Archive for 'Worker's Rights'
$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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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:
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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.
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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!
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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.
Thanks, Julie!
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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!
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Toxic mold in two San Diego schools
Posted on Apr 29, 2009 by Susie Collins in Blog, Media/Videos, Worker's Rights
First aired in 2006, and now available on YouTube, the San Diego Insider reports on a number of toxic mold exposures within San Diego County, including several San Diego Unified School District schools.
Tom Mitchell, a harried school district representative, nervously denies that anyone got sick in the two schools, despite the statements of over 130 people from Sherman Elementary and Kennedy Elementary. Both schools were torn down, ultimately, with ludicrous reasons given by the school district.
Among those interviewed are Susan Brinchman, Executive Director of The Center for School Mold Help, www.schoolmoldhelp.org, a San Diego school mold victim, and Janet, a teacher also made ill by school mold exposure.
Some of this footage was used, by permission, in the haunting documentary movie, Black Mold Exposure, produced by Michael Roland Williams (2009), www.blackmoldmovie.com.
This portion of San Diego Insider, a Cox Communications news program in San Diego, CA, first aired on July 19, 2006. Reproduced on YouTube with permission of the Cox Executive Producer, Jeanne Rawdin.
The Canary Report covers toxic mold issues because exposure to mycotoxins often triggers Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. Please visit The Center for School Mold Help for more information.
Read more about the movie Black Mold Exposure.
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Nurses at risk for asthma
Posted on Jan 23, 2009 by Susie Collins in Blog, Research, Worker's Rights
Disinfectants and other chemicals boost nurses’ odds of respiratory trouble, study finds.
Frequent exposure to hospital cleaning products and disinfectants greatly increases nurses’ risk of asthma, according to a U.S. study that included 3,650 Texan health care professionals, including 941 nurses.
The researchers found that nurses regularly exposed to cleaning products and disinfectants were 72 percent more likely than other health care colleagues to report being diagnosed with asthma since starting their job, and 57 percent more likely to report symptoms similar to asthma.
Nurses who regularly cleaned medical instruments were 67 percent more likely to have newly diagnosed asthma, and those working with solvents and glues used in patient care were 51 percent more likely to report symptoms similar to asthma. Nurses who used powdered latex gloves before the year 2000 were 6 percent more likely to have newly diagnosed asthma.
The findings were published online in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
The researchers noted that products used by nurses in the study included a number known to be potentially strong respiratory irritants or sensitizers. These include: topical cleansers and antiseptics used for cleaning patients’ skin; glutaraldehyde for cold sterilization of medical instruments; and all-purpose general cleaning products, such as bleach.
“Substituting cleaning agents with environmentally friendly ‘green chemicals’ and using appropriate personal care protection could help minimize occupational exposures in this professional group,” wrote Ahmed Arif, of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and colleagues.
More information
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about asthma.
Link
Photo by kqedquest
Thanks, Linda!
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Guardsmen sue over chemical exposure in Iraq
Posted on Dec 05, 2008 by Susie Collins in Blog, Environment, Social Justice, Worker's Rights
Sixteen Indiana National Guard soldiers have sued the Houston-based defense contractor KBR, saying the company knowingly allowed them to be exposed to a toxic chemical in Iraq in 2003.
From Democracy Now!:
The soldiers were providing security for KBR during repairs of a water treatment plant in southern Iraq shortly after the US invasion. The suit claims the site was contaminated for six months by hexavalent chromium, “one of the most potent carcinogens” known to man. It alleges that KBR knew the plant was contaminated but concealed the danger from civilian workers and soldiers. We speak with one of the soldiers and with the lead attorney in the case.
Link here to full story, which includes a rush transcript of interview with Michael Doyle, lead counsel for the Guardsmen in the litigation, and Jody Aistrop, former member of the Indiana National Guard and one of the sixteen soldiers suing KBR.
Excerpt:
JODY AISTROP: Good morning. Well, my time in Iraq, we just spent at different sites every day, just basically getting KBR in, getting them out and guarding them while they were doing their job, just protecting them. Specifically, the water plant, we would go there, you know, every third day. And if the contractors really liked you, liked the job you were doing, you could go for a week for two weeks straight.
