The Canary Report

Open Tabs

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

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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Tags: Books, Chemicals, Environment, Fragrance, Perfume, Pesticides, Policy, Pollution, Products, Research, Toxic

Film: Gasland

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

A cross-country odyssey uncovers toxic streams, dying livestock, flammable sinks and weakening health among rural citizens on the front lines of the natural gas drilling craze.

This is a follow-up on the same topic of yesterday’s post about fellow canary Sandra DenBraber, who is battling an oil and gas company contaminating her neighborhood with toxic emissions from a natural gas drill site near her home.

Meet Josh Fox, who is offered $100K for rights to drill for natural gas on his property, but Josh smells a rat and decides to travels through 32 states to discover for himself what happened in other areas that cut a deal. There he discovers the hellish world of fracking, the highly toxic process of natural gas extraction. And he catches the whole nightmare on film.

This film is currently on the film festival circuit. The next three Gasland film fests: WASHINGTON DC Environmental Film Festival, March 16th; the PHILADELPHIA film fest, April 9-11; and at the YALE Environmental Film Fest, April 11th.

Link to the Gasland website.

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Tags: Environment, Policy, Pollution, Video

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

$100K awarded to woman with chemical sensitivity denied proper accomodations at work

Posted on Mar 10, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, Disability Rights, MCS, Susie Collins, Worker's Rights

Woman with chemical sensitivity awarded $100K for being denied proper accommodations at work; her coworker’s perfume made it difficult for her to breathe.

Modern perfume contains known toxic chemicals that can cause serious cognitive and respiratory problems in people with chemical sensitivity.

On Point reports a Detroit city planner with an allergy to perfume is savoring the sweet smell of legal success after the city agreed to pay her $100,000 and be more sensitive to the chemically sensitive.

The agreement -– obtained by On Point through a public records act request — settled Susan McBride’s lawsuit under the Americans With Disabilities Act which alleged the City of Detroit failed to reasonably accommodate her allergy after she complained that a co-worker’s perfume made it difficult for her to breathe.

Some critics attacked McBride for being overly sensitive and abusing the court system. But many workplaces are now perfume-free and a judge in November 2008 denied the city’s motion to dismiss, ruling McBride could proceed with a disability claim “based on the major life activity of breathing.”

As part of the settlement, which the parties signed last month, the city will post a notice on bulletin boards in its offices announcing that “Our goal is to be sensitive to employees with perfume and chemical sensitivities”

Let’s hope it sets precedent for future cases. If you have Multiple Chemical Sensitivity and are having trouble with your employer giving you proper accommodations, you might like to share the agreement with them. This is an access issue, the same as any other disability protected under the ADA.

<a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/momoe365photos/4154731316/”>Photo credit.

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Tags: Air, Chemicals, Environmental Illness, Fragrance, Law, MCS, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Perfume, Personal Care, Policy, Sick Building, Stink, Toxic, Work

Please sign Italian petition for recognition of Multiple Chemcial Sensitivity

Posted on Mar 07, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, Disability Rights, MCS, Social Justice, Susie Collins

Our fellow canaries in Italy are asking for our support: Please take a minute to sign this petition for the recognition of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity in Italy.

Italian flag

There are just a couple more days left to sign in support of the Italian petition to recognize Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. In the middle of March, the Association for Chronic and/or Environmental Diseases by Intoxication (AMICA) will meet with Senators to present the petition. Please sign; last day to sign is March 10.

Click here to sign– it’s all in Italian, so once you get to that page, click on “Firma,” then fill in the fields for First Name, Last Name, Email, Telephone (not necessary), and postal code (CAP). Direct link here to sign the petition.

