Panel confirms Gulf War Illness caused by toxic chemicals

A congressionally mandated report on Gulf War Illness is released.

Findings of a study just released on Gulf War Illness directly correlate the chemical exposure experienced by soldiers, notably pesticide exposure, to memory and concentration problems, persistent headaches, unexplained fatigue, widespread pain, chronic digestive problems, respiratory symptoms, and skin rashes.

How many of us with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity have stories of being similarly exposed to toxic chemicals resulting in the same chronic symptoms? Do you think anyone will ever mandate a study about us?

WASHINGTON - At least one in four U.S. veterans of the 1991 Gulf War suffers from a multi-symptom illness caused by exposure to toxic chemicals during the conflict, a congressionally mandated report being released Monday found.

For much of the past 17 years, government officials have maintained that these veterans — more than 175,000 out of about 697,000 deployed — are merely suffering the effects of wartime stress, even as more have come forward recently with severe ailments.

“The extensive body of scientific research now available consistently indicates that ‘Gulf War illness’ is real, that it is the result of neurotoxic exposures during Gulf War deployment, and that few veterans have recovered or substantially improved with time,” said the report, being released Monday by a panel of scientists and veterans. A copy was obtained by Cox Newspapers.

Gulf War illness is typically characterized by a combination of memory and concentration problems, persistent headaches, unexplained fatigue and widespread pain. It may also include chronic digestive problems, respiratory symptoms and skin rashes.

Two things the military provided to troops in large quantities to protect them — pesticides and pyridostigmine bromide (PB), aimed at thwarting the effects of nerve gas — are the most likely culprits, the panel found.

[...]

It found that in terms of brain function, exposure to pesticides and the PB pills hurts people’s memory, attention and mood. Some people, it notes, are genetically more susceptible to exposures than others.

[...]

To ward off swarms of sand flies in Kuwait City and the eastern Saudi province of Dhahran, Hardie said trucks would come through at 3 a.m. and spray “clouds” of pesticides.

Fly strips that smelled toxic hung “everywhere,” especially near food. “The pesticide use was far and away (more) than what you’d see in daily life,” he said.

Several soldiers interviewed said they were ordered to dunk their uniforms in the pesticide DEET and to spray pesticide routinely on exposed skin and in their boots to ward off scorpions. Others wore pet flea collars around their ankles.

The federal panel added that it also could not rule out an association between Gulf War illness and the prolonged exposure to oil fires, as well as low-level exposures to nerve agents, injections of many vaccines and combinations of neurotoxic exposures.

Link to full story at Rome News-Tribune, well worth the read.

Photo by Lietmotiv: Oil well fires rage outside Kuwait City in the aftermath of Operation Desert Storm. The wells were set on fire by Iraqi forces before they were ousted from the region by coalition force.

Canary’s Cry for Sunday, Nov. 16

In light of the recent fires in California, The New York Times says “In Fighting Wildfires, People Concerned About Chemicals.” The concern is about the fire retardant dropped from planes. “Yet while many residents praise — and even demand — the use of retardant to protect their homes and neighborhoods, the potent mix of chemicals in the most common type can leave scars of its own, hurting watersheds and the fish and other animals that live in them. Increasing concerns over retardant are prompting opposition to its use in certain situations and further stirring the debate in the West over how much is too much when it comes to fighting wildfires.”

DelawareOnline reports on “Study: Steel mill dust may be toxic.” A preliminary report measuring specific air pollutants near the Claymont Steel mill confirms what some residents have long suspected: Metallic soot that settles every day on cars, windows and porches might be hazardous to their health.

The Canton Rep says “Outdoor wood burners raise a stink.” Legislation that would severely restrict, essentially banning, outdoor wood-burning appliances is expected to get a vote at Monday night’s City Council meeting. Councilman James Griffin, D-3, introduced the legislation in an effort to help deal with what he considers a neighborhood nuisance — smoke coming from an outdoor wood-burning appliance at 336 Arlington Ave. NW. Griffin said he also wants to prevent more of the outdoor furnaces from cropping up throughout the city.

