Tag Archives: Environmental Illness
$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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More blogging canaries
Posted on Feb 09, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, MCS, Susie Collins
I’ve discovered a couple more blogs by canaries!
On her blog After Gadget, Sharon blogs about life after the loss of her beloved service dog Gadget. After Gadget is a new blog with only a few posts, but if you get hooked like I did, you’ll read every page and then subscribe so you don’t miss the next entry!
Along with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Sharon also suffers myalgic encephalopathy (ME), also called chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) or chronic fatigue immune dysfunction syndrome (CFIDS). Her bio is here. An excerpt from the page about how MCS affects her life:
In my case, the low-level, constant exposure to the sick building was the initial trigger. If I had recognized what was happening and taken steps to lower my toxic burden, I might have regained my health and not become disabled. Instead, I moved into an apartment with freshly painted walls, bought cheap pine furniture (which is usually imbued with fungicides, insecticides, and formaldehyde), and then painted the new furniture. My symptoms increased in severity and number, and still I didn’t see the connection. Being so ill, I was forced to stay home from work and from teaching; I didn’t know this was the nail in the coffin of my health. The ancient gas stove and furnace in my kitchen and living room were leaking. As a result, I suffered several months of low-level, chronic carbon dioxide poisoning. By the time I found a doctor who diagnosed me with MCS and told me to shut off my gas, I’d developed severe MCS and CFIDS/ME.
Here’s Gadget delivering a message for Sharon to someone in another part of the house:
Because Sharon has speech disabilities, when she lost Gadget, she also lost this way of communicating with others in her home, which increased her sense of isolation and loss. But she’s adapting to life after Gadget, and while her heart still mourns for him, she’s also looking forward to bringing home a puppy in the very near future.
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Faith at An Ocean of Joy gave The Canary Report two shout outs, so nice of her! First post here and second here. In the more recent, she explores biochemist Martin Pall’s MCS research. Faith has mast cell problems, and through process of elimination, has recently come to the conclusion that she has Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. I’m not familiar with mast cell problems, so I welcome the education I’m getting from her blog on that topic.
Pall explains how mast cells can be triggered by the cycle in the context of MCS, which may be of interest to anyone with Mast Cell Activation Disorder. In addition, he lists the 6 genetic polymorphisms associated with a susceptibility to MCS, including the UGT1A1 polymorphism associated with the heretofor ‘benign’ Gilbert’s Syndrome.
The way out of the cycle, according to Pall, is to reduce nitric oxide levels in the body, and he presents an experimental treatment protocol designed to do so.
Thanks for the education, Faith!
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Multiple Chemical Sensitivity associations in Spain meet with Ministry of Health officials
Posted on Feb 05, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, Disability Rights, Government Regulation, Guest Bloggers, MCS, Social Justice
Eva Caballé reports on the meeting between Multiple Chemical Sensitivity associations and Ministry of Health officals in Spain, Feb. 4, 2010
Translated from Spanish by Eva Caballé
On February 4th 2010 at 12:00h has been held the meeting with Ministry of Health to state the situation of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity sufferers in Spain.
Mr José Martínez Olmos, Secretary General of the Ministry of Health, Mr Alberto Infante Campos, General Director of Professional Planning, Cohesion of SNS and High Inspection and Mr Francisco Valero Bonilla have attended to the meeting representing the Ministry of Health. One person by almost each MCS association has attended to the meeting and also Jaume Cortés, lawyer of Colectivo Ronda, and Dr. Pablo Arnold, immunologist specialized in MCS.
