The Canary Report

Gas well drilling operation impacts health of an entire neighborhood

Posted on Mar 10, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, Government Regulation, MCS, Susie Collins

Woman with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity is the first in  her neighborhood to detect toxic emissions from gas well drilling site; her health deteriorates while she fights for clean air.

Drilling at the University of Texas at Arlington.

Sandra DenBraber

Sandra DenBraber, who has Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, sent me an update about the toxic emissions from a natural gas drill site near her home. She wanted me to share with Canary Report readers an update about her health and a report in the Fort Worth Weekly published today.

“I really wanted you to have this story since the reporter did such an excellent job,” she wrote me. “The more people that hear about what happens to chemically sensitive people the more hope for change. I will continue to fight for change in drilling. It is essential since now 25% of children in the drilling area have respiratory problems per a recent news article.”

Here’s an excerpt from the Fort Worth Weekly report:

DenBraber, a former occupational health nurse, moved to her neighborhood more than 24 years ago after developing severe chemical sensitivities that forced her to quit her job. She went to great lengths to make sure her environment was as free of chemicals as possible: Her home has no carpeting, no gas lines, and several heavy-duty air filtration units. She lived there in relative good health, getting by on disability payments supplemented by a small income from making and selling charcoal masks for others who suffer from the same problem.

But in 2008, in the midst of drilling operations near UTA conducted by Houston-based Carrizo Oil and Gas, her health declined rapidly. Both DenBraber and her physician, Dr. Alfred Johnson, began to suspect emissions from the well site might be responsible.

“It got to the point I wasn’t able to leave my home without getting an instant migraine,” DenBraber said. “I have an above-ground pool for exercise [following joint replacement surgeries] that I was unable to use. I couldn’t work in my garden; I couldn’t step out the door.”

The change in her health became so pronounced that both Johnson and Dr. Susan Murphy , a rehabilitation specialist at UT Southwestern Medical Center, sent letters to Carrizo on her behalf in March and April of 2008, asking that the company work with DenBraber to find a mutually agreeable solution to her situation.

“Sandy tends to react more strongly to chemical exposure than most because of her chemical sensitivity,” Johnson said. “In a sense, she’s kind of like the canary in a mineshaft.”

My guess is that no one from Carrizo Oil and Gas lives anywhere near this operation. It shouldn’t be that the people who have been made ill are the ones at the front lines of the battles for clean air, but that is too often the case. Sandra has my respect and admiration for fighting the good fight not just for herself, but for the health, safety and welfare of her entire neighborhood. Brava, Sandra! I hope this is resolved soon so that you and your neighbors, including the students at UTA, are soon protected from this major polluter.

Photo credit of drilling site, Carrizo Oil and Gas.

Photo of Sandra ©2010 Sandra DenBraber

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Tags: Air, Children's Health, Environment, Indoor Pollution, MCS, Nontoxic, Policy, Pollution, Stink, Toxic

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

CFL bulbs are not a safe choice for people with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity

Posted on Feb 09, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, Products, Susie Collins

Lighting can be a difficult issue for people with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, but compact fluorescent bulbs are not the answer.

Compact fluorescent lighting (CFL)  is a classic example of something being touted as green but in fact being anything but. While CFL bulbs use less electricity, and therefore are lessening the burning of fossil fuels at power plants, they contain trace levels of mercury, which can be released into the environment if they are accidentally broken, like in your home. In many states, CFL bulbs are regarded as hazardous waste, and in those states it is illegal to just throw out the old bulbs with the regular trash; they must be recycled at hazardous waste recycling centers. Of course the problem with this is that most people are not doing that, they just toss out the bulbs with the trash.

But getting back to the topic of CFLs in regards to people with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. Here are my thoughts on the topic:

CFL bulbs are toxic, period. If one breaks, trace mercury is released into the environment– that means if the bulb breaks in your bedroom, the mercury is in your bedroom and you are at risk for breathing vapors. Mercury is a potent neurotoxin. Clean up would be an expensive nightmare. Here’s an article “objectively” arguing that if you break a CFL bulb, there’s really nothing to worry about because only trace amounts of mercury vapor are released and so it probably won’t do any harm– the problem with that argument is that people with MCS can be made seriously ill from trace levels of toxic chemicals, especially neurotoxic.

The very first rule for someone with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity is to limit exposure to toxic chemicals, limit risk. I don’t care how much electricity you save with a CFL bulb, it is not worth the risk to have a bulb break inside your home.

Further, many people with MCS also have problems with the flicker of fluorescent bulbs. It’s simply not the best choice for someone whose body is stressed from chemical injury.

Right now, Light Emitting Diode or LED (at left) is the best lighting choice if you can afford it. While some people with light sensitivity may have problems with the brightness of LED, there are things you can do to lesson that brightness like shades, filters, or fixtures that create indirect light in the room. Otherwise, halogen or plain old light bulbs are best for canaries (you can play with full spectrum to see if it works for you or not). Try to stay away from fluorescent and CFL lighting as much as possible; I do not recommended that you bring CFLs into your home at all.

