Indoor Pollution | The Canary Report

Letter: Realtors contribute to environmental illness

Jul 282011

Realtors who encourage sellers to do cheap renovations are contributing to a multitude of illnesses and unhealthy living conditions inside a “home.”

Letter to the Editor by Molly Brown.

As someone who suffers from chemical sensitivities, I am enraged at what is happening here in Vancouver, BC, Canada, in the overpriced housing market. It’s what I call “the cheap plastic condo.” This is the only affordable housing here as house prices start at $700,000 in the Greater Vancouver Regional District. (Otherwise you are looking at a 2-hour plus commute in traffic).

Unfortunately, before condos even go on the market, realtors advise sellers to put in cheap flooring, cheap bathrooms, and cheap kitchens. Then, they douse the condo in cheap air freshener prior to any open house.

The asking price per typical condo? $350,000 plus. And not even real wood floors. Vinyl siding, laminate flooring, pressboard kitchens, cheap smelly appliances, vinyl tiles, open gas fireplace. I think that if I were to test some of these new apartments, the formaldehyde content would probably be as high as FEMA trailers! Sadly, I think that realtors are especially responsible, since they are the ones telling sellers to do these cheap renovations.

The Canadian Real Estate Association has yet to respond to my emails sent to them regarding this. Realtors need to be aware that what they are doing is contributing to what causes a multitude of illnesses and unhealthy living conditions inside a “home.”

Please, realtors, stop the “cheap plastic condo” – I just need a place to live!

Molly Brown
Vancouver, BC, Canada

An encouraging example of positive MCS advocacy

Posted by Contributor

May 122011

At a recent visit to one of our favorite hang-outs in Santa Fe, we were poisoned by Febreze in the bathroom. Letters to the owner and manager about the incident brought a pleasant surprise.

By contributor Keith Carlson, RN.

Keith Carlson, RN

We currently live in Santa Fe, a small city where there is wide acceptance of chemical sensitivity, a general openness to and awareness of issues related to Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, and a sense that one can discuss such issues in public without being hung out to dry.

That said, we recently visited one of our favorite hang-outs and were unfortunately poisoned by Febreze in the bathroom. I immediately sent an email message to the manager (followed by a snail mail copy of the same missive to the owner of the establishment), and received a very positive and supportive email in response. I want to share my email with the Canary Report community so that others can use it as an encouraging example of positive MCS advocacy.

Dear Tea House Manager and Staff,

We have lived in Santa Fe for 10 months, and the Tea House has been one of our most treasured discoveries. We love to come to the Tea House in any season: to rest with a hot cup of tea by the fire in winter, or to soak up the sun in your lovely garden in the summer. Your veggie burgers are certainly the best in Santa Fe—if not in northern New Mexico—and there’s no comparison when it comes to your tea selection. As far as your staff is concerned, they are efficient, friendly, and consistently patient, kind and knowledgeable. We love to spend our money and time at the Tea House, and we always bring out of town guests to relax and drink tea at this Canyon Road destination beloved by locals and tourists alike.

Just today, we were at the Tea House for lunch, and each of our party of three needed to use the rest room. Two of us have chemical and fragrance sensitivity (and the third is recovering from a long battle with ovarian cancer), and unfortunately whoever had used the bathroom prior to our visit to your cute little W.C. had liberally sprayed Febreze after using the services. My wife left the Tea House with a migraine, and we then had to wash all of our clothes to remove the awful veneer of toxic “fragrance” from our clothes.

You may not be aware that Febreze (and many other commercial fragranced household products) is filled with chemicals, many of which may be neurotoxins and hormone disruptors. The manufacturers of these sorts of products are not required by the FDA or EPA to disclose what chemicals their products contain (in the interest of “trade secrets”), and thus the concerned consumer can only guess what’s actually in these vile products. You may also want to consider that Febreze is owned and manufactured by Proctor and Gamble, one of the most corrupt companies in America today.

