Growing trends in healthy house construction

Paula Baker-LaPorte at Healthy House Institute writes about Building Biology and the Healthy House.

“Building related illness, 20th (21st) century disease, multiple chemical sensitivities, sick building syndrome, environmental illness: these terms are recent additions to our vocabulary,” she writes. “Until about 25 years ago, indoor air pollution was a very limited phenomenon.”

But, she says, three basic things have changed in the evolution of building technology resulting in the current widespread concern about the environmental quality inside our homes: the very fabric of our homes, products that have a negative and costly impact on our health, and performance demands on our buildings such as dealing with trapped moisture from sealed bathrooms.

In response to these problems, she sees two different models emerging for a healthy home. One– the most common– is to seal the home very tightly on the inside, so nothing toxic from the building materials can leak into the living space. (This is akin to what people with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity try to achieve with foil barriers.) And the other, more in line with what chemically sensitive people would like to see, is to build with nontoxic materials in the first place.

But the natural building materials solution is difficult to implement, most notably because of current building codes backed by corporate interests. Still, Baker-LaPorte sees building trends moving in the right direction.

…building systems that use natural materials as their base, once the norm for us and still the norm for the majority of humankind, are viewed with great suspicion and skepticism in the current mainstream building culture. If one chooses to build with natural materials one quickly learns that natural building systems have become the orphans of the modern building industry. Whereas huge corporate resources back industrialized building products, funding for code required testing of natural non-proprietary materials has, to date, been a grass roots pass-the-hat affair. Even though people have surrounded themselves with natural permeable materials throughout human history, and even though enduring models of these buildings are found throughout the world, mainstream building practices and codes are dominated by manufactured building commodities that are laboratory tested, standardized, stamped, packaged and shipped. When one applies for a building permit for a home to be made with natural building materials, the applicant may be rejected, or if permitted, the building may bear a dubious “experimental” status.

The natural building movement championed by the theories of Building Biology and a small but growing sector of environmentally concerned builders, designers and homeowners is however gaining momentum. And I believe there is a synthesis at hand between the two seemingly opposite approaches to healthy building. A natural home equipped with all the amenities of modern life faces many of the same indoor environmental qualities as does a sealed construction, and ventilation systems are becoming more common in natural buildings. On the other hand manufactured, code pre-approved permeable wall systems such as aerated autoclaved concrete are being introduced in to the mainstream market place. Straw bale construction has now been tested and codified in many locations. More and more construction products now advertise being “environmentally friendly” and “non-toxic”. Green building rating systems that reward healthier building practices are springing up all over the country. Regardless of the starting point we are moving towards healthier homes that are freer of toxic chemicals, more energy efficient and kinder on the environment.

Link to full article

Photo of straw bale house in Taos by mari-posa. The straw bales are covered over by adobe, and it’s solar powered, with a cistern to recycle rainwater.

A letter to President-Elect Obama

Dear President-Elect Obama,

I am jubilant at your victory! I wish you a heartfelt congratulations. It was a long, hard campaign that you managed flawlessly, and if your skills at running a campaign are any indication of the way you will run the federal government, then we are in good hands indeed.

I know many people and organizations are petitioning you this week, pleading their case or personal issue and hoping you will deliver the change you’ve promised. Those of us who have suffered under the policies of the Bush Administration are desperate for relief and we each want to make sure that our corner of the universe is touched by your promise of change.

I’ve worked in Democratic politics at both the local and national level enough to know that campaigns are one thing and governing something else entirely. I know that you will not be able to deliver on absolutely everything you hope to. But rather than feeling desperate that my particular issue will not be addressed and righted in the coming eight years, I instead feel great confidence that indeed it will.

My issue is the environment. Not the Big Picture of climate change that most of the world is focusing on right now– of course arguably the most important issue of our times–, but rather the immediate environment of our homes, places of work, and public spaces. You see, I have Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, and so my issue is the need for strong, enforced policy that forces corporate entities and businesses to stop polluting our air, water, soil and bodies with toxic synthetic chemicals.

I am especially concerned about the 80,000 synthetic chemicals that are being put into everyday household and other commercial products, most of which have not undergone rigorous study as to their impact on public health. This is disconcerting given that many of these toxic chemicals from the marketplace are showing up in our blood, and most disturbing, the blood of our children.

The Bush Administration has allowed corporate interests to run rough shod over environmental and consumer policy. Bush officials have lied to the American people and to the international community about the severity of toxic chemicals in the marketplace, which left the European Union no choice but to take control of the issue on the global stage. I am grateful for that, but deeply ashamed that my country is not at the forefront of this pressing issue.

Of all the images produced during your stirring campaign, what sticks with me the most are the faces of the people in the crowd at Grant Park as you addressed the nation as the new president-elect. I don’t believe I have ever seen such unbridled joy and optimism at any political event. But now comes the time for the real work, and I know in my heart of hearts that you will do what’s right and lead the federal government to do its job in protecting the health, safety and welfare of the American people.

Aloha and mahalo to you, our native son. Go do us proud. Imua!