Thanks to Dennis, Connie, Hank, Linda, and Katrina for their contributions to this report!

Photo credit

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Tags: Environment, Healthy Living, Home, Indoor Pollution, MCS, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Products, Toxic

Professor of chemical engineering urges students to go fragrance-free

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

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.

Canary photo credit

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Tags: Chemicals, Children's Health, Fragrance, Health, Healthy Living, Indoor Pollution, MCS, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Perfume, Products, Sick Building, Toxic, Work

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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Tags: Chemicals, Environmental Illness, Indoor Pollution, MCS, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Support, Video

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

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.

Photo credit

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Tags: Air, Children's Health, Fragrance, Indoor Pollution, MCS, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Perfume, Toxic

Poster for fragrance-free hospital care

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

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

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.

~~~

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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Tags: Environmental Health, Environmental Illness, Healthy Living, Home, Indoor Pollution, MCS, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity

Xtrema cooking

Posted on Jan 20, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, Food, Products, Susie Collins

Founder of Xtrema cookware says it’s made of nontoxic material that can be left on the heat indefinitely and not emit toxic fumes even if boiled bone dry.

This Xtrema cookware looks interesting, coated in a nontoxic ceramic glaze that will not emit toxic fumes even if cooked bone dry on high heat. The high heat safety factor is in comparison to Teflon, which studies show emits dangerous toxic fumes when overheated. Xtrema also claims their nylon lids and utensils are nontoxic.

Feature: High temperature, ultra-durable non- scratch finish, inside and out.

Benefit: Xtrema products feature a revolutionary and technologically advanced ceramic non-scratch ceramic glaze on the inside and outside of every vessel. This ceramic-glaze consists of 100% natural ceramic materials and is completely environmentally safe. The glaze will never emit gaseous or toxic odors (at any temperature), it will not be damaged by the use of metal cooking utensils, and will never peel or flake off into the food. The ceramic glaze on the outside of the cookware also provides faster clean-up and helps keep Xtrema cookware looking brand new, year after year.

The flash graphic on the header on their website is a little scary: thick black smoke curling and swirling. But they say their product is as nontoxic as they come.

The founder of Xtrema is Rich Bergstrom, a former Corning representative. I love my Corning baking dish–I’ve had it for 30 years–and I often recommend Corning to canaries asking about cookware. Bergstrom has something interesting to say about Corning:

Corning Ware manufacturing facility in Martinsburg, WV was closed and dismantled in 2002. Corning Ware is still being marketed today by World Kitchen but the product is now being made of stoneware and not the patented pyro-ceram material that made Corning Ware so recognizable.

Hmmm. Not sure I can recommend that product anymore, at least not until I am convinced the new material is as superior and nontoxic as the old Corning. Is anyone using Corning purchased after 2002?

Has anyone tried Xtrema? It’s not cheap. This darling tea set is $129 and their most basic skillet about $100. But I think it’s going on my wish list. Right after the new HEPA air filter and organic cotton futon for the bedroom.

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Tags: Children's Health, Food, Healthy Living, Home, Indoor Pollution, Nontoxic, Products

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.

Photo credit

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Tags: Air, Asthma, Cosmetics, Environmental Illness, Fragrance, Indoor Pollution, MCS, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Perfume, Personal Care, Products, Sick Building, Stink, Toxic

New website launched on fragrance-free living

Posted on Jan 15, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, Products, Susie Collins

New website warns of the dangers of toxic fragrance in personal care products and other consumer goods.

A new website just came up on my radar about Fragrance-Free Living. It’s run by former auto mechanic David Tywoniuk, who now owns an auto body shop in Edmonton, Canada. He and Judy Sterling put the website together.

Here is a really good reason as to why you might want to try “Fragrance Free Living”. Did you know that the ingredient “Fragrance” used in most of the above products can indicate the presence of up to 4,000 separate, mostly man-made ingredients? Many compounds in fragrance are human toxins and suspected or proven to cause cancer. Symptoms reported include: headaches, dizziness, rashes, skin discolorations, violent coughing and vomiting and allergic skin irritation. Observations by medical doctors have shown that exposure to fragrance can affect the central nervous system, causing depression, hyperactivity, irritability, inability to cope, and other behavioral changes. 100% of perfumes contain toluene, which can cause liver, kidney and brain damage as well as damage to a developing fetus.

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Tags: Air, Asthma, Chemicals, Cosmetics, Fragrance, Healthy Living, Home, Indoor Pollution, Perfume, Personal Care, Sick Building, Stink, Toxic

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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Tags: Books, Chemicals, Children's Health, Environment, Environmental Health, Environmental Illness, Fragrance, Home, Indoor Pollution, MCS, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Pesticides, Toxic

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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Tags: Chemicals, Environmental Illness, Featured Post, Indoor Pollution, MCS, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Toxic, Video