THE PETITION TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH:

Petition promoted by the Association for Chronic and/or Environmental Diseases by Intoxication (AMICA) www.sensibilitachimica.it

To the Presidency of the Senate of the Italian Republic

To the President of the Chamber of Deputies

To the XII Committee of the Social Affairs at the Chamber of Deputies

To the XII Commission of the Senate Health and Hygiene

Since the Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) is a chronic disabling condition that involves multiorgan reactions to exposure to various chemicals in quantities normally tolerated by the general population and that the diagnostic criteria were established by international consensus in 1999;

Seen that from 2 to 10% of the population is hyper-sensitive to environmental chemicals and products in common use and an increasing proportion is affected by multiple substances – that is suffering multiple chemical sensitivity, or MCS – with impaired capacity for work, social life and autonomy that varies from mild to very severe depending on the stages of the disease;

Since the MCS is recognized in the United States by federal law for the Disabled American with Disabilities Act, federal agencies – such as the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Housing and Urban Development, the Social Security Administration – and many local governments;

Since the MCS is recognized by Canada federal and Provincial government agencies;

Since the MCS is classified by Germany since 1998 in the International Code of Diseases by the T 78.4 in Chapter 19 (Injury, poisoning and other consequences resulting from external causes) and Section T66-T78 (Other and unspecified damage from external factors);

As the Ministry of Welfare and Labor of Germany, who had classified the MCS in the of list of motor disability (as compared to those for the inability of patients to move), has removed the description of illness as psychosomatic (of psychological origin / Psychiatry), putting an end to discrimination of this disease environment;

As the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (Japan), which for years have recognized the sick building syndrome – similar to the MCS, said insert MCS October 2009 in the list of diseases covered by the insurance of the National Health Service;

Since in Italy there is no law that equalize the rights of the environmental patients (not only MCS, but also of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, to Elettrosensibilità of Fibromyalgia, Sick Building Syndrome, etc..) Than those of any other form of disability in terms of job protection, the right to treatment, the right to a home “safe”, etc..;

The petitioners demand that are challenged with the highest priority of the six bills initiative of the House of Representatives (No. 1621 August 5, 2008, No. 1654 of September 18, 2008, No. 1667 of 18 September 2008, N . 2287 March 12, 2009) and Senate (NS1019 of 17 September 2008, No. 1165 of 28 October 2008) for the recognition of MCS as a social disease, using the international consensus in 1999 as a benchmark for the diagnosis, as in the world.

Thanks Rose and Francesca! Keep up the good work!

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Tags: Law, MCS, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Policy, Support

Open tabs

Posted on Feb 25, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, News, Susie Collins

Every night when I turn off the computer, I have dozens of tabs open from all the sites I’ve explored during the day. In the first of a new regular series on The Canary Report called “Open Tabs,” I’d like to share some of the more interesting with you!

Every night when I go to turn off the computer, I have dozens of tabs open from all the sites I’ve explored during the day. Some links are emailed to me, some I pick up on Twitter and Facebook, some I get from peeps during chats on our network, some I find on my own. I thought it might be fun to share them with you from time to time: it will give you a glimpse into the roaming I do all day to satisfy my uncontrollable urge to stick my nose into absolutely everything.

Here are a few of the tabs that I’ve had open for the past few days:

A sign every canary will love.

Someone sent me a link to this awesome sign, “Environmentally Sensitive Area.”

My cat’s been very sick for months, unable to eat without throwing up. We put her through myriad tests, which all came up with nothing. Then, I remembered my holistic vet from when I lived on Kauai, Dr. Ihor Basko. Ihor’s specialty is homemade diet and Chinese medicine, including acupuncture and medicines. From his website: “Dr. Basko provides high quality, caring, holistic veterinarian services and healing acupuncture services on the Islands of Kauai and Oahu. Dr. Basko also provides guidance to pet owners world-wide for preventing disease and supporting the well-being of their pets through telephone consultations, a weekly radio show and through products and resources available through this website.” I filled out an online questionnaire, sent it off along with all the test results, and within five minutes on the phone, Dr. Basko had the problem diagnosed as gall bladder problems. He prescribed a special diet and some Chinese medicine, and after only a couple of days, my cat was doing almost 100% better! We are in week two of the Basko Protocol and she’s getting stronger every day. Thank you, Dr. Basko!

[...]

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Tags: Air, Chemicals, Children's Health, Environment, Environmental Health, EPA, Policy, Products

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity associations in Spain meet with Ministry of Health officials

Posted on Feb 05, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, Disability Rights, Government Regulation, Guest Bloggers, MCS, Social Justice

Eva Caballé reports on the meeting between Multiple Chemical Sensitivity associations and Ministry of Health officals in Spain, Feb. 4, 2010

Translated from Spanish by Eva Caballé

On February 4th 2010 at 12:00h has been held the meeting with Ministry of Health to state the situation of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity sufferers in Spain.