Susie Collins

Poverty and Multiple Chemical Sensitivity

Blog Action Day 2008: Poverty

Blog Action Day is an annual nonprofit event that aims to unite the world’s bloggers, podcasters and videocasters to post about the same issue on the same day. The aim is to raise awareness and trigger a global discussion. Blog Action Day 08’s topic is POVERTY. Here is my contribution.

Coping with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity is a challenge on every front in a person’s life. It impacts employment, housing, social activity, personal relationships, personal care, eating habits, exercise, recreation, and leisure. Health care becomes confusing and disorienting because medical doctors do not recognize MCS and therefore do not know how to help. To add insult to injury, some MDs believe MCS is psychosomatic, and either dismiss complaints or send the patient off to the shrink.

And when people with MCS are forced to seek out alternative health practitioners, it’s a crap shoot. While most practitioners– acupuncturists, nutritionists, dentists, and others– have good hearts and surely want to help, chances are pretty good that the patient will be led on a wild goose chase, and waste precious financial resources on alternative therapies and supplements, hoping for that magical cure.

But a cure for MCS is most likely going to be elusive. After all, MCS is not a disease or allergy, it’s a reaction to low level poisoning from toxic chemicals. So the more practical course of action might be for the sufferer to find safe housing and employment, stay away from toxic friends and family, dump toxic clothing and replace with natural fabrics, eat organic foods, buy a HEPA air filter and vacuum, find a good water filter, move to a place with cleaner air. But how easy is that course of action for anyone let alone someone who is sick with depleted resources?

So you can see how MCS can catapult a person into poverty. When forced to leave employment because the air is too toxic to breathe, there is no paycheck. When there is no social or familial support system and no safe housing, a person is out on the street. If there’s not sufficient money for fresh organic food, nutritional supplements, air and water filters, and a HEPA vacuum, then a person’s health further deteriorates. And a life on that edge can very quickly spiral into poverty.

This is why too many people with MCS are sleeping in cars or in aluminum trailers in a friend’s back yard. Many who can’t find safe housing or employment hunker down, strip down, go zen, go without, and struggle to adapt to the newfound state of limited resources. This is the world of poverty, and if anyone with MCS thinks this scenario isn’t a heartbeat away, they are fooling themselves. There is no safety net for people with a health condition not recognized by the government or mainstream medical community.

Such is the life of canaries. It’s not just sensitivity to toxic chemicals that people with MCS live with, it’s acute sensitivity to the social injustice of a negligent health care and governmental system that refuses to even acknowledge there’s a problem.

###

If you’d like to learn more about Multiple Chemical Sensitivity and poverty, Grist: Environmental News and Commentary covered the topic in 2006.

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Experts say everyone is affected by chemical sensitivity

Some people are on the severe end, with their sensitivities so extreme that they can’t function in many public places where they can’t control their environment.

Cleveland Living and Lifestyles News has an interesting and well-written article about Environmental Illness and Multiple Chemical Sensitivity entitled “Environmental Illnesses are gaining attention, thanks to the green movement.” It’s one of the most balanced reports I’ve read in a mainstream paper about MCS and worth reading all the way through.

…environmental medicine is the study of how the reactions we have when we’re exposed to certain toxins affect our immune and neuroendocrine (nervous system and hormones) systems.

Still, the field is often misunderstood as “alternative” medicine. But with the growing popularity for “green” lifestyles and all things organic, and with illnesses that Louisiana residents displaced by Hurricane Katrina got after living in Federal Emergency Management Agency-provided trailers, environmental medicine is getting more attention.

“People just make such a quick judgment about those who are really, really sick,” said Dr. Lisa Lavine Nagy, who has been championing for heightened awareness since her own series of misdiagnoses several years ago for what turned out to be severe multiple chemical sensitivity.

Often, those quick judgments happen because the people more likely to report their chemical sensitivities are women over age 40, she said. Most “normal” women of that age have mild symptoms that are hard to explain, and thus easier to dismiss, she said.

Experts say that everyone is affected in some way by chemical sensitivity. No one quite knows why, but some think genetics may play a large role.

Some people are on the severe end, with their sensitivities so extreme that they can’t function in many public places where they can’t control their environment.

Others may have relatively mild symptoms — or none at all…. (Link to full story, go read it!)

[And some great tips in the side bar]

Possible signs of an environmental illness:

• Headaches while talking on your cell or cordless phone.

• Increased sense of smell, especially to items such as perfume, laundry detergents, cats, etc.

• Increased sensitivity to fluorescent light.

• A diagnosis of adrenal fatigue, or thyroid deficiency or overactivity.

Tips from Dr. Michael Roizen, Cleveland Clinic:

• One of the keys — especially here in Cleveland — is to air one’s house out. Over the course of a winter, the quality of inside air becomes worse than outside air, he said. It doesn’t hurt to open the windows periodically on good days during the winter.

• Avoid materials — household cleaners, rugs, air fresheners, even some furniture — that emit lots of volatile hydrocarbons. As Roizen put it, “You want to use cleaning fluids that are, in fact, safe enough to drink.”

Possible treatments to discuss with your doctor (from Dr. Lisa Nagy):

• Remove yourself from possible causes, i.e. a “sick” house or office. The culprit may be mold, or as unsuspecting as carpeting or fabric softener. A July study from the University of Washington revealed that six top-selling laundry products and air fresheners gave off toxic chemicals — none of which was listed on product labels.