That said, since the Tea House makes such healthy and wonderful food and drink, perhaps it would be more in line with your menu and apparent concern for good food and healthy eating to also consider the chemicals with which your bathroom is “refreshed.” Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods both offer healthy alternatives to Febreze that contain no toxic chemicals and do not leave a layer of toxicity on clothing and fabric. Using these products would, I imagine, be more consistent with the quality and thoughtfulness that the Tea House personifies, and would also make the use of your facilities (so artfully decorated with that lovely mural, I should add) more accessible to those of us sensitive to the many toxins that have sadly invaded our world over the last several decades.

Thank you so much for your time, for your wonderful food and tea, and for the favor of your reply.

Sincerely,

Keith Carlson

And the owner’s reply:

Thank you Keith!

I will look for this product and make the change a.s.a.p. Hope to see you all again very soon.

Best regards.

Anyway, for what it’s worth, this has been an empowering experience for me, and I will use this experience as a benchmark of how these sorts of interactions “should” proceed. With any luck, subsequent “MCS interventions” will meet with equal levels of success!

Reminder to hospital staff: This is a FRAGRANCE FREE ZONE

Posted by Susie

Apr 252011

Pardon me… Are you aware of the Fragrance-Free Policy?

Sign on the door of the hospital room of a member of The Canary Report community.

This is a sign on the door of the hospital room of a member of The Canary Report community who just had a three-day stay following surgery. He provided three different signs for the staff to choose from, reminding nurses and others about the Fragrance Free Policy. The signs are worded so that staff can use them again for other chemically sensitive patients.

4/26 UPDATE: Here are pdf’s of three signs you are free to use, provided by the person who shared the above sign. Shared with permission. If you share or reprint, be sure to keep intact the copyright info on the signs, thanks!

Pardon Me

Personal Fragrance

Scent Free Zone

Thanks, S.M.!

Letter: Hospitals can be dangerous, my experiences with fragrances and mold

Posted by Guest Blogger

Apr 062011

I told the doctor I had to get out of the room and away from anyone with a fragrance on and yanked off all the electrical leads, grabbed my bag and pushed my way out of the exam room with one objective… get fresh air.

Letter to the Editor by Phil Bartow.

My message describes my having to battle my way out of the ER at a hospital in Renton, WA, because technicians wore deodorant or other sources of fragrance. Fragrances restrict/stop my breathing within minutes. When I detect a fragrance I have to leave the environment. People are not allowed into my home if I can “smell” them. The experience is more than olfactory but a visceral respiratory experience that happens before I smell it.

I will try to put my experience on my website at http://www.bartowassoc.com/fragrance. Some of it is “political” to the extent I want the hospital administration to make some changes.

I told the doctor I had to get out of the room and away from anyone with a fragrance on and yanked off all the electrical leads, grabbed my bag and pushed my way out of the exam room with one objective…get fresh air. I staggered I tried to keep one eye the floor pattern for navigation. Several people grabbed me at different times and tried to restrain me. This severely aggravated my deteriorated right shoulder but I was so stressed the pain did not immediately register.

In my struggling down the corridor I said a number of times I had to get away from deodorant and if I can smell you to get away. I heard a number of people say “we all wear deodorant”.

I heard comments in the ER waiting room to the effect that people thought I was dying. I was struggling for every breath. By the time I got to the front door I had pulled off the gown managed to get a pullover over my head. With my eyes closed going through the door I bumped into somebody, I opened an eye and saw boots and smelled the security guard. I opened my eyes enough to see the guard and heard some one say “let him go”. I turned my head and saw the doctor and one of the nurses from the examination room.

I staggered away from them and collapsed on a steel car restraining post long enough to catch a breath. I then moved on to find a bench in front of the hospital entrance, where I could put down my bag, take off the pullover (snow on the ground and very cold), pull a tee shirt on and then the pullover. My breathing improved. I was breathing clean air…

Also, with May being proclaimed by the Governor to be MCS Awareness month I am hoping to get the local newspaper to invite stories from readers about their encounters with MCS like experiences. I have emailed RiteAid pharmacy headquarters to encourage them to establish fragrance free product aisles. I find it a nuisance to have to sort through all the bottle and box labels to see which is fragrance free. A marketing opportunity for stores.

Thanks,
Phil Bartow

Guest Blog: Want to help? Dennis Wright needs air and water filters, warm blanket

Posted by Guest Blogger

Mar 232011

Dennis Wright’s day-to-day life with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity is especially difficult due to the lack of clean air, which causes extreme cognitive impairment and fatigue among other debilitating symptoms. Want to help? His number one need is a HEPA air filter.