• ACAF: Cristina Montané
• AFCISQUIM: María Roldán
• Alas de Mariposa- SQM: Tránsito Rodríguez
• ALTEA – SQM: Cristobalina Bejarano
• APQUIRA: Mª Carmen Gómez de Bonilla
• AQUA: Mario Arias
• ASQUIFYDE: Francisca Gutiérrez
• AVASFASEM-AVASQ: Francisca García
• ENA: Laura Domínguez
• MERCURIADOS: Mª Carmen Miravete
• Plataforma Estatal Contra la Contaminación Ambiental: Minerva Palomar
• PLATAFORMA PARA LA FM ,SFC, SQM, reivindicación de derechos, Asociación Nacional: Elena Navarro
A petitions document done by MCS associations under David Palma coordination has been submitted. This document has been signed by:
• ABAF: Margarita Pascual
• ACAF: Maite Ribera
• AFCISQUIM: María Roldán
• Alas de Mariposa- SQM: Irene Escudero
• ALTEA – SQM: Cristobalina Bejarano
• APQUIRA: Mª Carmen Gómez de Bonilla
• AQUA: Mario Arias
• ASQUIFYDE: Francisca Gutiérrez
• AVASFASEM-AVASQ: Francisca García
• ENA: Rosa de Gabriel
• MERCURIADOS: Servando Pérez
• Plataforma Estatal Contra la Contaminación Ambiental: Minerva Palomar
• PLATAFORMA PARA LA FM ,SFC, SQM, reivindicación de derechos, Asociación Nacional: Elena Navarro
• Eva Caballé
Also a copy of Desaparecida: Una vida rota por la Sensibilidad Química Múltiple (Missing: A life broken by Multiple Chemical Sensitivities) has been hand delivered on behalf of Eva Caballé, who couldn’t attend to the meeting, as an example of what MCS sufferers have to go through in Spain.
The meeting with Ministry of Health has meant an agreement on minimum standards by the Ministry, but a big hope for all MCS sufferers.
Representatives of Ministry of Health have committed to contact MCS associations within 2 weeks to jointly agree on experts to form a Scientific Committee to create a document of consensus on the MCS. They have stated that this is the first step to make possible the inclusion of the MCS in ICD-10, i.e. its official recognition as disease in Spain. They have demonstrated that later there would be necessary to start creating the protocols.
All people who have been part of this process are thrilled by the result of the meeting, because doors have opened us to obtain the recognition of the Multiple Chemical Sensitivity in Spain and to achieve that MCS sufferers have the same rights as the other chronically ill people.
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MCS support group in Alaska is covered on local TV news
Posted on Jan 27, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, MCS, Media/Videos, Susie Collins
KTVA television news in Alaska does a two-part report on a group of women with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity.
A wonderful group of activist women have formed an MCS support group in Alaska. KTVA television news covered their story, filming the group at the cafe where they meet once a month. The women do a good job of explaining life with MCS; one of the group is in tears as she describes how difficult it is to get people to understand the illness.
The report is fine as long as it’s listening to the women with MCS. Unfortunately, the reporter then uses an allergist as her primary source. He, of course, doesn’t have a clue about Multiple Chemical Sensitivity since MCS is not an allergy and therefore clearly outside his area of expertise. By the way, did you know that the antibody IgE was discovered in 1967 and gave the key scientific basis to allergy as a medical condition? Before that no one really understood allergies. Sound familiar? Ironically it’s allergists who are often the greatest and most powerful opponents to the recognition of MCS. MCS, by the way, does not produce the antibody IgE, therefore it is not an allergy.
Oh, and one more ding on the report: the reporter does not explore the ingredients of the products mentioned by the women with MCS, nor does she explain the known health hazards of the products and chemicals that the women cite as intoxicants.
The first part of the report covers the group and the uninformed allergist.
The second part films one of the women in her home.
Thanks to Kathy for bringing this report to my attention! And thanks to Harry for his insight about allergies and the discovery of the antibody IgE!
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More blogging canaries
Posted on Jan 26, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, MCS, Susie Collins
A couple of blogs came up on my radar this week that I wanted to share with you.
Healthologist & well seasoned Nurse. Out of the box practical thinker with common sense. Fabric Artist – Quilter. Problem Solver.
My first find is Kathy AK’s Blog at Open Salon. Kathy is a new member of The Canary Report community, and among her topics at Open Salon, she blogs about Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. In the post Visiting someone with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, she writes:
There are not any products that I am not neurologically reactive to. It is just a matter as to how reactive or sensitive to them I am and how ill a specific product will make me.
So, please leave them all at home.
Those “all natural” fragranced products are not safe around me either. While some products are worse than others, all WILL make me sick to some degree, probably too sick for you to even come into my home or to enjoy your company.