The New York Times has a report on “Exxon, making the case for oil.” Exxon has moved away from its extreme position debunking CO2 emissions as the cause of climate change and has stopped financing climate skeptics this year. One of Exxon’s ads says the company aims to provide energy “with dramatically lower CO2 emissions.” Yet even though the company acknowledges that climate change is a risk to the world, it dismisses most green alternatives and continues with hydrocarbons. The report says, “Ultimately, the biggest test for Exxon’s long-term business model is the fact that rising energy use — whether in the United States or in China — will eventually have to be reconciled with reducing carbon emissions and finding low-carbon energy sources.”

JS Online says “BPA leaches from ’safe’ products.”

Products marketed for infants or billed as “microwave safe” release toxic doses of the chemical bisphenol A when heated, an analysis by the Journal Sentinel has found.

The newspaper had the containers of 10 items tested in a lab - products that were heated in a microwave or conventional oven. Bisphenol A, or BPA [link added], was found to be leaching from all of them.

The amounts detected were at levels that scientists have found cause neurological and developmental damage in laboratory animals. The problems include genital defects, behavioral changes and abnormal development of mammary glands. The changes to the mammary glands were identical to those observed in women at higher risk for breast cancer.

The newspaper’s test results raise new questions about the chemical and the safety of an entire inventory of plastic products labeled as “microwave safe.” BPA is a key ingredient in common household plastics, including baby bottles and storage containers. It has been found in 93% of Americans tested.

For the Exxon and BPA stories: Thanks, Linda!

Photo by Kevitivity.

HELP! How can I get ozone out of my house?

I received an emergency question in my email this morning from one of our flock. Who can help?

Does anyone know how to get ozone (from sanitizing/ionizing) out of your house?  Will opening the windows do it permanently? (it didn’t yesterday)  Is there a charcoal treatment?  If so…what form does that come in?  Anything else you can think of?  ..I’m horribly ill.

Hoping to get responses quickly - I’m not tolerating the house, just got back yesterday, working at finding way to stay….  The new furnace filter (the big hope solution) creates ozone as well, but not to the degree that we created in sanitizing it from the furnace installer.  Tell me anything you know, even if what you tell me is bad (ie: someone got ozone in their home and couldn’t remove it).  I just need to know how hard to keep trying tolerating this.

Thank you my excellent friends…thank you.
C

Aerial spraying in California put public at risk

In the Open Forum at SF Gate, Mike Lynberg writes that “Aerial pesticide spraying put people at risk.”

Lynberg is referring to the spraying that occured in the fall of 2007 when the State of California sprayed pesticides over Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties to control the potentially invasive Light Brown Apple Moth (LBAM). Thousands of Californians participated in a grass roots effort called Stop the Spray, and asked Governor Schwarzenegger to investigate the health complaints and end the LBAM Eradication Program. And in June 2008, the State announced a moratorium on aerial spray of urban areas. However, according to the Stop the Spray website, the LBAM Eradication Program still continues with the use of controversial toxic ground treatments and aerial pesticide spray of rural/mountainous areas.

Writes Lynberg:

The state’s long-awaited report on the human health risks of aerial pesticide spraying for the light brown apple moth was released last week. The report says what thousands of outraged people from Monterey to Marin County had feared: the product sprayed put some people at risk.

“We cannot exclude the possibility that one or more ingredients in the LBAM product could cause an allergic response in sensitive individuals,” reads the report, issued by the Department of Pesticide Regulation, the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, and the Department of Public Health.

The report acknowledges that some of the ailments suffered by people in the Monterey and Santa Cruz areas - namely asthma and reactive airway disease - “may be associated with exposure to a sensitizer or allergen.”

[...]

Seventy-four doctors filed pesticide illness reports. Several people ended up in emergency rooms.

There is more in the new report to validate the outrage many people felt about aerial spraying. State agencies now say there is a “paucity of data” on long-term exposure to the pesticides. Lab animals were tested for very short periods of time, whereas people in the Monterey and Santa Cruz areas were exposed to chemicals that persisted in the air for 30 to 60 days.