By guest blogger María Zambruno.

The purpose of my column here at The Canary Report is to connect people who have Multiple Chemical Sensitivity and limited resources to people who can provide needed goods, services and funds. This post is about Dennis Wright. I encourage you to please support Dennis however you can. Thank you!

Dennis Wright

Dennis Wright

Dennis Wright, 34, lives in Florida, USA, with his elderly parents.

He has been severely ill with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity for a number of years now, and he has barely left his room in the past five years.

His day-to-day life is especially difficult due to the lack of clean air, which causes extreme cognitive impairment and fatigue, among other debilitating symptoms, and also because of his extreme food intolerances. He has been living on basically rice and chicken, and he cannot afford the organically grown food or supplements that he needs.

He also suffers from extremely hyper-reactive skin and cannot tolerate anything but organic, untreated cotton in direct contact with his body. He especially has trouble with the material used on the elastic bands of underwear.

He does not receive any income or benefits at all and is totally dependent on the help of his parents, who try to help, but whose health is failing due to the limitations that come with age. The family income is by no means enough to cover all the expenses.

Needs:

Air purifier, preferably with HEPA filter (powder coated steel such as Austin Air) that can also handle VOC’s.
Water filter, both for drinking and personal hygiene (because of his especially sensitive skin). He has, for instance, a KDF and carbon block filter that is not working well enough for him, so he needs something more efficient, like perhaps a full reverse osmosis system.
100% cotton, chemical, scent and dye free, pajamas without elastic.
Heavy cotton blanket for winter.
Indoor shirts, also chemical and scent free, preferably with tags, as tagless ones use some sort of printing ink which he reacts to.
Funds for organic grown food and supplements, as he cannot afford any of those.
Funds for urgent dental work. He needs a holistic dentist who understands how to treat people with chemical sensitivities and the adjustments that these imply.

Like Dennis says, he “lives on bare minimums at most.” That alone sounds bad enough, but for someone with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, no income, and in need of all the articles mentioned, just the effort employed in keeping oneself alive in a toxic environment can be, in itself, too much to bear.

How to donate:

Dennis’s Paypal address: comfortably_numb[at]cfl.rr.com * – verified. (Please replace [at] with the @ symbol when typing in the email address, this is done to prevent spam.)

Thank you for your help!

Dennis Wright’s profile page on The Canary Report network is here.

~~~

María Zambruno

María Zambruno blogs at Practical Support for People with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, where this post was originally published.

She also blogs at Desde el ático: Vivir con SQM (From the attic: Living with MCS) in Spanish, Against all Odds (interests, likes, passions) in English and Spanish, and One Year Through my Windows (a photolog). Her online shops are here and here, all profits of which benefit people with MCS in need. You can view her photography here.

~~~

U.S. government launches website for consumers to report and search product safety complaints

Posted by Susie

Mar 132011

The government launched a public database Friday that allows people to report and search safety complaints on thousands of products — from cribs and toys to power tools and hair dryers.

Contra Costa Times reports that a public database for safety complaints goes live.

WASHINGTON — Despite a last-minute attempt to derail it, the government launched a public database Friday that allows people to report and search safety complaints on thousands of products — from cribs and toys to power tools and hair dryers.

SaferProducts.gov, overseen by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, went live as scheduled over the objections of manufacturers and a stalled GOP effort on Capitol Hill to withhold money for the project until critics’ concerns were addressed.

The database allows people to file reports of injury or potential harm about household products, baby gear and more. In the coming weeks, as consumers file reports with the agency, people will be able to search for safety complaints about specific items they might have in their homes or want to purchase.

“Through SaferProducts.gov, consumers will have open access to product safety information that they have never seen before and the information will empower them to make safer choices,” Inez Tenenbaum, chairman of the consumer safety agency, told The Associated Press.

But manufacturers, congressional Republicans and others charge the public database will be replete with bogus reports and misleading information.

We should flood them with complaints about the toxic chemicals in consumer goods that are severely impacting our health: toxic building materials, electronics, laundry products, fragranced products, household pesticides and cleaning products, mattresses, furniture, fabrics, clothing…

Thanks Linda!