A nurse with over 25 years experience (and a quilter to boot), Kathy’s also encouraged her readers to Make the connection — Chemicals & Fragrances make you sick, and asked them to consider When Scented cleaners do not make good Cents.
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Sundog –noun 1. parhelion. 2. a small or incomplete rainbow.
I also found Sundog Tales by Lisa, who describes herself as “a survivor of the devastation multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).”
Lisa writes a lovely blog, full of detail, emotion and tales of a survivor.
I was feeling energetic and alive. My brain fog was noticeably less and it felt like just out of the corner of my eye I kept catching glances of what it would be like to have no fog at all. That little glimpse you catch of something that is mythical and mysterious but no matter how quick you are to turn and look you always just missed it. But I knew it was there and almost tangible.
Lisa and her partner Jeremy are living in a tent in the foothills of Washington state. They are living in the tent through winter and several of her blog posts describe the harrowing experience of cold and freezing temps (while battling CFS and MCS). They are currently building a straw bale house.
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Perfume blogger dismisses concerns from a member of our community
Posted on Jan 19, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, MCS, Susie Collins
I love it when people who have absolutely no medical expertise make flippant comments about allergies and sensitivities to chemicals.
Now Smell This: A Blog About Perfume reports on Perfume is the Rodney Dangerfield of the Art World. Angela writes:
I look forward to the day when saying “perfume stinks” is seen as a sign of ignorance. Maybe, instead, that person will lean toward a friend discreetly wearing scent and say, “Your perfume is — interesting. Tell me about it.”
In the comments she writes:
“I know a few people, too, who claim to be allergic to fragrance, but I think they’ve just had a bad reaction standing next to someone soaked in something particularly loud. All of these people can wander into a Marriott or a Hilton, where fragrance is pumped through the air, without a hitch.”
Excuse me, who’s ignorant? I love it when people who have absolutely no medical expertise make sweeping, flippant comments about allergies and sensitivities to chemicals. The truth is many of us with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity cannot wander into a Marriott or Hilton without risking our health. Neither can we visit malls or casinos or walk through an airport without a mask. Scent marketing blocks our access to banks, office buildings and even hospitals.
Now Smell This is a popular blog, and at about comment #180, a member of our community, Elaine Willis, left a comment for Angela:
People who CLAIM to be allergic to perfume most likely are! [Commenter] Klytaemnestra does not understand that someone can develop the sensitivity over time. Although I can appreciate the discussion here, I hope it can be appreciated that for 3 out of 10 people, perfume is a health hazard; and for a smaller but growing number – perfume and other petro-chemically enhanced products, are life-threatening.
Angela obviously thought Elaine was over exaggerating, and so flippantly replied: “Oh my! 3 out of 10 people! I guess I count myself as one of the lucky ones. I’d sure hate to be allergic to perfume when the world is awash in scent–everything from cleaning products to buses to malls and hotels seems to be scented these days.”
When another commenter recommends “a more judicious approach in putting perfume or scent into everything and everywhere,” Angela pronounces,”I think a lot of people don’t even notice it anymore, yet they squawk when they smell it on a person.”
The truth is that the toxicity of modern fragrance formulations is a serious health issue for everyone, not just people with Environmental Illness and/or Multiple Chemical Sensitivity.
Saying “I think a lot of people don’t even notice it anymore” about what is a serious disability rights issue is 15-20 years behind the times. In America, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, which include sensitivity to modern perfume and fragrance, is recognized as a disability by the Social Security Administration, Housing and Urban Development, and the Americans with Disabilities Act, among others. Click here for a list of published peer-reviewed articles documenting the “realness” of MCS.
This chemical sensitivity condition is not rare and the numbers of people who have it are growing. A national survey found 11.2% of respondents reported increased sensitivities to common chemicals and 2.5% had been medically diagnosed with MCS. Perhaps even more relevant to this discussion here is that this same survey found 31.1% of respondents said that sitting next to someone who was wearing a scented product was “irritating.” So going without perfume in schools, hotels, banks, airports and other public places is a good idea because it improves air quality and reduces potential harm to others as well as yourself.