• Decrease your total chemical load. Switch to organic food, filtered air and water.

• Detoxify with the help of intravenous and oral vitamins and supplements, under a doctor’s supervision.

• Investigate whether you have specific food or chemical allergies or hormone imbalances and/or insufficiencies.

• Consider treatment in a low-temperature (140 degrees) sauna, under a doctor’s supervision.

Link

Jury awards homeowners $903,000 for mold in new house

BARTOW | A Lakeland woman who contracted pneumonia six times in 18 months because of mold in her newly built house won a $903,000 jury verdict late Thursday against the home builder.

Jurors deliberated about five hours before deciding that Lakeland builder Rudy Brown was responsible for the problems in the house.

They awarded $718,000 to Janice Martin Arnett so she could repair her house in Eagle Lake, and another $185,000 to compensate for the time she couldn’t use the house.

Bartow lawyer Tom Saunders, speaking on behalf of Arnett, said they were pleased with the verdict.

“It’s been a difficult time, but we are pleased with the outcome,” he said.

Brown did not return telephone calls for comment Friday.

During the two-week trial, Saunders told jurors that Arnett and her husband, Mike, moved into the $1.4 million, 8,500-square-foot lakefront house in July 2002.

“There were problems with the windows leaking and cracks in the stucco,” he said. “The builder tried to fix it, but by August 2004, he said there was nothing else he could do.”

By January 2005, Arnett had to move from the house because the mold was making her sick, Saunders said.

Link to full story at theledger.com.

Overwhelmed by mold

Costs top $19M, more Board of Equalization workers being moved

At left, state employee Wendy Schroeder, now homebound, keeps a plastic film over her eyes to keep out debris.

I’m amazed at how many stories there are about people getting sick from toxic mold. We’ve been following Missy Gluckman’s story since early summer about her nightmare working in an old building at a community college in New York.

Now here’s a story from the west coast about a woman who got sick from toxic mold at her workplace in a California State building.

As I’m sure you know, toxic mold exposure often triggers chemical sensitivity; in fact, I have yet to hear of a case where someone who’s been made sick from mold hasn’t developed hyper sensitivity to synthetic chemicals.

Wendy Schroeder began working at the California State Board of Equalization headquarters on April 1, 1996 - April Fool’s Day. It was no laughing matter.

She’s been on disability leave since March. Now, recovering from sinus and tear-duct surgery, she says toxic mold and other hazardous substances in the building made her sick. Even working on files that have been stored in the building makes her break out in a rash.

Although state officials took steps last month to relocate dozens more workers to new offices, more than 2,300 people still work at BOE headquarters at 450 N St. in downtown Sacramento, despite overcrowded conditions and ongoing problems with water damage and mold. The problems raise questions about whether staying in the building over the long term is viable as costs climb.

“(That’s) my question daily,” said Bill Leonard, a Republican who served in the state Legislature for 24 years before he was first elected to the board in 2002. “If we weren’t in a budget crisis, I’d be looking for a legislative sponsor to buy us a new campus.”

Link

Photo: Noel Neuburger | Sacramento Business Journal

And also in the news today:

Sudden Rise in Allergies and Asthma After Hurricane Ike
PR Web (press release) - Ferndale, WA, USA
“Storms in general can worsen allergies and asthma because increased winds mobilize mold spores and pollens and send them flying through the air. …

Shandoka Residents Alerted to Potential of Mold Growth
Telluride Watch - Telluride, CO, USA
by Karen James TELLURIDE – While the appearance of major mold infestations in two Mountain Village rental apartment complexes earlier this year has led some …

Winfield school replaces ceiling after mold found
Charleston Gazette - WV, USA
Maintenance crews at Winfield Elementary School replaced the ceiling in one of the school’s portable classrooms Thursday, after inspectors found mold in the …

Students report mold in Logan Hall
Chanticleer (subscription) - Jacksonville, AL, USA
Students at Logan Hall have reported many cases of mold growing in rooms and hallways. According to students the fungus can very easily be seen in several …

Damage, mold push St. Charles Manor residents from apartments
Houma Courier - Houma, Louisiana, USA
Now residents of the St. Charles Manor apartment complex share a collective dread, facing the prospect of becoming homeless because of a mold infestation …

Experts say: Act quickly to minimize mold’s damaging effects in …
By media-newswire.com
COLLEGE STATION – People returning to homes flooded during Hurricane Ike or other disasters should act quickly to combat mold, said a Texas AgriLife Extension Service expert. “If you don’t it could ruin your home, possessions and …

Article in Salon: Now smell this

There’s a frightening story in Salon on Scent Marketing. The article will make you go nutz, but read through to the comments, they are fascinating.

Note that one of the “experts” quoted is Avery Gilbert, a synthetic fragrance industry hack who recently published a book in which he says Multiple Chemical Sensitivity is a psychosomatic problem. I wrote about it here (comments are pretty interesting on that post).

Link

Thanks, Eloise!

