Tag Archives: Fragrance

Scent marketers are manipulating our least-understood sense: smell

Posted on Aug 28, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, Guest Bloggers, MCS, Media/Videos

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The fragrance industry is subjecting people, often without their knowledge, to chemical fragrances that affect emotions and behaviors.

By guestblogger Marti Wolfe.

Scent marketing delivery machine.

Utne Reader‘s current issue (September-October) reports on a distressing trend about which people with MCS and their advocates should be aware. In “The Sweet Smell of Sales,” Utne reports of articles appearing in Business Week, Good’s and Neuromarketing about “ambient scenting,” the new but growing practice of attempting to “elicit unconscious behavior or emotion” by “pumping a carefully chosen smell into a [commercial] space.”

MCSers have enough challenge with the smells of personal care products without having to deal with deliberately “piped in” synthetic organic compounds in public spaces.

Good’s journalist Siobahn O’Connor acknowledges the potential threat on the magazine blog: “The fragrance industry is secretive and trades largely in toxic chemicals that are known allergens and likely hormone disruptors,” she writes on the magazine’s blog (June 21, 2010). And “subjecting people (often without their knowledge) to fragrances that affect their emotions and behaviors strikes me as a slippery slope.”

I agree. If this is an invasive practice for the general public, it is even more so for the chemically sensitive, allergic, or respiratory-challenged cohorts of the population. Regulators and legislators should hear our dismay.

Cheers,
Marti

Marti Wolfe, PhD, is an environmental toxicologist whose research interests include the effects of methymercury on animals exposed via the aquatic food chain, and also the interaction of methylmercury and selenium when animals are exposed to these contaminants together. She’s worked on developing a non-lethal biomarker using molecular biology techniques to help identify birds that have been exposed to petroleum in their habitat. This biomarker also evaluates birds that have been treated following oil spills.

Link.

Photo credit.

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Multiple Chemical Sensitivity again featured on popular TV show in Spain

Posted on May 15, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, Eva Caballé, MCS, Media/Videos

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Here’s another Multiple Chemical Sensitivity report done by Telecinco, one of the most important national TV channels in Spain. This report includes English subtitles.

By contributor Eva Caballé, Spain.

A few days ago, I shared with you the video of a report about Multiple Chemical Sensitivity featured on Telecinco, one of the most important national TV channels in Spain. The report aired during the news. It was in Spanish and some of you asked me if there would be an English version.

Last weekend, a longer version of this report was aired and will be repeated every day until next Sunday. I decided to add subtitles in English to this longer version because it’s even better than the first one. During the video, you can see Dr. Ramón Orriols explaining his study “Brain dysfunction in Multiple Chemical Sensitivity.”

I want to share with all of you the video in Spanish with English subtitles. And I want to thank Susie Collins for her corrections. I hope you like it!

Hugs,
Eva

Here’s the transcript:

MCS TV REPORT

Telecinco: If we do a blood test, we realize that more than 200 chemical substances are present in our body. It’s impossible to live without toxics in a city. There are chemical substances in our shampoos, cosmetics, perfumes, air fresheners and in the cleaning products that hospitals, public transport and malls use. There are chemicals everywhere threatening the health of people with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. Here lives a 37-year-old woman who has lived isolated for three years because of her MCS. If she smells a perfume, she suffocates. Living isolated without having contact with anybody is the only choice she has in order to survive. The world is toxic for her.

Eva Caballé: Hello, my name is Eva Caballé. I’m an economist from Barcelona and I’ve lived with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity for four years. My husband, David, is my contact with the outside world.

Telecinco: David has recorded the images because nobody can come into their house because it would be too dangerous for her.

David Palma: This is our main door and it’s sealed to avoid odors. We have several air purifiers in strategic places. For example, this one at the main door and this other that controls the door of Eva’s room.

Eva Caballé: When I’m exposed to any chemical product, my first symptom is that I can’t breathe. After the dyspnea, I have tachycardia, my skin burns and I have extreme fatigue and my legs become paralyzed.