Toxic modern fragrance is a health issue that affects everyone and a disability rights issue that affects people with respiratory illness including people with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. Clean air is everybody’s business, and seeing this issue as a fundamental health issue is the only way we will ever get consensus on taking the necessary action to protect everyone.
Now Smell This is a blog with a lot of readers, why not go an tell Angela how you feel about a product made from unregulated toxic chemicals choked with phthalates known to cause reproductive harm and petrochemicals known to trigger asthma, migraines, respiratory distress, central nervous system problems and more. Tell her how you feel when your body is exposed to perfumes in public places and your eyes burn and itch, your throat and limbs swell up, your skin burns, or a migraine is triggered.
I would have forgiven Angela her blog topic had she not been so flippant when Elaine told her that perfume can indeed be life threatening. I wish Angela could experience Multiple Chemical Sensitivity for just one day, it might make her have second thoughts about flipping off someone trying to tell her perfume can be extremely dangerous for a large part of the population.
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Book ties toxic chemicals to rising healthcare costs
Posted on Jan 11, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, Environment, Home & Garden, Linda Sepp, Media/Videos, Research
Our Chemical Lives And The Hijacking Of Our DNA: A Probe Into What’s Probably Making Us Sick, by Catherine J. Frompovich (2009, BookSurge Publishing)
Post by Linda Sepp.
I just ran across a reference to this.
From the Industrial revolution and onward, the world has become an environment that is overflowing with dangerous toxins. Mass manufacturing has resulted in thousands of chemical pollutants being released in the atmosphere, water, and soil. As well, there has been a widespread increase of chemicals being added to almost every type of food and retail product. With this overwhelming chemical exposure, there has been an increase in research and studies showing the life threatening impacts on our health and well being. In her book, Our Chemical Lives And The Hijacking Of Our DNA, author Catherine J Frompovich delves into the effects of a chemical laden world on the body at a cellular level.
Our Chemical Lives And The Hijacking Of Our DNA is an important “wake up call’ about the current and future state of our toxic environment and what will happen if important changes are not made. Not only is it highly educational, the attention to detail makes the book a handy health resource tool. It is highly recommended to not just mass readers, but also to politicians, manufacturing industry officials, and health professionals.
Link to the author’s website.
Link to Amazon.com and good review.
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Mary Canary shares life on the road
Posted on Jan 09, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, Guest Bloggers, Keith Carlson, MCS, Media/Videos
The good, the bad, and the ugly side of life in an RV while coping with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity.
Post by guest blogger Mary Rives.
(Editor’s Note: Mary is the wife of Canary Report contributor Keith Carlson. Mary and Keith are currently living full-time in their new RV, traveling the highways and byways of America, visiting intentional communities, and bringing Laughter Yoga and the benefits of health and wellness coaching to new and old friends along the way. Read more about their trip at Mary and Keith’s Excellent Adventure.)
On Wednesday, I blogged about how to travel with a little help from your friends, and shared with you a template for a letter you might like to give friends and family before you visit. The letter was written by a friend on our behalf, and has some tips about how to prepare for a visit from loved ones with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity.
While it’s true we are having a wonderful adventure on the road, today I’d like to share with you a video that reflects the darker side of our journey, but of course I am being a pretty good sport! We are looking to switch from this diesel rig to a gas powered one in Texas, just two states away now. The veggie oil thing did not pan out and diesel is worsening my Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, but all this nature is healing it too!
We are 14 intentional communities and 12 states on down the road from Amherst, where we began our journey. We’re hitting our stride with the new lifestyle and feel very blessed and grateful (even though it is as cold here in SE Alabama and NW Florida as it is in New England, for now anyway).
Happy New Year to all–and if you feel like it and haven’t yet, read our New Year’s letter to all on our blog: A New Year’s Missive from Keith and Mary.
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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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Video: The Naked Truth About Multiple Chemical Sensitivity
Posted on Dec 14, 2009 by Susie Collins in Blog, MCS, Media/Videos, Susie Collins
The Canary Report produces a video where fifteen women bare all to tell the naked truth about life with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity.
This video contains nudity, strong language and a bunch of women telling the absolute Truth about living with MCS. Viewer discretion and an open mind is advised.