Letter: Smart meter making me ill

Posted by Guest Blogger

Feb 252011

I can only describe the experience of living with this smart meter on my home as a living nightmare that never ends.

Letter by Susan B.

I am disabled and cannot travel. If I could do so, I would like to tell the California Public Utilities Commission CPUC the following:

My name is Susan B, I reside at xxxxxxxxx La Mesa, CA, USA. I have had an smart meter on my home, on the bedroom wall, right near my headboard and my side of the bed, since May, 2011, placed there by San Diego Gas and Electric, for the purpose of reading my electrical usage. I am 59 years old and a recently retired teacher and volunteer director of a national nonprofit, the Center for School Mold Help. I am 100% disabled, with an immune system and lung disorder. My home had previously been the safest place for me to rest and repair my immune system, per my physician orders.

I can only describe the experience of living with this smart meter on my home (and the ones in the neighborhood and beyond) as a living nightmare that never ends. My health has deteriorated significantly, in ways that are consistent with rf radiation illness, none of which I have had before the smart meter, including: ringing ears that almost never quit, sometimes to the point of severe pain; headaches on a continuous basis, sometimes sinus pain and inflammation to the point of crying most of the day from the pain; heart palpitations; dizziness, mental confusion and memory problems; a strong feeling of pressure in the head, followed by pain, when in the room where the smart meter is located. I have also, very disturbingly, developed electromagnetic sensitivities, which I did not have before either. This means that I cannot use a cell phone, computer, DECT phone set, and WIFI or be in the presence of these without shielding. The master bedroom can no longer be used by me. Even though I am disabled and do not have a lot of money, I have had to spend at least $2000 to try to shield myself and change out items in my home to follow physician advice. The shielding is not working well enough and my daily life and that of my family is severely disrupted.

I have lost the health I was regaining by being in my home and recuperating, and we have lost the use of the master bedroom and a portion of our yard, as we do not dare go near the smart meter. On two occasions, outside, I did, and suffered a severe sinus headache that lasted for days. I have asked San Diego Gas and Electric to remove the smart meter and they refuse. CPUC has denied that it could be a health problem. I am frightened and angry that the CPUC has authorized the installment of these dangerous devices. I know that these devices have ruined my health and all quality of life. I know that smart meters are ruining California. I recommend that all businesses and travelers avoid California until these meters are removed. My physician is very alarmed and even his requests have been ignored by SDGE and CPUC.

I feel like I am living in Nazi Germany or in Russia, during the Stalin era, being tortured daily by government action. I know of many others with these complaints now, and am very, very frightened for myself, for Californians, and for my country. I have nowhere to go to escape these meters and am very fearful that the signals may be turned up, per the SDGE plan I read about. I fear for all the living beings in this mesh network, including humans – especially the most susceptible, children, the elderly, the disabled; animals, and our plant life. We could disrupt life so excessively that we cease to exist on the planet, with this horrific, poorly conceived plan that has ignored current science. Examination of the smart meters in CA shows that there is severe danger, including DNA breaks and inability to repair DNA, cancer development, neurological problems, and leakage from the blood-brain barrier.

STOP THE DEPLOYMENTS. ALLOW OPTING OUT IMMEDIATELY FOR THOSE WITH HEALTH COMPLAINTS OR CONCERNS. REVOKE AUTHORIZATION FOR WIRELESS METERS AND ISSUE AN ORDER TO REMOVE ALL THOSE INSTALLED, IMMEDIATELY. EXPLORE THE OPTION, CAREFULLY, OF FIBEROPTIC OPTIONS.

I ASK GOVERNOR BROWN TO HELP WITH AN IMMEDIATE EXECUTIVE ORDER TO ACCOMPLISH ALL OF THE ABOVE.