Link to photo by betsymartian at flickr

Some info on Toxic Mold Awareness Month

Here are some upcoming events in conjunction with National Indoor Mold Awareness Month (September). Activities include a talk show that you can connect to via your computer.

(Note: There’s good stuff in here on events to raise awareness about toxic mold, but the post is slightly disjointed. I’ve tried to clean it up a bit and add some live links so it’s easier to read and access info. Post is snitched from a group called TWUSEA and the Homeless Underground based in Seattle.)

The Governors from the following states have signed the National Indoor Toxic Mold Awareness Month (NITMAM) Proclamation! We would like to thank the Governors from Pennsylvania , Mississippi , Florida , Michigan and Nevada (one week beginning September 21, 2008) for declaring National Indoor Toxic Mold Awareness Month in their states.

The following Governors have denied the National Indoor Toxic Mold Awareness Month Proclamation in their states: North Carolina , Texas and Tennessee.

We have Indoor Toxic Mold Representatives from Pennsylvania, Mississippi, Florida, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, Texas, Tennessee, California (2 reps), Arizona, Illinois, Oregon, Iowa, Wisconsin, and 1 International Representative from Bermuda.

If you are interested in being an Indoor Toxic Mold Representative or want to help with planning events in those states where the proclamations were signed, please send an email to nitmam@nimsociety.org.

UPCOMING NITMAM EVENTS!

YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS EPISODE 12 OF THE NATIONAL INDOOR MOLD SOCIETY INTERNET TALK SHOW!

The NIMS Internet Talk Show will continue with the theme of celebrating the National Indoor Toxic Mold Awareness Month (September 5 to October 5, 2008).

You will also hear from William Croft, DVM, PhD, Medical Pathologist. He has been called the The Father of Molds/Mycotoxins.

Scheduled Time: Date: Sat, September 13, 2008 Time: 08:00 PM EDT

How to participate:

Join from your computer:

1. Click here to join the call or just listen along http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/talkCast.jsp?masterId=31030&cmd=tc

2. Become a TalkShoe member (Sign-up for talkshoe and download talkshoe live to listen, chat, and ask questions live) http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/userCreate1.jsp

Call in:

Dial: (724) 444-7444

Enter: 31030 # (Call ID)

Enter: 1 # or your PIN

Next NIMS Internet Talk Show: September 20, 2008 Time: 08:00 PM EDT

William Croft, DVM, PhD, Medical Pathologist

[...] In 1986, Dr. Croft published the first paper on indoor mold poisoning in the North American Continent and demonstrated the fingerprint for Trichothecene Mycotoxins in animals and humans. This study was in part funded by the United States Army. He has completed 15 autopsies, 9 adult humans and 6 children, clearly demonstrating pathology caused by inhalation versus ingestion of these mycotoxins. Dr. Croft has studied, and observed over 6,500 people demonstrating signs and symptoms of mycotoxin poisoning and has determined the stages for inhalation mycotoxicosis. Dr. Croft has studied this disease for 25 years on a pathological basis and in an effort to allow others to become aware of the disease; he is willing to share what he has learned concerning this environmental disease.

SUMMARY OF PRESENTATION:

Dr. Croft will discuss the answers to the question: He will discuss various topics from the history of fungi, the definition of molds and mycotoxins, cross-contamination, stages of the disease, and trichothecene mycotoxicosis.

CONTACT DR. CROFT:
For more information about Dr. Croft and his services:
Website: www.edgi.org
E-mail: doccroft@hotmail.com
Office: (608) 274-1618

NITMAM EVENTS IN TENNESSEE :

[...] SIMPLY SHARON will be at Barnes and Noble Booksellers 1701 Mallory Lane, Brentwood, TN 37027 at a LOCAL AUTHORS RECEPTION, THURS September 18, 2008 from 6-8pm.

Please forward this to all you know and come on down and say hello to SIMPLY SHARON!

Her book, IT’S ALL IN YOUR HEAD will be sold that night for $17.99. Be sure and have her sign it before you leave! [...]

IT’S ALL IN YOUR HEAD brings to life the painful realism of toxic injury due to mold /mycotoxin exposure as well as addressing the social stigma of the horrendous myth that mold is nontoxic. [...]

TENNESSEE INDOOR TOXIC MOLD AWARENESS WEEK SEPTEMBER 21- 27, 2008

Monday, Sept. 22 to Wed. Sept. 24 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. CST
SAV-A-LOT
700 Highway 100
North Park Shopping Center
Centerville, TN 37033

Thursday, Sept. 25 to Sat. Sept 27 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. CST
Krogers
143 Henslee Drive
Dickson, TN 37033

For more information about Sharon Pawlak, a.k.a Simply Sharon and events in Tennessee, visit her websites www.moldmadness.com and www.myspace.com/simplysharonspeaks.

Eco-broker suggests ways to go green

This might be gimmicky, but it’s my kind of gimmick. Eco-broker Joette Schenck (at left) helps new homeowners with ideas to make homes green and safe, with particular attention to people with chemical sensitivities. Wouldn’t it be great if this became a trend?

Eco-broker certification came into vogue about five years ago and as the terms “going green” and “eco-friendly” become mainstream, so is the term “eco-broker.”