These images are also available as a 2010 calendar:
Link to Version 1 The Naked Truth About Multiple Chemical Sensitivity.
And Version 2 The Naked Truth About Multiple Chemical Sensitivity: Seeking Our Nature.
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Dr. William Rea speaks on Chemical Sensitivity
Posted on Dec 06, 2009 by Susie Collins in MCS, Susie Collins
Exclusive interview for Medicine.Org with Dr. William J. Rea, MD, FACS, FAAEM, founder and director of the Environmental Health Center-Dallas.
Medicine.org reports on an interview with Dr. William Rea conducted in 2006. Dr. Rea discusses the controversy surrounding the name “Multiple Chemical Sensitivity,” the multi-system complexity of chemical sensitivity, his contributions to creating less toxic housing, and more.
Medicine.org: On your website you have an illustration called the Principles of Chemical Sensitivity. However, there appears to be no universally accepted medical definition of chemical sensitivity. Why is this and how would you define chemical sensitivity?
WJR: I would define Chemical Sensitivity as the adverse reaction to the ambient dose of toxic and non-toxic chemicals, and it can be manifested in any system in the body. The definition problem stems from the work of Cullen from Yale.1 We’re not sure whether he worked for the chemical companies or whether he just was ignorant. [In any case] …he didn’t come to any of us. He created something called “Multiple Chemical Sensitivity” and this was defined as an entity that has only clinical symptoms and no signs and no laboratory data. Of course he was very wrong about that. And that has fueled the controversy for the last twenty years. And that’s been part of the problem. But I think everybody working in the field agrees on the definition that I gave.
Medicine.Org: That’s particularly interesting because most of the people we know with chemical sensitivity refer to their problem as “Multiple Chemical Sensitivity.”WJR: Yes, I know, and that’s always been a problem because they don’t realize the legal implications. The legal implications are that it is psychosomatic because you have no physical findings and no laboratory data. Every chemically sensitive patient we see has physical signs and laboratory data.
Link to the full interview at Medicine.org
Link to Dr. Rea’s Environmental Health Center-Dallas
Thanks, Christi!
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Toxic construction, cancer, and biotech crops
Posted on Nov 18, 2009 by Linda Sepp in Blog, Contributors, Linda Sepp, Media/Videos, News
Canary’s Cry.
Post by Linda Sepp.
The Colorado Daily reports on sidewalks finally getting built in the shopping district of Nederland, Colorado, but not everyone is happy with the construction project. Judith Thackray, a 17-year resident of Nederland, said she’s been forced to evacuate her home because it sits so close to the project’s construction yard. “There are so many vehicles, and Nederland sits in a bowl, that the level of toxicity from the diesel fumes is impossible for me,” said Thackray, 62, who has been diagnosed with acute chemical sensitivity. “I am being ousted from my home.” Thackray, who has been taking up temporary residence in rented hotel rooms and mountain cabins, said her requests for the city or the construction company to move the work yard has fallen on deaf ears.
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center reports cancer patients and doctors report drug side effects differently. The study showed patients generally reported adverse symptoms earlier, more frequently, and with greater severity than their clinicians, and their responses appeared to better reflect real-time suffering.
Reuters reports biotech crops cause big jump in pesticide use-report.
The Seattle Post Globe reports on infuriated mom: Why can’t I protect my body? Study pinpoints chemicals in moms-to-be.
Dr. Oz reports on the link between cell phones and cancer.
The Bloomington Alternative launches a blog on Autism and the Indiana Environment. It explores the parallel rises of environmental pollution and autism in Indiana.
The New York Times reports For Some Smokers, Even Home Is Off Limits. This month, the Related Companies will ban smoking at some of its downtown apartment buildings because of health concerns about secondhand smoke, according to company officials.
The University of California-Los Angeles reports nanoparticles used in common household items caused genetic damage in mice.
Burlington Free Press reports A Chemical Reaction film explores dangers lurking in lawns.
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The health and ability for those with environmental sensitivities rests with the choices and actions of others. For more information, see The Medical Perspective on Environmental Sensitivities.