Telecinco: They have already spent 30.000€ to adapt their house to MCS. She has lived with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity for four years and she will suffer it the rest of her life.

David Palma: The furniture is made of stainless steel. We had to throw out our wood furniture because they emitted toxic VOCs (volatile organic compounds).

Telecinco: David has to take a bath when he comes home and he follows the same daily routine for Eva in order not to poison her.

David Palma: This is a water filter. We use these ecological and perfume free products. Our toothbrush is made of natural bristles instead of nylon bristles. Our shower head has a carbon cartridge inside to filter the water. We use these salts to clean our teeth. We had to block the air vent to avoid the chemicals that our neighbors use (shampoos, deodorants, laundry detergent, etc.).

Eva Caballé: I developed MCS because of an air freshener that they started to use in the office where I used to work. One day, when I came into the office, I suffocated. In that moment this nightmare started.

Telecinco: Not only chemicals are a problem for her. She’s also sensitive to sounds, changes of pressure, vibrations and lights.

David Palma: This is the cable of our router. We don’t have WiFi to avoid electromagnetic radiation.

Dr. Ramón Orriols: All their senses are ultrasensitive. MCS sufferers have such an exaggerated response that makes all unbearable for them.

Telecinco: They have converted their home into a bunker to survive. Eva can’t even go to hospital in an emergency or take an ambulance.

David Palma: Doctors can’t make house calls because MCS is not recognized in Spain. There are no hospital protocols for this illness. If she takes an ambulance, she will be exposed to disinfectants and cleaners, perfumes used by other patients or medical staff. All these chemical products could possibly cause a medical crisis and she could even loose her life.

Telecinco: David seals the kitchen door every time he cooks. Eva doesn’t tolerate preservatives and artificial colourings. She can only eat five different foods.

David Palma: Lettuce, carrots, veal, egg and corn. We buy organic corn and we make our own flour. We are waiting until her health improves to reintroduce lentils, which she can no longer tolerate because of food poisoning that she suffered a few months ago.

Telecinco: But most frustrating for them is that MCS is not recognized as an illness. Eva Caballé spent two years and one month to find the right diagnosis after she visited more than 22 doctors who labeled her as delicate.

David Palma: I think that MCS is not recognized because of economic interests. The chemical and pharmaceutical industries don’t want it known that normal everyday chemicals, like shaving foam or nappies, are toxic. They are afraid to have people realize that normal everyday chemicals cause diseases.

Dr. Ramón Orriols: The real truth is that MCS exists. The MCS sufferers exist and we must give them a solution.

Telecinco: Dr. Orriols is a pneumologist who has studied the brain of MCS patients and his study has proved that MCS is a real illness.

Dr. Ramón Orriols: The important thing is that this illuminated part disappears right here. This doesn’t happen with healthy people. MCS suffers have an alteration just in this center which controls the olfactory stimulus.

David Palma: And here is where Eva lives.

Telecinco: Eva is totally disabled because of MCS, CFS, Fibromyalgia and Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. Her body is broken but her mind is very active. She authors a blog where she spreads information about MCS and she has written a book that she can’t even read.

Eva Caballé: I can’t touch my book because the paper and the ink are toxic for me and they would cause me a crisis. This is the reason why my book is wrapped.

David Palma: She worked, she went daily to the gym, and we used to spend the weekends going to rock concerts and we also had a rock band. We had an active and full life.

Telecinco: Do you feel lonely any time?

David Palma: No, because I’m with her.

Telecinco: They will keep on fighting together until MCS is recognized as an illness.

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Analysis shows top-selling fragrance products contain secret chemicals never assessed for safety

Posted on May 13, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, MCS, Products, Susie Collins

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President’s Cancer Panel Report highlights threat from endocrine-disrupting chemicals; many found in new fragrance study.

A new analysis reveals that top-selling fragrance products contain a dozen or more secret chemicals not listed on labels, multiple chemicals that can trigger allergic reactions or disrupt hormones, and many substances that have not been assessed for safety by the beauty industry’s self-policing review panels.

Environmental Working Group reports secret chemicals are revealed in celebrity perfumes and teen body sprays.