While not a necessary requirement for real estate professionals, Schenck says, it’s something one wants to do to learn more, that it’s part of something one is personally interested in.

Schenck, who completed the extensive and expensive certification coursework two years ago, is now well versed in advising home buyers on a wide variety of issues from healthy paints to insulation, floor and window coverings and energy-efficient appliances.

“There’s a lot you can do to already built homes … just being aware, painting walls, changing the flooring. And it’s easy to go online to see what’s out there,” she says.

Because changing out old appliances is one way to make a home eco-friendly, Schenck says, “You want to buy Energy-Star appliances and products, that’s the key. Older products are energy hogs; hanging on to old appliances can cost a homeowner a lot of money.”

The choices available in changing flooring are varied enough to suit many decorating styles. If replacing carpeting she advises wool or cotton; they’re non-toxic and are a great choice for people with chemical sensitivities.

“Bamboo flooring comes from a grass that replenishes itself in three to five years; cork flooring comes from the bark of the Mediterranean oak and is durable for up to 50 years,” she says, adding that solid wood that’s reused from building demolitions is another option.

She advocates avoiding paints with volatile organic compounds that are found in oil-based and traditional latex-based paints as VOCs can cause asthma attacks, eye irritation, nausea and dizziness. Prolonged exposure has been linked to kidney, liver disease and cancer, she said.

The alternative is using milk paint (realmilkpaint.com); Schenck’s personal favorite is Benjamin Moore.

Link to full Green Valley News story.

Link to review on Benjamin Moore Aura VOC-free paints.

Flea abatement chemical ruins woman’s health

Here’s a heartbreaking story about a woman in Scotland who called the housing authority to help with a flea infestation, and after her home was sprayed, she had such a severe reaction that she ended up in the hospital. She now suffers lingering health problems and financial uncertainty.

“Environmental Health came round and sprayed my home on Friday, August 1. That day I started to feel a bit strange. I felt worse the next day, and thought ‘there’s something not quite right here’ and then felt worse again the following day when I realised that something had to be done. I knew something was definitely amiss.”

She had developed various worrying symptoms, including numbness below her left knee, meaning she had problems walking, a numb neck making it difficult to lift her head and she was short of breath.

“I also had tunnel vision on my right eye and was having blinding headaches - it was terrible. I contacted the NHS who told me to take a paracetamol, but I was then rushed into hospital where I spent three days.

“When I was away from my home environment I’d started to feel better, but when I went home I felt worse again, and when I had friends round they would feel ill as soon as they came in.”

Not only has her health suffered, Jane says, but she has been hit hard financially. “I have had to take the cat to the vet several times which is not cheap, and have had to boil wash my clothes which has ruined some of them.

“I have also had to get rid of antique bed linen and remove my own furniture from the property, and I filled half a skip. I’ve also had to buy protective clothing with breathing masks.

“I am about £1000 out of pocket in expenses, and as I work from home I have lost a lot of business.”

She estimates that she has lost 400 hours of work - totalling around £7000 in capital terms - and feels that professionally she may never recover.

Link

Employees say mold in hospital causing illness and death

Complaints dating back to 2006 from workers in Atlanta’s Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at MCG Children’s Medical Center have led to a lawsuit. Workers have complained for years about illnesses that appear to them or others to be related to mold and mildew.

The Metro Spirit has done an expose on the problems, the details of which will make you wild.

The hospital denies it’s a problem. Deborah Humphrey of the MCG Health public information office said the hospital would not grant an interview on the subject because none was needed. “Problem identified, problem solved,” she said.

However, Metro Spirit has obtained documents in which a hospital employee has accused MCG Health of having such serious mold and mildew problems that it has contributed to the death of a patient.

Todd Brandenburg first made a documented complaint about mold and mildew in April 2005. He was later written up by MCG Health for “improperly reporting a mold issue.”

MCG Health said the complaint caused a waste of manpower, even though mold was later discovered and remediated as a result of his complaint, Brandenburg said. He was fired a few months later.

“All I wanted to do was be a good employee and alert the hospital to a potential problem,” he added. “I did not know it would lead to me being fired.”

As part of his grievance against that firing, a grievance that has now grown into a lawsuit, Brandenburg laid out his concerns about mold causing health problems at MCG Health.

“I was told that the suspected mold problem was simply a housekeeping issue and that the mildew I saw growing was only dust,” Brandenburg wrote in his grievance. “The mildew smell remains prominent in that area.”

He spoke directly to the seriousness of the matter. “There was a patient death due to environmental issues with the facility carpet (notably in the CMC [Children's Medical Center]), not to exclude the infection rate from the growth of bacteria in the five NICU sinks. This lends evidence to the fact that the ‘mold’ issue has (in all likelihood) not been fixed.”

Link to complete story.

Related posts in The Canary Report:

Mold at the center of controversy

Missy kicks ass, forces former employer to fix building

A message from Missy Gluckman: The fox is watching the hen house

Housecleaners form green cleaning cooperative

Professional housecleaners are frequently exposed to hazardous cleaning products and have a higher incidence of asthma compared to other workers This week on the radio show Living on Earth, which is a weekly environmental news and information program, reporter Catherine Elton reports on a group of Brazilian immigrant housecleaners in Boston who have joined together to form a co-op that makes their own environmentally-friendly and safe cleaning products, and educates other housecleaners as well. The group is called Vida Verde Cooperative.

