIRONMENTAL DISABILITY”

PRESS RELEASE, Rome 21.dec.09

“In order to help people with Environmental Disabilities whose survival and quality of life depend not on drugs, but on avoiding certain environmental factors, today I presented a project of law about this issue”, comments On. Scilipoti. “The law is meant for environmentally triggered diseases such as Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS), involving a loss of tolerance of chemicals, or Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity (EHS), forcing the affected ones to get far from electromagnetic fields emitted by mobiles, Wi-Fi, electric cables, etc. But the law is also meant for genetic, metabolic, neurological or immunological disorders such as fibromyalgia or CFS (involving chemical intolerances) or favism, which gives serious reactions to legumes. Other cases of environmental disability are seen in autism, epilepsy, migraine and lupus that involve reactions to fluorescent lighting”. “It’s important to discuss this law as soon as possible in order to give an answer to these people”, Scilipoti concludes.

Link to read entire law proposal.

Thanks, Silvia!

Continue Reading

Tags: Environmental Illness, Law, MCS, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Policy, Support, Work

Potter with chemical sensitivity goes through the fire

Posted on Jul 29, 2009 by Susie Collins in Blog, Disability Rights, MCS, Media/Videos, Susie Collins, Worker's Rights

Raku, a Japanese pottery technique, creates a thermal shock in the kiln that will either destroy the work or make it into something amazing.

Post by Susie Collins.

Amy Pratt was unable to throw pottery for close to a year due to injuries caused to her chest wall by coughing too hard and for too long from exposure to toxic chemicals. The chemical exposures she endured at work, coupled with myriad things they were doing to her body, stopped her from doing much of anything for a long time.

“My hiccups and vocal tics were getting worse with activity,” Amy says. “The hand and arm spasms make throwing very challenging.”

But it didn’t stop her completely. Like her pottery in the kiln, Amy burned through the worst of it and is back at her craft making balls and rattles.

“It started out as something to do to practice different texture, firing, and glaze techniques,” she says. “I wanted to try to do something repetitive, to see how I could improve my skills or see how long before I got really bored from it.

“I am now planning to make fountains or some kind of outdoor sculptures out of them.”

Amy is practicing her craft in the studio at the school where she used to work. She started throwing there last spring, before she was asked to leave her job of nine years.

Amy, in her early 40s, has been throwing since she was eight years old, during her first trip to summer camp. She says she didn’t have anyone show her how to do it, she just “went at it,” sometimes spinning art across the room.

“I was able to center, and make something close to a small bowl,” she says. “There is something magical, something primal about taking a lump of clay and creating something with it.”

Amy’s first clue she had Multiple Chemical Sensitivity came in 1997 when she had two isolated exposures from which she completely recovered.

But in 2001, she was leveled by an exposure to lacquer oil, and she almost lost her job because she was too down at work and too ill for close to a year. In 2005, she was again knocked out by paints, carpet and glues, and was out of work for five months. By late 2006, she was experiencing exposures almost daily, which, when coupled with a back injury, led to further complications. She filed a total of six worker compensation claims in three years. She’s now fighting for a disability claim.

“I am often asked, ‘Why do ceramics, why expose yourself to more chemicals and dust?’” Amy says. “Why? Because it keeps me sane.”

Amy says the studio where she throws is very proactive with keeping clay dust down to a minimum, and she avoids using the glaze room when the sprayer is being used.

“I wouldn’t be able to do anything there if I didn’t have the support of the people who run the place,” she says.

So far, the worst exposures at the studio have been fumes from glues, hand lotions and perfumes. There has only been a few times when she could not enter the kiln yard due to something bothering her.

“Throwing helps me cope by getting out and being with other people,” Amy says.

She describes Raku, the Japanese pottery technique she uses, as creating thermal shock that will either destroy the work or make it into something amazing. “You have to let go and see what happens, there is only a small amount of control,” she explains. “Clay can take a lot of abuse, as long as you don’t drop it.”

The analogy of Raku to life with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity is unmistakable.

“When I finish my self portrait, I plan on raku-ing it, using all of the boxes of paperwork generated from my claims to be burned in the process,” she says. “Fire, good.”

Photos by Amy Pratt.

You can view more of Amy’s pottery on her photo page at The Canary Report’s social network.

Continue Reading

Tags: Art, Chemicals, Environmental Illness, Fragrance, Health, Leisure, MCS, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Perfume, Support, Work

A chemical nightmare at work

Posted on Jul 28, 2009 by Susie Collins in Blog, Keith Carlson, MCS, Worker's Rights

There are poisons and toxins everywhere that can damage our health and cause us temporary or permanently debilitating symptoms that directly impact our ability to fully function in the world.

Post by Keith Carlson.

Last week, I was sitting in my office and began to notice an odd smell, sort of sickly sweet. Ignoring it against my better judgment for several days, I was even told by my astute boss—who is well aware that I have Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS)—that something seemed amiss.