I’m thrilled to see Anne C. Steinemann quoted in the press release. Steinemann is a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Washington and has done analysis on fragranced consumer products and undisclosed ingredients in three air fresheners and three laundry products, where she discovered over 100 undisclosed volitale organics compounds (VOCs). She’s also complied a list of over 100 citations for peer-reviewed journal articles that support a physiological basis for Multiple Chemical Sensitivity.

Here’s the release from EWG about the new fragrance analysis:

San Francisco – A new analysis reveals that top-selling fragrance products—from Britney Spears’ Curious and Hannah Montana Secret Celebrity to Calvin Klein Eternity and Abercrombie & Fitch Fierce — contain a dozen or more secret chemicals not listed on labels, multiple chemicals that can trigger allergic reactions or disrupt hormones, and many substances that have not been assessed for safety by the beauty industry’s self-policing review panels.

The study of hidden toxic chemicals in perfumes comes on the heels of last week’s report by the President’s Cancer Panel, which sounded the alarm over the understudied and largely unregulated toxic chemicals used by millions of Americans in their daily lives. The Cancer Panel report recommends that pregnant women and couples planning to become pregnant avoid exposure to hormone-disrupting chemicals due to cancer concerns. Hormone disruptors that may play a role in cancer were found in many of the fragrances analyzed for this study.

“This monumental study reveals the hidden hazards of fragrances,” said Anne C. Steinemann, Ph.D, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Professor of Public Affairs, University of Washington. “Secondhand scents are also a big concern. One person using a fragranced product can cause health problems for many others.”

For this study, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, a national coalition of health and environmental groups, commissioned tests of 17 fragranced products at an independent laboratory. Campaign partner Environmental Working Group assessed data from the tests and the product labels. The analysis reveals that the 17 products contained, on average:

  • Fourteen secret chemicals not listed on labels due to a loophole in federal law that allows companies to claim fragrances as trade secrets. American Eagle Seventy Seven contained 24 hidden chemicals, the highest number of any product in the study.
  • Ten sensitizing chemicals associated with allergic reactions such as asthma, wheezing, headaches and contact dermatitis. Giorgio Armani Acqua Di Gio contained 19 different sensitizing chemicals, more than any other product in the study
  • Four hormone-disrupting chemicals linked to a range of health effects including sperm damage, thyroid disruption and cancer. Halle by Halle Berry, Quicksilver and Jennifer Lopez J. Lo Glow each contained seven different chemicals with the potential to disrupt the hormone system.

The majority of chemicals found in this report have never been assessed for safety by any publically accountable agency, or by the cosmetics industry’s self-policing review panels. Of the 91 ingredients identified in this study, only 19 have been reviewed by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR), and 27 have been assessed by International Fragrance Association (IFRA) and the Research Institute for Fragrance Materials (RIFM), which develop voluntary standards for chemicals used in fragrance.

“Something doesn’t smell right—clearly the system is broken,” said Lisa Archer, national coordinator of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics at the Breast Cancer Fund. “We urgently need updated laws that require full disclosure of cosmetic ingredients so consumers can make informed choices about what they are being exposed to.”

“Fragrance chemicals are inhaled or absorbed through the skin, and many of them end up inside people’s bodies, including pregnant women and newborn babies,” said Jane Houlihan, senior vice president for research at Environmental Working Group.

A recent EWG study found synthetic musk chemicals Galaxolide and Tonalide in the umbilical cord blood of newborn infants. The musk chemicals were found in nearly every fragrance analyzed for this study. Twelve of the 17 products also contained diethyl phthalate (DEP), a chemical linked to sperm damage and behavioral problems that has been found in the bodies of nearly all Americans tested.

TAKE ACTION! Click here to sign the petition for safe celebrity fragrances!

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Multiple Chemical Sensitivity: The importance of reducing the toxic load

Posted on May 07, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, Eva Caballé, MCS, Media/Videos

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I didn’t know that air fresheners and laundry softeners have carcinogenic ingredients. The manufacturers hide all this information because they want us to be unsuspecting consumers who buy products without questioning the ingredients. But there are natural and healthier choices, and in most of the cases they aren’t more expensive.