GELLERMAN: You’re listening to an encore edition of Living on Earth, I’m Bruce Gellerman.

Many of the things we use to wash bathrooms, unblock drains, and make ovens spic and span contain toxic ingredients. Lurking underneath many a kitchen cabinet are chemicals hazardous to your health. For professional cleaners - many of whom are women, and many of them immigrants - daily, repeated exposure can make them sick.

There are safer alternatives. Clean and green are the new watch-words for many household products advertised on TV these days, but getting the word out to non-English speaking workers can be difficult. That’s where a house-cleaning coop in Boston comes in, as Catherine Elton reports.

[SOUND OF WOMEN SPEAKING IN PORTUGESE]

ELTON: In the basement office of the community organization the Brazilian Women’s Group, several Brazilian housecleaners sit around tables and discuss the agenda for an upcoming meeting. The women are part of Vida Verde, a new green cleaning cooperative that began last December.

Monica Chianelli, a housecleaner and the coop’s coordinator, helped launch Vida Verde. She says housecleaning is the number one occupation for the women of Massachusetts’s large Brazilian immigrant community.

CHIANELLI: It’s because the flexibility of the hours and the money, the payment is good.

ELTON: But along with those benefits, coop member Carla de Castro says, came some problems.

CASTRO: I felt a headache all day long and dizzy, and the end of the day you can’t smell anything because you just lost your sensitivity to smell. I can feel better if I stop to use. But I know if I continue to use for months and years, I know it’s going to make me feel very sick.

ELTON: Castro wasn’t the only one feeling this way. Monica Chianelli worked with immigrant activists, interviewing hundreds of Brazilian housecleaners. She heard many complaints like these and about respiratory problems, nose bleeds, fainting and skin rashes. Some of the women said they felt so bad they considered quitting the business.

So Chianelli and the activists started promoting green cleaning products. Their work caught the attention of epidemiologist David Gute of Tufts University. When he received a grant from the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health to study immigrant occupational health issues, a chunk of it went to jumpstart the Vida Verde Cooperative.

GUTE: What we hope to get is a group of coop members who will take seriously the responsibilities of protecting their own health and also protecting, obviously, the environmental heath of the clients homes in which they work. I think that there will be a greater sense of control in their own lives and businesses as a result of this.

ELTON: Research shows there’s a higher incidence of asthma among professional cleaners as compared to other workers. And other studies examine indoor air pollutants that could affect human health. A four-year study recently completed at the University of California Berkeley looked at whether routine use of common cleaning products and air fresheners affect indoor air quality. Researchers studied solvents called glycol ethers - a toxic air contaminant and common ingredient in cleaning products. They also looked at other solvents called terpines. They’re the seemingly innocuous ingredients which give products lemon or pine scent. But terpines can create dangerous formaldehyde when they mix with ozone found in indoor air.

Link

RealAudio for this Story
(Requires RealPlayer)

Air purifier specifically designed for people with MCS

AllerAir Industries now offers people with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) relief from chemicals and particle irritations with the AirMedic MCS, an air purifier with a “special” carbon blend just for us.

This is a good-news-bad-news kind of thing. Good news for people with MCS, but bad news that a company like this sees the economy of scale large enough– many, many people with MCS– to invest in such a specialized product.

Anyway, this new filter sounds interesting. I currently have two HEPA+carbon filters in the house, but the concepts behind this product are worth a closer look for those of us with MCS.

‘One of the biggest challenges for MCS sufferers is finding an air purifier that does not worsen their symptoms because they are sensitive to the unit itself,’ said Sam Teitelbaum, President of AllerAir. ‘The AirMedic MCS is customizable with up to five different carbons, depending on the sensitivities of each individual, and is designed with materials that do not emit troublesome off-gases.’

To customize each unit, a test kit is first provided to each user to determine which of the five carbons is best suited for their specific sensitivities.

‘MCS sufferers need a carbon filter in their air purifier-a HEPA filter simply won’t work,’ said Mr. Teitelbaum. ‘Finding the right carbon is the key to giving MCS sufferers a better quality of life. This is what sets the AirMedic MCS apart from other air purifiers on the market.’

Many MCS sufferers are also sensitive to electromagnetic field (EMF) emissions, so the AirMedic MCS unique design includes a shielded cable, a special feature that virtually eliminates all EMF emissions from the actual cable.

The AirMedic MCS is designed without the use of bonding agents, which can also trigger significant reactions. Other features include a sealed motor, powder-coated carbon canister, a 100% metal casing, and an organic cotton pre-filter. These unique features further contribute to the unit’s inert design.

Link

Link to the AirMedic MCS filter on AllerAir’s website.

Green cleaning in schools reduces health problems

Schools across the country are finally realizing that harsh chemicals in the classroom are affecting the health of kids and teachers. What’s great about this article in Education World is recognition of the rise in numbers of children with chemical sensitivity, also called Multiple Chemical Sensitivity.