Mr José Martínez Olmos, Secretary General of the Ministry of Health, Mr Alberto Infante Campos, General Director of Professional Planning, Cohesion of SNS and High Inspection and Mr Francisco Valero Bonilla have attended to the meeting representing the Ministry of Health. One person by almost each MCS association has attended to the meeting and also Jaume Cortés, lawyer of Colectivo Ronda, and Dr. Pablo Arnold, immunologist specialized in MCS.

• ACAF: Cristina Montané
• AFCISQUIM: María Roldán
• Alas de Mariposa- SQM: Tránsito Rodríguez
• ALTEA – SQM: Cristobalina Bejarano
• APQUIRA: Mª Carmen Gómez de Bonilla
• AQUA: Mario Arias
• ASQUIFYDE: Francisca Gutiérrez
• AVASFASEM-AVASQ: Francisca García
• ENA: Laura Domínguez
• MERCURIADOS: Mª Carmen Miravete
• Plataforma Estatal Contra la Contaminación Ambiental: Minerva Palomar
• PLATAFORMA PARA LA FM ,SFC, SQM, reivindicación de derechos, Asociación Nacional: Elena Navarro

A petitions document done by MCS associations under David Palma coordination has been submitted. This document has been signed by:

• ABAF: Margarita Pascual
• ACAF: Maite Ribera
• AFCISQUIM: María Roldán
• Alas de Mariposa- SQM: Irene Escudero
• ALTEA – SQM: Cristobalina Bejarano
• APQUIRA: Mª Carmen Gómez de Bonilla
• AQUA: Mario Arias
• ASQUIFYDE: Francisca Gutiérrez
• AVASFASEM-AVASQ: Francisca García
• ENA: Rosa de Gabriel
• MERCURIADOS: Servando Pérez
• Plataforma Estatal Contra la Contaminación Ambiental: Minerva Palomar
• PLATAFORMA PARA LA FM ,SFC, SQM, reivindicación de derechos, Asociación Nacional: Elena Navarro
• Eva Caballé

Also a copy of Desaparecida: Una vida rota por la Sensibilidad Química Múltiple (Missing: A life broken by Multiple Chemical Sensitivities) has been hand delivered on behalf of Eva Caballé, who couldn’t attend to the meeting, as an example of what MCS sufferers have to go through in Spain.

The meeting with Ministry of Health has meant an agreement on minimum standards by the Ministry, but a big hope for all MCS sufferers.

Representatives of Ministry of Health have committed to contact MCS associations within 2 weeks to jointly agree on experts to form a Scientific Committee to create a document of consensus on the MCS. They have stated that this is the first step to make possible the inclusion of the MCS in ICD-10, i.e. its official recognition as disease in Spain. They have demonstrated that later there would be necessary to start creating the protocols.

All people who have been part of this process are thrilled by the result of the meeting, because doors have opened us to obtain the recognition of the Multiple Chemical Sensitivity in Spain and to achieve that MCS sufferers have the same rights as the other chronically ill people.

Link

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Tags: Children's Health, Environmental Health, Environmental Illness, Law, MCS, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Policy, Research, Work

US Senate committee holds hearing on public exposures to toxic chemicals

Posted on Feb 04, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, Environment, Government Regulation, Susie Collins

Now available: Transcript and webcast of today’s hearing at the United States Senate Subcommittee on Superfund, Toxics and Environmental Health entitled, “Current Science on Public Exposures to Toxic Chemicals.”

Led by Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ), at left, the United States Senate Subcommittee on Superfund, Toxics and Environmental Health held a hearing today entitled, “Current Science on Public Exposures to Toxic Chemicals.” I urge you to become familiar with Sen. Lautenberg’s work on the hill; along with Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), he’s the greatest advocate in the U.S. Senate for toxic chemical policy reform. For those of you who follow The Canary report, you’ll remember a post I did on Sen. Launtenberg back in February 2009 when he assumed the chairmanship of this committee. Lautenberg is the senator who introduced the Kid-Safe Chemicals Act, a proposal to overhaul federal restrictions on toxic chemicals.