Since last week, I’ve been noticing increased confusion, memory loss, and a marked increase in my level of stress and anxiety. Granted, we are in the midst of selling our home and radically changing our lives, but this past week my emotional life has been over the top and I have been feeling physically unwell.

Today, my (chemically sensitive) wife came to visit my office, remarking immediately that my office seemed incredibly toxic to her and that I should leave immediately. Just prior to her arrival, I had literally been crawling around on the floor, trying to “sniff out” where the offending odor was coming from, an odor that had by now become almost overpowering in its sweet disgustingness.

With my nose on the top of the heat register, I detected the source of the odor emanating directly from the heater, even though it wasn’t on.

Bringing two colleagues into the office, they both agreed that the smell was very strong and that I should leave for the day and we would try to get to the bottom of it. Just then, one colleague mentioned that someone had moved into the office directly below mine last Tuesday, and perhaps there was a connection. Looking back, it was indeed Tuesday or Wednesday of last week that I began to feel unwell and that the faint smell had begun to make itself known.

Running down to the first floor with my wife, we quickly located the office directly below mine (which I had never before noticed), and although the door was closed and locked, the smell coming through the cracks was absolutely the same odor now filling my office on the second floor, although the intensity of it as it emanated through the door was enough to send us reeling.

My guess is that the new resident of this office installed a “Plug-In” on the day she moved in, the sort of plug-in that is filled with noxious liquid fragrance that is heated via an electrical outlet. These insidious and ubiquitous devices have taken over, with Americans of all economic stripes convinced that their homes will not smell “clean” without such unhealthy trash that poisons the very air that they and their children breathe.

Since the building manager was out, I sent him an urgent email explaining the situation, left work early (with dizziness and confusion continuing), and will not return to my office until the space has off-gassed for several days.

So, although I have fought for a fragrance-free workplace, low-VOC paints, “green” cleaning products, and other accommodations, this employee who moved into the office downstairs unwittingly created a toxic environment for me that has subsequently caused me a week of distress, confusion, and other neurological symptoms that will, I hope, decrease as the next few days allow me to detox from its deleterious effects.

When one has MCS (or even if one does not), there are poisons and toxins everywhere that can damage our health and cause us temporary or permanently debilitating symptoms that directly impact our ability to fully function in the world.

I was glad to get to the bottom of this situation, and hope that it will be rectified shortly and that I can recover from the impact of this unfortunate chemical event.

This post was originally published at Digital Doorway.

Link to image at NoFragrance.org.

Continue Reading

Tags: Air, Chemicals, Children's Health, Environment, Environmental Health, EPA, Fragrance, Home, Indoor Pollution, MCS, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Perfume, Products, Sick Building, Stink, Toxic, Work

Workers rights and chemical sensitivity

Posted on Jul 13, 2009 by Susie Collins in Blog, Disability Rights, MCS, Susie Collins, Worker's Rights

Sensory impairment specialist says chemical sensitivity might be seen as a hidden disability because it may not be obvious, and it’s often impacted by an invisible barrier in the workplace.

Stacie Saab provides information on talking with your employer about safer accommodations.

In March 2008, Tracie Saab, who serves as lead sensory impairment specialist at the Job Accommodation Network, was interviewed on the topic of  “Chemical Sensitivities in the Workplace.”

The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) is a service provided by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy and is the most comprehensive resource for job accommodations available; their stated mission is to support workers with disabilities by providing information to both employee and employer on job accommodations for the disabled.

The interview with Tracie was first published as a webcast with Powerpoint, which I listened to with great interest and then wrote about earlier this year in a post title Chemical sensitivity in the workplace. Meanwhile, I wrote and asked Tracie about a transcript, but at that time, one was not available. Then Tracie did an extraordinary thing: she offered to have her offices transcibe the interview so that I could post it for you!

If you have Multiple Chemical Sensitivity and are still working outside the home, you might want to familiarize yourself with JAN and the services they offer in regard to MCS. JAN fully recognizes MCS as a disability, and has loads of information on their website that can help you understand your rights on the job, including info on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other disability-related legislation. And they offer tips on how to approach your boss or human resources department about securing safer accommodations at work, complete with support materials you can print out and take with you to your discussions. JAN’s consultants are knowledgeable, compassionate and accessible, as demonstrated with Tracie’s gracious offer to transcribe her interview. I cannot say enough good things about JAN!

So here is the transcript of Tracie Saab’s interview on Chemical Sensitivities in the Workplace, starting with this excerpt of her introduction by Linda Carter Batiste:

LINDA CARTER BATISTE: Hello, everyone, and welcome to the Job Accommodation Network’s series. I’m Linda Batiste, and I’ll be the moderator for today’s program called Chemical Sensitivities in the Workplace. If any of you experience technical difficulties during the webcast, please call us at 800-526-7234 for voice, and hit button three, or for TTY, call 877-781-9403. Second, toward the end of the webcast, we’ll spend some time answering any questions you have. You can send in your questions at any time during the webcast to our E-mail account at question@Jan.Wvu.Edu, or you can use our new question and answer pod located in the bottom left corner of your screen. To use the pod, just put your cursor on the line next to the word question, type your question, and then click on the arrow to submit to the — finally, I want to remind you that at the end of the webcast, an evaluation form will automatically pop up on your screen in another window. We really appreciate your feedback, so please stay logged on to fill out the evaluation form.