Susan B.
La Mesa, CA

~~~

Have something you’d like to say? Readers of The Canary Report can use this link to Submit a Letter to the Editor.

City of Portland, Oregon, strives for a scent-free workplace

Posted by Susie

Feb 222011

The new policy will be classified as an “advisement,” but if a worker complains about a coworker wearing scent, a ban will be imposed for that work group.

Anna Kanwit, assistant director at City of Portland Human Resources

KGW.com, Oregon, reports Portland leaders approve anti-scent policy in city offices.

The new policy will be classified as “an advisement,” but if a worker complains about a coworker wearing scent, a ban will be imposed.

“If an employee comes forward with a sensitivity, then it’s a ban for that work group,” says Anna Kanwit, assistant director at City of Portland Human Resources.

But don’t you just love the people in the video who don’t give a dink about people’s health? I especially love the guy who says, “People should just learn to cope with things that might annoy them.” Oh yeah, I always get so annoyed when I can’t breathe or think properly because of someone’s toxic fragrance fumes.

It’s so sad that the city worker who supports the ban felt she had to stay anonymous with her statement.

By the way, YAY for unions working on this issue!

AFSCME union spokesman Rob Wheaton said they’ve been in talks with the city over the issue for years.

“If someone has a legitimate bonafide allergy to a perfume it does create some serious consequences for them,” Wheaton said. “Likewise on the other end of it I think employees can kind of get annoyed by not being able to wear perfumes, but overall this ordinance that they’re passing just codifies what’s already an existing practice.”

Letter to the Editor: Deodorizer cakes in aircraft lavatories are a health hazard to all on board

Posted by Guest Blogger

Feb 012011

I have been working with Alaska Airlines to try and get the deodorizer cakes removed from their airline lavatories when I or any other person with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity takes a flight with them.

By Joy Jaber

In my written communications with Alaska Airlines, I have been requesting that they agree in writing to remove all lavatory deodorizers from the plane entirely.

Hello Susie and all at Canary Report!

As you know, Susie, I have been working with Alaska Airlines to try and get the deodorizer cakes removed from their airline lavatories when I or any other person with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity takes a flight with them. Below is a summary of the progress so far.

The issue: Up until a few years ago, aircraft lavatories didn’t have permanent deodorizers in them, just scented soap, and some sort of fragranced disinfectant, which released when the toilets were flushed. But now all aircraft (at least on Alaska, the airline I fly on once or twice a year) have little deodorizer cakes sitting up in holders in every tiny lavatory on the plane. As we all know, these emit toxic chemicals and gasses 24/7 and the fumes from them permeate the airplanes, and do not just stay in the bathrooms (see www.seattlepi.com/local/371779_toxicfragrance23.html for a great article regarding scented products). Since there are already a host of chemical exposures associated with any airplane flight, this excess deodorizer load has made flying even more hazardous for me, producing severe headaches and disorientation, and requiring a lot of recovery time, and so constitutes an “impairment of a major life activity,” i.e. breathing, as defined under the Americans With Disabilities Act. I feel they are unnecessary, and are posing a serious barrier to MCS sufferers being able to fly.

Up until now, I have tried the tactic of —as I am about to board— asking the flight attendants and/or check-in clerks to please remove them, stating my problem with them. This is sometimes successful, and sometimes not. Check-in can be a chaotic time, and these people are busy, making it difficult to fully explain the problem and ask for accommodation at the same time (particularly when the person you’re talking to is loaded with perfume themselves, causing brain fog and unclear thinking).

The immediate goal: In my written communications with Alaska Airlines, I have been requesting that they agree in writing to removing all these deodorizers from the plane entirely (they slip easily out of their U-shaped holders). What I wanted to acquire was a letter from them which I could present upon initial check-in, which would then make it more hassle-free to get the flight attendants to remove them all before boarding. (It only takes a few minutes to do; it’s a simple and quick procedure.)

At first it seemed like they would comply with this request, but ultimately they agreed to remove the deodorizer from only ONE of the lavatories. They think this is enough of an accommodation, since they then consider that one bathroom will be “fragrance-free” and accessible to the person with MCS. What I have been trying to make them understand is that these chemicals permeate. Merely removing one disc still leaves not only a percentage of the pollution still in the lavatory, but the other lavatories on the plane still continue polluting the common air. The analogy I have used with them is that it is tantamount to saying you can smoke in one section of the plane but not the other. Since the air is shared, there is no way to keep the pollution away.