And as the number of children diagnosed with asthma and chemical sensitivities continues to increase and research mounts about the importance of indoor air quality, some school leaders are seeking out a new generation of cleaning supplies for their school buildings.

CLEANING GREEN BENEFITS KIDS, STAFF, LEARNING

Decreasing the use of chemical cleaners in schools can reduce the number of health problems among teachers, students, and custodial staff; cut down on absenteeism; and even improve student performance, according to green cleaning advocates.

“The more you do to improve the environment in the buildings, the more you see [performance] improvements,” said Claire L. Barnett, executive director of the Healthy Schools Network and coordinator of the Coalition for Healthier Schools. “Every school district is enrolling more children with health and behavior problems. Kids are more vulnerable to chemicals; when schools take steps to reduce chemicals, they often see behavior and attendance improve.”

The keys to learning, she noted, “may be in custodians’ pockets.”

“Most schools don’t see cleaning as integral to the mission of educating children,” added Steve Ashkin, president of The Ashkin Group, a company devoted to green cleaning. “But I assure you, they are not going to learn if they are getting sick.”

People spend about 90 percent of their time indoors, and indoor air can be between 5 and 100 times more polluted than outdoor air because of the lack of circulation, said Barnett, citing information from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency .

“Most schools use cleaning supplies that can affect teachers and kids,” noted Rochelle Davis, executive director of the Healthy Schools Campaign, advocates for policies and practices that create healthier school environments. “But there is no reason schools shouldn’t be making changes. Green cleaning products are available, effective, and affordable.”

What kinds of cleaning products are used at your child’s school?

Link.

Related links on The Canary Report: Pesticide exposure at school and the greenSCHOOLS program.

Everything you ever wanted to know about mold removal…

…but were afraid to ask.

Danielle Downs at the Farmers’ Almanac writes a well-researched and user-friendly article about mold and mold removal, specifically addressing the toxic molds that can cause or make worse multiple chemical sensitivity in people who are exposed.

Mold comes in every color, texture, and style imaginable. A Mold Test Kit is the only sure way to know what kind of mold is growing. The color and appearance can be difficult to differentiate because of the variety of molds. When the media use the terms “Black Mold” or “Toxic Mold,” they are usually referring to Stachbotrys. Both media terms are misleading, because many molds are black and many molds produce toxins. Further, Stachbotrys is not always black, but is sometime green, gray, or brown, depending upon its food source.

Stachybotrys has the ability to produce mycotoxins that are extremely toxic, suspected carcinogens, and immunosuppressive. Exposure to these mycotoxins can occur through inhalation, ingestion, and dermal exposure. . Long term exposure has shown that Stachybotrys and Chaetomium can destroy the myelin sheath, leading to autoimmune disease. These are the only two fungi that can also be linked to MCS (Multiple Chemical Sensitivity).

Link

Green Label carpeting: Is it a trend?

Carpet company Nourison is offering Green Label products that they say have very little VOCs. I can’t vouch for this product being safe for people with chemical sensitivity, but it sounds interesting.

Green building is no longer a trend; it is a mainstay. Schools, healthcare facilities, businesses and public facilities recognize the benefits of building green, and governmental entities are even passing laws to mandate future green construction of public and private buildings.

Carpet, carpet pads and carpet adhesives contribute to green building in two important ways: helping reduce volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and emissions and contributing to the growing use of recycle content for building materials.

Because people spend about 90 percent of their time indoors, it is important to do everything possible to maintain the quality of indoor air, especially for new construction and renovation.

Link

Here’s info on what the carpet industry is touting as Green Label. I’d really like to see NO VOCs, but this is a move in the right direction.

Today, indoor air quality (IAQ) is an important environmental consideration, especially since we spend approximately 90 percent of our time indoors. In 1992, CRI launched its Green Label program to test carpet, cushions and adhesives to help specifiers identify products with very low emissions of VOCs. CRI has recently launched its next series of improvements called Green Label Plus for carpet and adhesives. This enhanced program sets an even higher standard for IAQ and ensures that customers are purchasing the very lowest emitting products on the market. Using scientifically established standards, the Green Label Plus program symbolizes the carpet industry’s commitment to a better environment for living, working, learning and healing.

Link

Related Canary story on the dangers of toxic carpeting here.

A message from Missy Gluckmann: The fox is watching the hen house

07/08/08

Missy Gluckmann, the former Rockland Community College employee who was disabled by exposure to toxic mold in the building where she worked, has asked me to share this message with you. For background, see previous posts on The Canary Report here, here and here.

From Missy:

Friends,

Please read this link [to today's Journal News article] and see my comment - then can I ask you to please send a quick email that states something along these lines to the Rockland County legislator at legclerk@co.rockland.ny.us:

I am concerned about the safety of employees at Rockland Community College and request that Brucker Hall be closed while testing takes place. In addition, I am very unhappy that the biased county’s attorney is leading the investigation on illnesses in Brucker Hall - I request that a committee that represents all sides, including experts on mold and toxins, be formed to FAIRLY address this investigation and that the findings are swift and publicly released prior to July 30th. Please represent the PEOPLE, not the county’s insurance company! Per well documented reports, mycotoxins can permanently disable people with brain damage, respiratory disease and even cancer. Please act swiftly - lives are at stake.