Canaries will recognize the name of one other of our heroes among the panel members: Ken Cook, president at the Environmental Working Group.

Subcommittee on Superfund, Toxics and Environmental Health hearing entitled, “Current Science on Public Exposures to Toxic Chemicals.”
Thursday, February 4, 2010
10:00 AM EST
EPW Hearing Room – 406 Dirksen

Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Superfund, Toxics, and Environmental Health, will convene a hearing to examine the current science on public exposures to toxic chemicals.

Majority Statements
Barbara Boxer
Frank R. Lautenberg

Minority Statements
James M. Inhofe
Witnesses

Opening Remarks

Panel 1

Steve Owens
Assistant Administrator, Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances
Environmental Protection Agency

Henry Falk M.D., M.P.H.
Acting Director, National Center for Environmental Health/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

John Stephenson
Director, Natural Resources and Environment, U.S. Government Accountability Office

Linda Birnbaum Ph.D., D.A.B.T., A.T.S.
Director
National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences

Panel 2

Molly Jones Gray
Participant in a Biomonitoring Study

Ken Cook
President
Environmental Working Group

Charles McKay MD FACMT, FACEP, ABIM
Division of Toxicology, Department of Emergency Medicine, Hartford Hospital

Tracey J. Woodruff PhD, MPH
Associate Professor and Director
Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco

I don’t know how much change is going to be made as a result of these hearings, but I can tell you that trends are moving in the direction of toxic chemical policy reform. If President Obama manages to hang on to a second term despite the discontent that is brewing due to the economic problems, we will have a much better chance at stronger reform. I can tell you though, that even though the wheels of Washington, DC, move painstakingly slow, I’ve seen more happening to enforce the Clean Air Act and to put progressive environmental policies in place over the past year than I saw in the entire eight years of the Bush administration.

Link to transcript and webcast of today’s hearing.

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Tags: Air, Chemicals, Environment, Food, Law, Policy, Pollution, Products, Research, Toxic, Water

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

MCS groups in Spain to meet with Secretary of Health

Posted on Jan 26, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, Disability Rights, Government Regulation, MCS, Policy, Social Justice, Susie Collins

A coalition of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Groups in Spain will meet with the Secretary General of the Ministry of Health to discuss formal recognition of MCS.

Eva Caballé at NO FUN reports that a coalition of MCS groups in Spain will meet with the Secretary of the Ministry of Health on Feb. 4 to discuss the formal recognition of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity as a physical illness. The groups also will ask that all people with MCS have the same rights as the other chronically ill people.

The meeting will be held on February 4th 2010 in the Ministry of Health. Mr José Martínez Olmos, Secretary General of the Ministry of Health and Mr Alberto Infante Campos, General Director of Professional Planning, Cohesion of SNS and High Inspection will attend to the meeting representing the Ministry of Health. Following the Ministry of Health instructions, one person by each MCS Association will attend to the meeting and a lawyer and a doctor specialized in MCS too.

David Palma is coordinating this process selflessly.

We are now working on petitions document that will be signed by all MCS associations. This document will be given to the Ministry during the meeting, along with medical information about MCS.

List of MCS associations that are part of this process:

* ACAF
* AFCISQUIM
* Alas de Mariposa
* ALTEA – SQM
* APQUIRA
* ASQUIFYDE
* AVASFASEM-AVASQ
* ENA
* MERCURIADOS
* PLATAFORMA PARA LA FM ,SFC, SQM, reivindicación de derechos, Asociación Nacional

Link to read more about Eva’s book.

Link to read about Eva’s essay in Delirio’s “Silence” issue.

Link to read about Eva’s essay in Delirio’s “Naked” issue.

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Tags: Law, MCS, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Policy

Canadian teacher fights for her right to workplace accommodations

Posted on Jan 07, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, Disability Rights, MCS, Worker's Rights

“The battles for those of us with disabilities, and especially for those of us with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, are huge.”