By contributor Eva Caballé, Spain.

(Editor’s Note: Please help me welcome Eva Caballé as a regular contributor at The Canary Report! Eva’s story about her life with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity has been featured on TCR many times since last summer, and she started guestblogging here in February. I asked her to come join us as a regular contributor, and to my delight she’s said yes! She’ll blog here at The Canary Report on Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, disability rights, social justice, the state of MCS recognition in Spain, and give you tips about living a nontoxic life. You can read her full bio here. Eva makes her contributor’s debut with a video on the importance of reducing the toxic load in your life. The video was first aired at a conference in Spain on healthy cosmetics. Welcome, Eva! Aloha, Susie)

Eva Caballé

Hello, my name is Eva Caballé. I’m an economist from Barcelona, Spain, and I’ve lived with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity for four years, although I was diagnosed only two years ago. I write NO FUN, a Spanish blog about MCS and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, with information and advice for people who are sick or who want to live a healthier life free of toxics. My blog includes an English section. And I have written a book Desaparecida: Una vida rota por la Sensibilidad Química Múltiple (Missing: A life broken by Multiple Chemical Sensitivity) that was published in Spanish last year by the publisher El Viejo Topo .

First of all, I want to thank Silvia Ferrer for inviting me to this conference about healthy cosmetic to talk about MCS, although I have had to record my conference in this video, because my illness doesn’t allow me to leave my house.

Maybe some of you haven’t heard about Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. MCS is an acquired chronic illness which manifests with multisystemic symptoms as a reaction to very small exposures to toxic chemical products, meaning normal everyday chemicals but unnecessary ones like perfumes, air fresheners and laundry softeners.

MCS is a syndrome with four grades of severity, so not all of us who are sick suffer the same level of disability and isolation. Unfortunately, I have the highest severity and because of MCS I have developed other illnesses that make me live completely isolated, without leaving my house, and right now, not even leaving my bed.

The symptoms are chronic and they can become acute when we are exposed to chemical products. Symptoms are different depending on the sufferer, and in my case include dyspnea, tachycardia, dizziness and extreme fatigue. This is the reason why we must avoid contact with any chemical product.

There are two ways of developing MCS: from one single exposure to toxics at a high dose (fumigation, for example) or by many exposures to small amounts over the years, which is my case.

Over the years, our body accumulates chemical substances which circulate in our environment without any controls, in the food we eat, in the water we drink, in the air we breathe, in our beauty products, etc., until the toxic load is unbearable and we end up getting sick, which according to our genetic make-up, it could end up being MCS or other environmental illness like cancer, asthma, and allergies.

If you start noticing unbearable chemicals which you did not notice before or you stop tolerating alcohol or some food, you may be developing MCS. If a perfume gives you headache, if some chemicals give you dizziness or nausea, you may be part of the 12% of people who have chemical sensitivities in a mild degree.

Since my MCS started, before I got the right diagnosis, I had to make changes at home, because the laundry detergent, the toothpaste or for example the shower gel suffocated me. My body guided me to eliminate all the products that were intoxicating me. In spite of not knowing the name of my illness, I started to look for alternatives to substitute for all these toxic products. Two years later, when I knew that I had MCS and that I had to avoid all the chemical products, I realized that my body had led me on the right track.

Then I created the blog NO FUN, first of all to spread a video about MCS that I recorded at home for a TV program, and after that I started to share all that I had learned with other people who were sick and anyone who wanted to live a healthier life free of toxics.

I also have allergies since I was a child, but nobody warned me that I was in a risk group to develop MCS. If I was aware of this, I would have changed my habits and I would have used the products that I use now. I also didn’t know that most deodorants are toxic and there are a lot of studies that link some ingredients with breast cancer.

I didn’t know either that air fresheners and laundry softeners have carcinogenic ingredients. The manufacturers hide all this information because they want us to be unsuspecting consumers who buy products without questioning the ingredients. But there are natural and healthier choices, and in most of the cases they aren’t more expensive.