Veterinarian risks health to discuss chemical sensitivity on TV show

Posted on Dec 29, 2009 by Susie Collins in Blog, MCS, Media/Videos, Susie Collins

Veterinarian with chemical sensitivity risks her health to talk about MCS on German TV show.

Silvia Müller at the Chemical Sensitivity Network reports on the frightening experience of a veterinarian with chemical sensitivity who was interviewed for German TV.

Dr. Coretta Danzer agreed to go on a local German television show to talk about Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, but was exposed to so many toxic chemicals in the television studio that she is still suffering the consequences. My heart and my gratitude go out to Dr. Danzer for her sense of public service and her bravery at risking her own health to bring about awareness and understanding of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. I wish her a speedy recovery.

Dr. Danzer explains in detail the discomfort she experienced in the studio. Here’s an excerpt:

They called us to the studio on the commercial break before our turn. As I did before, I protected myself passing through the halls and stairways with my charcoal-mask and in the acrylic glass case [the studio had provided for the interview] I applied my oxygen to avoid coughing. The stink inside the box was as bad, but outside it was even worse. I allocated all my power and tried to concentrate as well as possible to answer all questions well. It was very, very straining. My head felt like it would burst, my eyes burnt like fire, as did my throat and my bronchial tubes. I felt dizzy and bad. [...] I was glad when our contribution was over. But I had to wait in the box until the end of the following item, before we were allowed to leave the studio. Two weeks after the broadcasting I am still symptomatic. Every once a while I still taste this disgusting flavor of plastics and I’m even more sensitive than I was before the show.

Link to full report at the Chemical Sensitivity Network.

Thanks, Silvia!

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Tags: Chemicals, Indoor Pollution, MCS, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Toxic, Work

The woes of public restrooms

Posted on Dec 28, 2009 by Susie Collins in Blog, Keith Carlson, MCS

Living with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity can make it an enormous challenge to use a public restroom.

Post by Keith Carlson.

Living with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS), it can be an enormous challenge to be in a public place and simply need to use a bathroom. These days, public restrooms in the United States seem to have been permanently inoculated with so-called “air-fresheners” that make relieving one’s self an adventure in being actively poisoned.

For me personally, my struggles with public restrooms are exacerbated by the fact that I have an underlying medical condition (enlarged prostate) that necessitates fairly frequent urination, and this, my friends, can lead to some exceedingly challenging scenarios.

Just the other day, I was in a Trader Joe’s store here in Atlanta, where we’re visiting for the holidays. Feeling the urge, I sauntered warily towards the men’s room, hesitant to open that door but feeling that I had no real choice in the matter. Pushing the door open, I was hit with that disappointing, maddening and altogether overwhelmingly frustrating sensation that I had discovered—yet again—another public rest room that is simply verboten for my use. Sigh.

While I have no problem with peeing outdoors (which, in fact, is altogether preferable on so many levels), there are numerous situations in which doing so could lead to embarrassment, dirty looks, and—worst of all—a permanent label as a sex offender. Bearing in mind that many states do indeed prosecute public urination as a sexual offense, I frequently find myself at a loss as to what to do in order to heed nature’s (increasingly urgent) call.

You may then be led to ask, “Why not just use the stinky bathroom anyway, Keith? What could possibly happen to you?”

And I would reply, “Well, first of all, the clothes that I’m wearing can very quickly become saturated with the toxic smell of the substance in question. Although I do not develop respiratory symptoms like my wife does, I will find myself incredibly irritable, often with confusion, dulled mental faculties, and a difficulty finding words when speaking. A secondary and unfortunate sequela of my exposure to such a substance is that my wife will then react to the aura of chemical toxicity surrounding me, and she will then begin to have bronchospams, headaches, and a host of other symptoms which would have been otherwise preventable had I not entered that rest room in the first place.”

As you can see, the fallout from a simple visit to a men’s room can have far-reaching health consequences for both myself and my wife, and now that we are traveling, it is even more crucial for us to continue to use the toilet in our chemically safe mobile home when we can. Still, we often find ourselves in situations where we are far from our mobile haven, in need of a rest room, and unable to do what so many other people take for granted on a daily basis.

A “rest room” should truly embody the literal meaning of its name—a place for rest, to relieve one’s self and emerge refreshed and ready for the next chapter of one’s day. For those of us who are canaries in the coal mine of the toxic world around us, they are far from a restful place of repose. From the scented sprayers on the wall to the deodorizers in men’s urinals, public rest rooms are dangerous, exasperating, poisonous places to be avoided at all costs. When a safe rest room is found, it is cause for celebration and relief (both mental and physical). But when one needs to go and there’s nowhere to do so, it is a maddening moment of living in a toxic world.

~~~

This post was originally published on my blog Digital Doorway, a digital venue for creative expression, nursing adventures, reflections, thoughtful reverie, thoughtless repose, and other flotsam and jetsam.

You can also visit me at Mary and Keith’s Excellent Adventure, where my wife and I blog about living full-time in our 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!

Photo credit.

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Tags: Chemicals, Fragrance, Indoor Pollution, MCS, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Perfume, Products, Sick Building, Stink, Toxic