Elaine Willis reports on her blog about Arbitration: Final Day… just waiting for a decision. Elaine has been in a lawsuit for years about workplace accommodations: SCHOOL DISTRICT 36 vs BC TEACHERS’ FEDERATION, ELAINE WILLIS, DUTY TO ACCOMMODATE, which will set precedent in Canadian arbitration law.

The battles for those of us with disabilities, and especially for those of us with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, are huge. There are many false beliefs about our abilities and the nature of our disabilities. The truth remains that we are people, to be treated as all people, with dignity, equality and respect. We are not to be shut away in our homes as society continues to demand of us.

Education is enlightenment. I WILL CONTINUE TO BE A TEACHER! This process may enable me to do so for a living as well!

Here’s the statement Elaine read in court during the second day of arbitration back in August: I AM a teacher.

Brava, Elaine, for your warrior spirit and sense of what’s right! We are proud to have you as one of the flock.

Photo used with Elaine’s permission.

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Tags: Law, MCS, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Policy, Work

Environmental illness and disability law proposed in Italy

Posted on Dec 27, 2009 by Susie Collins in Blog, Disability Rights, Government Regulation, MCS, Policy, Social Justice, Susie Collins, Worker's Rights

Silvia Müller at the Chemical Sensitivity Network wrote to tell me there’s an Italian law proposal for environmental illnesses and disability. The proposed law includes definitions of various environmental illnesses such as Multiple Chemical Sensitivity and Electromagnetic Sensitivity, diagnosis and prevention guidelines, guidelines for health care professionals, building and planning rules, employment protections, and financial coverage.

This is really good news. We are seeing country after country enact these types of laws, most recently Germany and Japan. Getting these laws enforced is another story, but we should still celebrate this forward momentum toward global recognition of environmental illnesses, moving us closer to full rights given to those who need medical care, safe housing, financial, and other support.

MeP DOMENICO SCILIPOTI (IDV): “HOW TO HELP PEOPLE AFFECTED BY ENVIRONMENTAL DISABILITY”

PRESS RELEASE, Rome 21.dec.09

“In order to help people with Environmental Disabilities whose survival and quality of life depend not on drugs, but on avoiding certain environmental factors, today I presented a project of law about this issue”, comments On. Scilipoti. “The law is meant for environmentally triggered diseases such as Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS), involving a loss of tolerance of chemicals, or Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity (EHS), forcing the affected ones to get far from electromagnetic fields emitted by mobiles, Wi-Fi, electric cables, etc. But the law is also meant for genetic, metabolic, neurological or immunological disorders such as fibromyalgia or CFS (involving chemical intolerances) or favism, which gives serious reactions to legumes. Other cases of environmental disability are seen in autism, epilepsy, migraine and lupus that involve reactions to fluorescent lighting”. “It’s important to discuss this law as soon as possible in order to give an answer to these people”, Scilipoti concludes.

Link to read entire law proposal.

Thanks, Silvia!

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Tags: Environmental Illness, Law, MCS, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Policy, Support, Work

U.S. senator responds to a canary by talking in circles

Posted on Dec 22, 2009 by Susie Collins in Blog, Products, Susie Collins

“Many consumers are concerned that the cosmetics industry is using chemicals in its products that are linked to cancer and other health problems,” answers Sen. Tom Carper to a canary constituent’s pleas for action. But what are lawmakers actually doing about it?

Canary Report community member Linda Delp asked me to share this with you. It’s a letter to her from her state of Delaware’s senator, Tom Carper. “The letter just shows how they talk in circles don’t you think?” says Linda. “I have so many letters from him and Senator Biden, it just gets exhausting.”

December 22, 2009

Dear Mrs. Delp:

Thank you for contacting me to express your support for legislation to strengthen oversight and regulation of the cosmetics industry. I appreciate hearing from you about this important matter.

As you know, many consumers are concerned that the cosmetics industry is using chemicals in its products that are linked to cancer and other health problems. A class of industrial chemicals, phthates, are commonly used as fragrances in shampoo and lotion, but have been shown to lead to birth defects, asthma, and impaired development. Under current law, manufacturers are not required to list the individual ingredients of fragrance on labels, which limits consumers’ ability to avoid potentially hazardous chemicals.