Each day, there are more children with allergies, asthma, with celiac disease, dermatitis, even cancer. MCS is growing rapidly and also affects younger people, even children. This horrifies me and I am ashamed to live in a world where economic interests are put before health, where they let us get sick and then they abandon us with no help.

I decided to write a book with my history in part to denounce all of this, because I don’t want anybody else get sick when this can be avoided. While the health authorities do nothing, everyone has the option to change their way of life, to stop using these toxic products and to start using ecological products, which are respectful to our bodies and the environment.

I only wish that my experience is useful in preventing others from getting ill.

~~~

Eva Caballé blogs at NO FUN.

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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

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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!

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Open tabs

Posted on Mar 21, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, Media/Videos, News, Susie Collins

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Reports and pages I’ve been exploring this weekend:

ABC reports the Military Admits Fault in Water Contamination: Soldiers at Camp Lejeune in the 1980s were exposed to chemicals in tap water.

For an inside look at the Camp Lejeune horror story, visit this website made by former residents called Camp Lejeune Toxic Water: The Few The Proud, The Forgotten.

I’m annoyed with the Environmental Protection Agency’s Evaluation of Pet Spot-On Products: Analysis and Mitigation Plan, just released. No mention of nontoxic alternatives, but I guess that’s not the topic.

The EPA also urges families to lock up household chemicals and pesticides. No mention about eliminating toxic chemicals from the home in the first place to remove the danger completely. Listen to this: “Leading causes of poisoning include cosmetics such as perfume and nail polish, deodorant and soap, household cleaning products and medications.” Did you know perfume, nail polish, deodorant and soap are LEADING causes of child poisoning? WAKE UP, PEOPLE! Get those toxic chemicals out of your house! Here’s the EPA’s page on Prevent Poisonings in Your Home; again no mention about elimination or alternatives.

I love Paul Tukey‘s blog SafeLawns.Blog. Paul is the founder of SafeLawns.org, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation. He’s also executive producer of the award-winning documentary, A Chemical Reaction, which can be found at www.pfzmedia.com; the movie chronicles the origin of the anti-pesticide movement sweeping across Canada and into the United States.

Shine reports on the woman who was awarded $100K because her employer did not provide her proper accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act when her co-workers’ perfume and the office air fresheners made her ill. I’m disgusted at the media for the way this story’s been reported: I’ve read at least 50 reports on this story and not one has mentioned that perfume and air fresheners contain toxic chemicals and that it was the toxic chemicals that made the woman ill, not the “stink” or “chemical-smells.” I think this report here at The Ohio Employer’s Law Blog has the most interesting perspective I’ve read yet about the case:

The focus in ADA cases has shifted from the legal argument of whether an employee’s medical condition rises the level of an ADA-protected disability, to the factual issue of whether the employer reasonably accommodated that disability.

Dr. Andrew Weil answers a question about the use of clay treatment for healing fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia is in the same group of illnesses as Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

I was delighted to discover Annie Leonard’s blog The Story of Stuff Project. If you haven’t seen her Story of Stuff videos, you must!

Harrison Medical Center, Washington state, has a scent-free policy.

Nirvana Safe Haven has the most comprehensive list I have ever seen on scent-free organizations and policy. Good resources there for anyone trying to implement scent-free policy in churches, schools, public venues and more.

And the New York Times reports the Department of Agriculture said it would begin enforcing rules requiring the spot testing of organically grown foods for traces of pesticides, after an auditor exposed major gaps in federal oversight of the organic food industry.

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Open tabs

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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$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

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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.

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Professor of chemical engineering urges students to go fragrance-free

Posted on Feb 03, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, MCS, Susie Collins

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Chemical engineering professor at the University of New Hampshire encourages students to “be considerate to human canaries and help them to enjoy life to the fullest.”