And now, let’s meet our featured speaker for today’s presentation. Tracie Saab. Tracie is a seasoned JAN consultant with nearly 14 years of service. She is JAN’s lead sensory impairment specialist and provides accommodation information and Americans with disabilities act compliance assistance for individuals with sensory immunology and endocrinology limitations. Tracie brings over 13 years experience consulting with employers and individuals regarding chemical sensitivity in the workplace.

She is a proud alumnus of West Virginia University with a master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling. And now I’ll turn it over to Tracie to start today’s program.

Link to PDF of full interview.

Link to related post at The Canary Report.

Thanks, Tracie!

Continue Reading

Tags: Environmental Health, Environmental Illness, MCS, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Policy, Support, Work

Dear Aunt Jobby: My coworkers perfume is making me sick!

Posted on Jul 03, 2009 by Susie Collins in Blog, MCS, Susie Collins, Worker's Rights

Moms To Work reports on how to handle a coworker who’s perfume is making colleagues sick.

Julie at Moms To Work contacted me about a question she had from one of her readers about coworkers perfume making colleagues sick. Julie was referred to me by my blogger friend and Canary Report regular Jeanne from Chronic Healing.

I sent Julie some information about the toxic chemicals in modern fragrance and perfume. Despite the knowledge of toxicity in perfumes being new to her, Julie, in her Q&A column “Dear Aunt Jobby,” treated the topic of chemical sensitivity with respect and a good dose of data. She left her readers with the advice: tell your perfumed coworker she’s “a walking bio-hazard.” Brava!

Oh, by the way, I was quoted as the “stinky expert.” Yep, my claim to fame: I am the stinky expert. LOL.

Says Aunt Jobby:

A growing number of people claim that exposure to certain fragrances, including perfumes and scented products, adversely impacts their health.

They report symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, nausea, fatigue, shortness of breath, difficulty with concentration, and allergy-like symptoms, as this article suggests.

Aunt Jobby’s advice: Pull your colleague aside and whisper in her ear that her perfume is wonderful, but she’s a walking bio-hazard.  If that doesn’t work, give her a copy of the article suggested by Susie and ask if she could try doing without perfume for a few weeks. Maybe she could see it as her own personal Lent for the recession.

Photo credit.

Thanks, Julie!

Continue Reading

Tags: Air, Chemicals, Environmental Health, Fragrance, Indoor Pollution, MCS, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Perfume, Personal Care, Products, Sick Building, Stink, Toxic, Work

Canadian worker disabled from chemical exposure, denied claim

Posted on Jun 22, 2009 by Susie Collins in Blog, Disability Rights, MCS, Susie Collins, Worker's Rights

Worker develops Multiple Chemical Sensitivity after exposure to numerous dangerous chemicals, but is denied worker’s compensation.

I received an email from Gary Sedor, who lives in Canada and asked me to publish this note to my readers:

I was injured in a chemical spill of Toluene Diisocynates in 1991 and again in 1992. Since 1970, working as a Glazier, we worked with numerous dangerous chemicals such as Toluene Diisocyanates, Xylene, Xylol, Methyl Ethyl Keytone, Penta Phenol, Polyurathanes, Caulking compounds, Thinners, Solvents, VOC’s, Acid compounds, and numerous others.

After the 2 high dose exposures in 1991 and 1992, I developed MCS. I was then retrained in the golf business, completely unaware of the correlation, or relevance of further exposure to pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, etc.

In 2001, I became totally and permanently disabled. Despite all of the information supplied by my doctors, my advocate (RAINET), and myself, my claim for MCS was denied for the final time by WCAT BC (Workers’ Compensation Appeal Tribunal of British Columbia). Within the reasons was the fact that WorkSafeBC did not accept claims for MCS. I found this to be somewhat contrary, as in 2000, the Board DID accept a claim for MCS. This accepted claim can be found in the HSA “The Report”, a copy of which was sent to both the Board and WCAT during their adjudication process, further, my adjudicator told me on the phone that indeed the Board DID accept claims for MCS.

I thought you might like this information, it didn’t help me, in fact it was never acknowledged by either party. Hopefully it can be used to support someone else’s claim.

My Advocate and I have been fighting for many years for the recognition (justly deserved recognition, in my opinion) of MCS and the catastrophic effects of same on people. MCS has consumed my life entirely, both physically and psychologically, and I believe the more we can get the information out, the better the chance we have of getting someone to listen.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

G.D. (Gary) Sedor

I have covered the shortcomings of WorkSafeBC previously with a story on toxic chemical exposures by aviation workers.

Thanks, Gary!

Continue Reading

Tags: Chemicals, Environment, Environmental Health, Environmental Illness, Law, MCS, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Products, Support, Toxic, Work