As you also may know, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is the federal agency that regulates cosmetic safety. However, the FDA has different legal authority over cosmetic products than it does over drugs, food, and medicine. Unlike these products, cosmetics are not subject to a FDA premarket approval process. Instead, cosmetic firms are responsible for ensuring the safety of their products and ingredients before marketing. If infractions of safety regulations or consumer complaints arise, the FDA can take regulatory action. For more information concerning the FDA’s regulation of cosmetics, please visit http://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/default.htm.

With that said, I have heard from a number of constituents who believe that current regulation of cosmetics under the FDA are inadequate. While there is no current legislation that would provide the FDA with stricter oversight of cosmetics, I will be sure to share your comments with my colleagues on the Senate Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over this matter. Thank you again for contacting my office. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future about this or other matters of importance to you.

With best personal regards, I am

Sincerely,

Tom Carper
United States Senator

To send another message please visit my website at http://carper.senate.gov/contact and fill out the webform for a prompt response. Thank you.

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Tags: Chemicals, Children's Health, Environmental Health, FDA, Home, Indoor Pollution, Policy, Products

Change is coming on U.S. toxic chemical policy

Posted on Dec 09, 2009 by Susie Collins in Blog, Government Regulation, Policy, Social Justice, Susie Collins

A great report today from the Huffington Post on the work currently being done in Washington DC to change toxic chemical policy.

While Afghanistan, the economy, Copenhagen and health care grabbed headlines this week, on December 2nd, Senators Frank Lautenberg and Barbara Boxer, who chairs the Senate Environment & Public Works committee, held a hearing on an issue that could significantly influence three out of four of those big ticket items. That issue is chemicals – the synthetic and industrial chemicals, largely petrochemical in origin that permeate every aspect of our lives – and the inadequacies of TSCA (Toxic Substances Control Act), the primary law aimed at protecting Americans from chemical hazards.

The report also covers introduction of the Endocrine Disruption Prevention Act of 2009 by Senator John Kerry and Representative Jim Moran. The Environmental Working Group’s study is included as reference (they are doing God’s work in my opinion). EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson has called for increased research and development of safer chemicals through green chemistry. Coinciding with the Senate hearing was a statement signed by 13 states also calling for TSCA reform.

The coming changes might not impact the lives of people with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity in real time, but the current paradigm on chemical policy, the one that got most of us sick in the first place, is about to get trounced.

Link

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Tags: Chemicals, Environment, Environmental Health, MCS, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Policy

Environmental medicine expert says women’s health is environmental health

Posted on Nov 29, 2009 by Susie Collins in Blog, MCS, Susie Collins

Lisa Nagy, MD: Women are four times more likely to exhibit symptoms of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Chemical Sensitivity than are men.

Lisa Nagy, MD, reports on Women’s Health is Environmental Health: Avoiding Common Toxic Exposures. “There has been tremendous and hostile resistance to educating doctors on the dangers of environmental illness and toxic mold, generated mainly by the fields of Occupational Medicine, Public Health, Allergy, and Psychiatry,” she writes. “As a new delegate to the Massachusetts Medical Society (MMS), I introduced a resolution calling for increased awareness about the environmental illnesses and implementation of a one-hour Continuing Medical Education course on Chemical Sensitivity.”

She argues that the reason environmental illnesses are not taken seriously in the medical establishment is because there are far more women than men who have them.

I firmly believe that one reason that environmental illnesses are not taken more seriously is because it is chiefly women who develop them. Many women experience cognitive and mental health problems along with environmental illness. When they go to the doctor, they may suffer from mental or cognitive impairment, but their behavior actually results from being environmentally ill. Too often, physicians focus on women’s mental health symptoms and insultingly recommend psychiatry, when these patients actually need an environmental medicine specialist. When toxicity is treated, mental and physical symptoms can dramatically improve or disappear.

Dr. Nagy was recently appointed to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Working Group on the Scientific Understanding of the Effect of Chemicals on Human Health. She is founder and president of the Preventive and Environmental Health Alliance. She is doing incredible work on a national level toward having all physicians educated about environmental illnesses.

Link to Dr. Nagy’s website.

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Tags: Chemicals, Environmental Health, MCS, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Policy