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Dutch book on Multiple Chemical Sensitivity now published in English
Posted on Nov 13, 2009 by Susie Collins in Blog, MCS, Media/Videos, Susie Collins
English version of MCS book is now launched worldwide by McFarland.
Els Valkenburg of the Netherlands reports that her book entitled Understanding Multiple Chemical Sensitivity: Causes, Effects, Personal Experiences and Resources has just been published in English. The book is now published in three languages, this time in the US worldwide version by publisher McFarland. I should be receiving a copy to review very soon!
This personal view of multiple chemical sensitivity and environmental illness is supported by research. In a question-and-answer format, the effects of exposure to perfume, smoke, air fresheners, cleaning products, exhaust, and other air contaminants are examined and linked to symptoms such as headaches, allergies, asthma, and fatigue. The book contains additional testimony and reports from 37 sufferers, as well as listings of resources and an index of related scientific articles.
Els Valkenburg wrote the first Dutch book on multiple chemical sensitivity, and this is the English-language edition. She operates the resource Web site www.the-abc-of-mcs.com.
She lives in the Netherlands.
Congratulations, Els! I look forward to reviewing your book.
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A victim of my own environment
Posted on Nov 12, 2009 by Susie Collins in Blog, Linda Sepp, MCS, Media/Videos
The story of my life was published today, it would have been nice if they got it right.
Post by Linda Sepp.
The Star reports on my housing situation:
To read the article, click on photo to enlarge.
And here is my Letter to the Editor in response:
I’m really disappointed by these articles.
The reporter had all the information, including letters from doctors about my situation and medical need for “safe” housing, which does not exist and should be provided by the health care system for people who are severely chemically injured as a primary part of our required health care.
And how the landlord has placed impossible to overcome obstacles into his seemingly generous offer, and that I owe the rent money because the landlord moved my mother out from the downstairs unit with an offer she couldn’t refuse, while knowing that I could not afford it here alone.
And how the province is refusing to provide the type of assistance one would expect from a social safety net, that I almost froze to death here as a result, that I have no safe warm clothing to wear because I cannot afford chemical free safe clothing, which is another prescription from my doctors, or wash it here without whole house water filtration.
Also, that Martin Pall’s paper about Multiple Chemical Sensitivities / Environmental Sensitivities being caused by toxic chemicals, and the info about it in the Toxicology text with all kinds of peer reviewed documentation debunking the industry line about MCS/ES being a psychological condition.
The articles also completely minimized my symptoms, which are completely disabling, and neglected to mention the Human Rights Commission’s recognition of the disability.
Other relevant links are below:
A victim of her own environment.
A poisoned home life: Woman with environmental sensitives struggles to find safety.
The Canadian Human Rights Commission Policy on MCS/ES.
The Medical Perspective on Environmental Sensitivities by: Margaret E. Sears (M.Eng., Ph.D.).
Toxic chemicals found in common scented laundry products, air fresheners.
Dr. Steinemann’s research: “Fragranced consumer products and undisclosed ingredients.”
When Neighbours Smoke: Exposure to Drifting Second-hand Smoke in Multi-unit Dwellings.
NOTE: fragrance chemicals and other VOC’s migrate in exactly the same ways.
Pollution & air quality – Indoor air quality – Scents.
Health Care Without Harm and Cleaners, Pesticides, and Fragrances: Global Overview.
General and Applied Toxicology, 3rd Edition, Chapter 92: “Multiple Chemical Sensitivity: Toxicological Questions and Mechanisms,” by Martin L. Pall:
Breakthrough study on Multiple Chemical Sensitivity shows MCS is an epidemic caused by toxic chemicals; peer-reviewed paper is published in prestigious toxicology reference work.
A major paper on Multiple Chemical Sensitivity by Professor Martin L. Pall (at left) is to be published Oct. 23 as chapter 92 in a prestigious reference work for professional toxicologists, General and Applied Toxicology, 3rd Edition (2009, John Wiley & Sons). Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) is also known as chemical sensitivity, chemical intolerance, and toxicant-induced loss of tolerance, with this last name emphasizing the role of chemicals in initiating cases of this disease. Pall’s paper, entitled “Multiple Chemical Sensitivity: Toxicological Questions and Mechanisms,” establishes five important facts about MCS:
1. MCS is a stunningly common disease, even more common than diabetes. This has been shown in a series of nine epidemiological studies from the United States and one study each from Canada, Germany, Sweden and Denmark. In the U.S., approximately 3.5% of the population is affected by severe MCS, with much larger numbers, at least 12% of the population, being moderately affected. MCS is, therefore, a very large international disease epidemic with major implications in terms of public health.