Thank you for your support!!! Good health to each of you!

Missy

Also see The Canary Report post on dangers of mold following the Mississippi River flooding here.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” Margaret Mead

A little bit safer

07/08/08 Thanks to the hard work of the Sierra Club along with a couple dozen activist groups and thousands of concerned citizens, the EPA will investigate the toxic effects of formaldehyde, a nasty chemical commonly found in building materials like pressed board flooring and kitchen cabinetry. People with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity usually have a very bad reaction to formaldehyde exposure, and some people with MCS claim that a traumatic exposure to the chemical triggered the condition in the first place (see link below to story on the government trailers used to house Katrina victims).

Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope writes Monday:

It sometimes seems to take forever, but when the Sierra Club keeps at it, we can make progress against even the stubborn resistance of government and business to take your safety seriously.

After years of denial, the EPA finally acceded to pressure from the Sierra Club, twenty-four other citizen organizations and 5,000 citizens and agreed to begin a four-part investigation into the toxic impacts of formaldehyde in our homes, schools, and offices. This is the agency’s long-delayed response to the scandal revealed when the Sierra Club’s testing programs revealed that a huge percentage of the trailers being used by the federal government to house victims of hurricane Katrina were poisoning them.

The Canary Report covered the problems with the government trailers used to house Katrina victims here.

Link

Missy kicks ass, forces former employer to fix sick building

I wrote yesterday about Missy Gluckmann, who suffers long term health problems following toxic mold exposure at her former workplace, Rockland Community College in New York. When last we left our heroine in the wee hours last night, she was preparing her testimony to be given at the County Legislature in New City tonight, where she would put pressure on the college to clean up their act and make the building safe for current employees.

Missy, along with her buddy Renee Pereira-Jersey, another employee with health problems caused by mold in the building, also wanted to put pressure on the county legislators themselves to do their job in protecting the health, safety and welfare of the public.

The local NBC affiliate covered the meeting this evening, click on the video above for the report.

Missy emailed me when she got home with the good news about the outcome:

We had a big win at the legislative meeting - the county lawyer pretty quickly spoke to say that the college (as of yesterday) had hired an environmental consulting firm out of PA to advise them on what to do/testing. They “promised to follow the recommendations of this company.”

The legislature has added the topic to a standing committee, so they will follow through and we are making sure that we have the ability to have a 2nd opinion on whatever the findings are.

While the bldg was not closed tonight, there is certainly enough out there for workers to ask to be moved if not feeling well - and hopefully they will advocate for themselves.

Missy is a true environmental warrior, fighting the good fight, even while struggling with serious health issues including breathing problems, rashes, ear pain, sinus issues, confusion, dizziness, numbness, short term memory loss, multiple chemical sensitivity and joint pain, all caused by the toxigenic mold exposure at Rockland.

I cannot express to you how much I admire this woman.

Hats off!

7/4 Update. More on Missy’s health issues here.

Mold at the center of controversy

Melissa Gluckmann of New York is fighting the good fight to get a sick building closed. The building where she started work in 2005 had been found to be contaminated with stachybotrys and other dangerous molds back in 2000 after an employee got very ill. There was a partial attempt to remedy the problem, but the money ran out and no attempt was made to secure more money to continue.

“Reports show all types of molds that were remediated and then show recommendations to avoid future mold, none of which were followed,” she told me in email correspondence today. “I have photos of leaks and water damage, as do others.”

After just two months in the building at Rockland Community College, Melissa tells me she ended up on oxygen, horribly sick. Three months later she suffered rashes, ear pain, sinus issues, confusion, dizziness, numbness, short term memory loss, multiple chemical sensitivity and joint pain. Finally, after tests showed toxigenic mold in her bloodstream, she moved out, eventually leaving the job.

But employees in the building are still getting sick. And so Melissa has taken up the cause to get the building closed — while still struggling herself with respiratory problems and MCS. Tuesday night she and others will again attempt to prompt elected officials to do their job to protect the health, safety and welfare of the public.

The local NBC affiliate picked up the story (vid above, just click on photo):

June 26, 2008 The problem of toxic mold poisoning in Rockland Community College’s offices housed in Brucker Hall was to be the subject of a County Legislature Multi-Services Committee meeting yesterday, but several of the affected employees were denied a chance to speak when the Chairman Philip Soskin, D-Monsey, abruptly canceled the meeting after speaking to an attorney hired by the county Insurance Department.

Since 2007, nine worker’s compensation claims have been filed by employees based on exposure to mold and unidentified toxins. Eight employees, including executive officers, have been moved out of the 171-year-old Alms House that now serves as the college’s administration building.

Legislator Joseph Meyers, D-Airmont, had called for the hearing and was unhappy that the employees were not heard. On Tuesday, July 1st at 8pm, at the regular County Legislative meeting in New City, Melissa Gluckmann, perhaps the most seriously affected employee, will return with others to speak in the public comment portion of the meeting. She has written to her supporters asking them to come out and support her attempt to remove her co-workers still at risk in the building until some remedy for the situation is found.

Stay tuned.

Link, which came from this site.

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