Having stalled in communication with Alaska on this issue (agreeing to remove one is just not good enough, sorry), I then contacted the Department of Transportation, which ultimately sets the rules by which all airlines are governed and must comply.

After lengthy communications with their attorneys, they told me that the only way Alaska (or any other airline) could be forced to comply with this disability accommodation to our satisfaction would be to have the actual rules of the Air Carrier Access Act amended. The Air Carrier Access Act is what governs the airline industry, and supersedes the Americans With Disabilities Act when it comes to anything to do with air travel. However, the wording of it, when applied to disability accommodation, is essentially the same. To amend this Act is a big process requiring the filing of a formal petition with the Department of Transportation (a legal document prepared and submitted by an attorney), which would be followed by a period of public comments and then the DoT will make a ruling on whether and/or how to amend the rules. There is a similar petition under review at the moment regarding peanuts.

The ultimate goal: To have all aircraft in this country fragrance free. To have every lavatory free of deodorizers and fragranced soap, the planes cleaned with non-toxic cleaners, and the flight attendants required to wear no fragrances or scents of any type.

The only way this will ever be accomplished is by filing a Petition with the Department of Transportation and getting them to make a ruling on it.

The fact that the CDC has recently mandated that their headquarters be totally fragrance free is an amazing precedent, and hopefully will be a huge help in achieving our ultimate goal of getting airlines fragrance free as well.

There may need to be a little fundraising drive to help cover the costs of attorney’s fees (unless anyone knows of an attorney familiar with this type of law who would like to do it pro bono), but I haven’t gotten that far yet.

I do have in my possession a letter from the Customer Care Representative at Alaska that can be used when checking in to require they remove ONE deodorizer prior to boarding. If anyone would like a copy of that to use when they next fly, please feel free to e-mail me at Joytotheworld[at]centurytel.net and I will forward it.

It’s a small start, but hopefully fragrances will be as banned as smoking now is on all airplanes in the not-too-distant future!

Airport Bathrooms: Additionally, some airport bathrooms have been made fragrance-free (upon request) for up to a week before an MCS person has informed them they were going to fly (for example, Logan Airport in Boston). Each airport is different (some airports do not use air fresheners), so contacting them in advance is important, to find out if there is already a fragrance-free bathroom and requesting that deodorizers be removed in advance, if necessary.

My own experience at Sea-Tac airport in Seattle is that the “family” single unit disabled bathrooms are already deodorizer-free. Since these types of bathrooms are designated for people with disabilities, it would be good if everyone could contact their local airport to request the disabled lavatories become or stay fragrance-free to accommodate those with MCS and other breathing difficulties.

Ultimately we WILL get airplanes and airport bathrooms fragrance free! Not just for the sake of those with MCS, but others who have conditions such as asthma and other types of breathing difficulties which are adversely affected by the toxic chemicals from synthetic fragrances.

Joy Jaber

Healthy Home Checklist from the Environmental Working Group

Posted by Susie

Nov 242010

This is a great resource for people new to Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, and for all of us to share with friends family!

A dual kitchen-laundry room with a box of laundry detergent and other cleaning supplies.

It looks like this dual purpose kitchen-laundry room could use some help with eliminating toxic products. Can you imagine cooking food next to that laundry detergent? They need the Environmental Working Group's Healthy Home Checklist!

As usual, the Environmental Working Group is on the same page as people with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity:

Have you ever given your house a once-over for environmental health? The Environmental Working Group’s Healthy Home Checklist is a quick and effective way to get a sense of what changes are most important — and how to make them (if you haven’t already!). Working from this kind of list can add perspective to the seemingly endless toxic updates we hear in the news.

Ready to create an eco-healthy home?

We created this Healthy Home Checklist for you to use as you walk through your home — and open your bathroom cabinet, look under your sink, and check those laundry supplies. It’s an easy, hands-on way to create a less toxic environment for your family. When you’re done, you’ll breathe easier (literally!) knowing that you’ve tackled the toxics that matter most in your home.

Before you get started, get the basics from EWG’s Vice President for Research, Jane Houlihan, who helped a Maryland family identify the toxic chemicals in their home on this televised home visit:

Check your house for common toxic chemicals and choose safer alternatives with this simple checklist for less toxic living.