2. MCS is caused by toxic chemical exposure. Cases of MCS are initiated by exposure to seven classes of chemicals. These include three classes of pesticides and the very large class of organic solvents and related compounds. In addition, published studies implicate mercury, hydrogen sulfide and carbon monoxide as initiators. All seven of these classes of chemicals have been shown in animal studies to produce a common response in the body, excessive activity of a receptor in the body known as the NMDA receptor. Furthermore animal studies have demonstrated that chemicals belonging to each of these seven classes can have their toxic responses greatly lowered by using drugs that lower this NMDA response. Because excessive NMDA activity is implicated in MCS from other studies, we now have a compelling common response that explains how such diverse chemicals can produce the disease that we call MCS.
3. The role of chemicals acting as toxicants in MCS has been confirmed by genetic studies. Four such studies have shown that genes that determine the rate of metabolism of chemicals otherwise implicated in MCS, influence susceptibility to becoming ill with MCS. These four studies have been published by three research groups in three countries, the U.S., Canada and Germany, have collectively implicated six genes in determining susceptibility to MCS. Each of these six genes has a role in determining the rate of metabolism of MCS-related chemicals. The German studies by Schnakenberg and colleagues are particularly convincing on this because of the extremely high level of statistical significance of their studies implicating four of these six genes. There is only one interpretation for the role of these six genes in determining susceptiblity to MCS. It is that chemicals act as toxicants in initiating cases of MCS and that metabolizing these chemicals into forms that are either less or more active in such initiation, influences therefore, the probability that a person will become ill with MCS. It is clear, therefore, that MCS is a toxicological phenomenon, with cases being caused by the toxic response to chemical exposure.
4. We have, a detailed and generally well supported mechanism for MCS. This mechanism explains both the high level chemical sensitivity that is the most characteristic symptom of MCS, as well as many other symptoms and signs of this disease, can be generated. This mechanism is centered on a biochemical vicious cycle, known as the NO/ONOO- cycle, which interacts with other mechanisms previously implicated in MCS, notably neural sensitization and neurogenic inflammation. These act locally, in various tissues of the body, to generate local sensitivity in regions of the brain and in peripheral tissues including lungs, upper respiratory tract and regions of the skin and the GI tract. Because of this local nature, different MCS patients differ from one another in their sensitivity symptoms, because the tissues impacted differ from one patient to another. In addition to the evidence discussed above, this general mechanism is supported by various physiological changes found in MCS and in related illnesses, by studies of MCS animal models, by objectively measurable responses of MCS patients to low level chemical exposure and by therapeutic responses reported for MCS and related illnesses.
5. For over 20 years, some have falsely argued that MCS is a psychogenic disease, being generated in their view by some ill defined psychological mechanism. However this view is completely incompatible with all of the evidence discussed earlier in this release. While such incompatibility is more than sufficient reason to reject these psychogenic claims, the MCS toxicology paper lists eight additional serious flaws in the psychogenic arguments. There is a long history of false psychogenic claims in medicine, where such diseases as asthma, autism, Parkinson’s disease, ulcers, multiple sclerosis, lupus, interstitial cystitis, migraine and ulcerative colitis have been claimed to be generated by a psychological mechanism. The 2005 Nobel prize in physiology and medicine was give to Drs. Robin Warren and Barry Marshall for showing that ulcers are caused by a bacterial infection, and are not of psychogenic origin. It is clear, now, that MCS is physiological disease initiated by toxic chemical exposure that has been falsely claimed to be psychogenic.
Martin L. Pall is Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry and Basic Medical Science at Washington State University.
He is located on Pacific time in the U.S. and can be contacted at: 503-232-3883 and at martin_pall@wsu.edu. His web site is: thetenthparadigm.org.
Linda Sepp
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