Ihab Farag, professor of chemical engineering at the University of New Hampshire and member of our Canary Report community, wrote a letter to the editor at his school’s student paper to raise awareness about chemical sensitivity. And they published it! I’m a huge supporter of letters to the editor. Bravo, Ihab!

Many of us are familiar with canaries, the beautiful, colorful birds that tend to sing most of the time. Canaries also saved many human lives in coalmines. This is because canaries are much more sensitive to toxic gases than humans. Miners would take canaries with them in the coalmine. If the canary stopped singing and fell (or died), the miners knew to leave the coal mine quickly to safety.

There are individuals who have developed a very strong sensitivity to many common chemicals. These people can be very negatively affected and irritated by fumes, chemical cleaners, disinfectants, cigarette/cigar smoke, engine exhaust, solvents, etc. These people are often called “Human Canaries” of the modern world, because of the chemical sensitivity similarity to that of Canaries. Human Canaries of the 21st century tend to be very strongly irritated by everyday chemicals like perfumes, hair products, shampoos, shower gels, after shave lotions, antiperspirants, deodorants, hand sanitizers, chap sticks, finger nail polish, etc. Human canaries look the same as other people, and when you see one you probably will not recognize he or she is a human canary until an offensive toxic chemical triggers his or her sensitivity.

Please be considerate to human canaries and help them to enjoy life to the fullest. One way you can help the human canary and at the same time lower your exposure to undesirable chemicals, is to go fragrance-free: avoiding perfumes, and fragranced personal care products.

Ihab Farag
Professor, Chemical Engineering Department

Link to Dr. Farag’s home page at the University of New Hampshire.

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The Cloisters, where smells of the past meet the toxic chemicals of today

Posted on Jan 27, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, MCS, Susie Collins

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A woman with chemical sensitivity tells the story of her visit to The Cloisters. “I was furious at having been yanked across centuries and continents, and back to the 21st century where strange beings beat back every aroma or scent that nature or history has to offer by engulfing it in a cloud of sprayed odor – the embodiment of ‘Better Living Through Chemistry,’ I guess.”

Faith Wurtzel reports at Mr. Beller’s Neighborhood about The Smells of the Past.

In the essay, Faith tells a story about her visiting The Cloisters in New York City, what she describes as “a medieval European monastery that pre-dated Henry Hudson’s birth by a few centuries [and] anachronistically appeared in Manhattan.” During the visit to the stone structure, Faith experiences the pleasant natural smells of “hot wax and cold stone,” and she’s flooded with childhood memories of being “dragged by my parents to every castle, museum and cathedral in Europe.”

“I remembered lofty vaulted chambers with damp and icy winds blowing through them,” she writes.

But while her mind was tripping back to her childhood in this ancient of settings, she was suddenly jolted into the 21st century when assaulted with the stench of modern perfume.

Still a little dazed, I finished the climb to the heavy wooden door that separates the stairway from the museum’s entry vestibule, and we made our way in.

As soon as we opened the door, we were engulfed in an eye-stinging miasma of air “freshener,” to which I am frighteningly allergic, and which was no doubt unleashed by some plebeian in an effort to combat the persistent smell of history inherent in the centuries-old structure.

Snatched from my visit with the past, I fled down the stairs Dracula-style, with the front of my coat draped across my nose, and then stood outside on the icy cobbles sucking in draughts of cold, clean air. I was furious at having been yanked across centuries and continents, and back to the 21st century where strange beings beat back every aroma or scent that nature or history has to offer by engulfing it in a cloud of sprayed odor – the embodiment of “Better Living Through Chemistry,” I guess.

You should go read the whole essay, it’s beautifully written.

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Poster for fragrance-free hospital care

Posted on Jan 26, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, Disability Rights, MCS, Susie Collins

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This poster was designed as a public service project for patients requiring in-hospital care at hospitals that are still lacking a proper fragrance-free policy for the staff.

The poster comes in two versions: one for Multiple Chemical Sensitivity and one for Severe Allergic Asthma. Click here to download either one in print resolution.

I think the posters are FAB, but I knock off a couple points for using the word “allergen” in the MCS poster. As we all know, MCS is not an allergy, it does not have any of the physiological markers of an allergy. But that criticism aside, this poster rocks. I especially love the part where it says, “Patient is not a Fragrance Crash Test Dummy. Don’t just ‘come & see if it affects the patient.’”

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