And, I mean, I believe that we were contaminated, because I, myself, seen the stuff on the ground. I was in the pump room, where the Iraqis were down working on the pumps. And the whole place was just covered, the pump room was. [cough] Excuse me.
I really don’t know what else to say. We basically just went in, did our job. And I feel that they knew. A report had came out that KBR knew that the ground was contaminated. And we were just told it was a mild irritant, don’t worry about it. The bloody noses are from the dry air, the sand. And we just continued to do our job, like it was nothing.
JUAN GONZALEZ: And, Jody, what were some of the symptoms that you and the others, beside the bloody noses that you mentioned, that you started to experience? And did you—what kind of complaints did you lodge to them, to the company officially?
JODY AISTROP: The main one was the bloody nose. Your eyes would burn. You would get a rash, like on your arms or your legs. And actually, my rash just cleared up like three months ago. And it turned into lesions once I got home.
Link to full story at Democracy Now!
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Judge says woman can sue over co-worker’s perfume
Posted on Nov 30, 2008 by Susie Collins in Blog, Disability Rights, MCS, Susie Collins, Worker's Rights
Mike Adams at Natural News has an excellent critique of a recent court case where an employee is suing the City of Detroit over a perfume drenched co-worker whom the employee says caused her serious respiratory problems.
Adams has a theory that the chemicals in perfume do much more than damage lungs. He says synthetic perfume “literally affects brain function, causing the brain to recede from sensory reality by decoupling neurons, thus making those people cognitively impaired.” Sound familiar?
I’m not sure if I go along with his assertion that the “dumbest people” wear perfume; I guess you have to define your terms. But his feeling about “dumbed-down” consumers getting poisoned in their homes makes a lot of sense to me.
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Canadian mechanic disabled from toxic paint fumes
Posted on Nov 29, 2008 by Susie Collins in Blog, Disability Rights, Media/Videos, Worker's Rights
A Canadian airplane mechanic develops Multiple Chemical Sensitivity and other environmental illnesses from exposure to paint fumes at his place of work, but when he becomes disabled from the toxic exposure, the government denies him benefits. This disabled worker claims that half his crew were affected, and that a total of 30 employees, who were disabled from toxic exposure in the hanger where they worked, have all been denied benefits.
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Nurses confer to fight hazardous exposures
Posted on Oct 04, 2008 by Susie Collins in Blog, Products, Worker's Rights
Environmental Working Group advises nurses to learn about chemicals in their hospitals, form chemical policies, and overall, “help get hazardous chemicals out of your facility.”
Policies and practices are finally changing to better protect hospital nurses from exposure to hazardous chemicals, said leading experts to the more than 80 nurses and nursing students of 15 hospitals attending the ‘Nurse Greening Their Hospitals’ conference at the University of Maryland School of Nursing on Oct. 2.
The conference came on the heels of a groundbreaking, nationwide survey of 1,550 hospital nurses, which revealed that nurses with long-term and intense exposures to environmental hazards developed above-normal levels of cancer and asthma, had more miscarriages, children with birth defects, and other serious medical conditions.
Conference co-organizer Barbara Sattler, RN, DrPH, FAAN, [pictured] at the School, said nurses are exposed daily to repeated, low-levels of hazardous mixes of residues from medications, anesthetic gases, sterilizing and disinfecting chemicals, radiation, latex, cleaning chemicals, and mercury escaping from broken medical equipment.
Keynote speaker Jane Houlihan, vice president, Environmental Working Group, (EWG), in Washington, D.C., said, “For the first time in a generation, major reform in policies are underway,” at national and state government levels.
Houlihan, whose group advocates for health-protective policies, also said despite the role of governments to regulate the workplace, “the situation is still very much in the hands of nurses in their environment.”
She advised attending nurses to learn about chemicals in their hospitals, form chemical policies, and overall, “help get hazardous chemicals out of your facility.”
Link to full story at University of Maryland, Baltimore
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The Canary Report is a blog and social network about Multiple Chemical Sensitivity.
We compassionately bring you unfiltered and uncensored news and information you can trust directly from the source: people who have MCS. Dedicated to sharing, supporting, and inspiring with the Aloha Spirit, The Canary Report gives all canaries a voice. Come join us!
Aloha,
Susie Collins
Founder and Contributing Editor
Hilo, Hawaii
Let’s Connect on the Social Web
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