The report also admits that laboratory tests on a small number of animals might not be an adequate predictor of human health effects when large numbers of people - with different levels of sensitivity - are exposed to a pesticide.

Link

Photo from VeganReader.com.

Canary’s Cry for Wednesday, Nov. 12

Salon tackles the Bush Administration’s policy on environmental protection with “The EPA’s Stalin Era.” The highly critical essay by Rebecca Clarren says: As a coalition of more than 40 national and local environmental organizations put it in a letter to EPA administrators this past April: “EPA, under pressure from the Bush White House, has given the foxes the keys to the environmental protection henhouse.” (Thanks Eloise and Will!)

ABC News in Chicago finds problems at the post office. Those of us with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity know that mail is toxic, right? We get sick when we go into post offices and we dread having to sort through our own mail not knowing whether or not we’re going to get knocked on our butt by some toxic chemical embedded in the paper. Miss Molly, one of our flock over at I Learned Something Today, found yet another story about something that can kill you– this time it’s the air inside U.S. postal service hubs. From ABC News in Chicago, “Sorting Through a Sickness,” (click on link to see video):

Nationwide, hundreds of postal employees say they’re ill with what they call severe, mysterious, respiratory problems. Many of them are right here in the Chicago area.

Current and former postal workers blame paper dust inside the post offices. The last government studies on postal dust were ten years ago. The U.S.P.S says the science can’t verify their theory. That’s not acceptable for people who say they’re “sorting through a sickness.”

“I do believe that my life is going to be shortened,” says former postal employee Delphine Howard. She and other former US postal workers in the Chicago area say they’re all fighting chronic respiratory illness. Their medical records reflect their claims. They all say they’ve never smoked.

“I began to have breathing problems, asthma symptoms ,bronchitis,” said former employee Betty Booker.

Sandra Sutton echoed that, saying, “I turn asthmatic and it shuts my lungs down.”

More than 450 employees and former employees on a petition to occupational health officials and postal unions blame health concerns on paper dust fibers inside post offices. Several are fighting for health benefits.

[...]

Postal workers continue to fight for more studies.

As for people on the petition who have since passed away, some of their family members still blame the post office work environment and postal dust. Dr. Oliver says that would be a rare instance, but studies do show that postal dust does contain volatile organic compounds from ink jet printers, which can be harmful. [My emphasis added because to this VOC finding I say: D'oh.]

Health reports “Both Indoor and Outdoor Pollutants Linked to Heart Problems” :

Inhaling air pollution during your daily routine—both inside and outside your home—appears to cause a small rise in blood pressure and have an impact on blood vessel function, according to a study presented at the American Heart Association meeting in New Orleans.

These short-term changes may help explain why long-term exposure to air pollution is linked to a greater risk of heart attack and death due to heart disease.

The researchers looked specifically at particulate matter, a type of air pollution that is smaller than 2.5 microns. (A human hair, by comparison, has a diameter of about 100 microns.) These tiny particles can be inhaled deep in the lungs and are more dangerous than larger particles, which tend to be trapped in the nose or upper airways and sneezed or coughed out of the body.

We’re toxic “from womb to tomb”

There’s an excellent story by Simran Sethi at The Huffington Post on toxic chemicals found in everyday household products making their way into our bodies. Featured is information from the Environmental Working Group on studies showing hundreds of chemicals in the umbilical cord blood of newborns. The full story is laced with links to more information. Note that all the products mentioned as toxic are the same products to which people with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity have bad reactions from low level exposure.

Here’s an excerpt from Sethi’s report:

We can thank WWII for inventions like SPAM, plastic wrap, and modern-day chemical cleaning products. When hostilities ended, the same companies that had been manufacturing chemicals for nerve gas and other weapons began to bottle their concoctions for the general public, who used them to disinfect their homes. Sixty years later, Mr. Clean may seem well intentioned, but a toxic chemical is still a toxic chemical, no matter how diluted or how many “Danger! Do not swallow” warnings a bottle is branded with. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires that household chemicals label info on poison control and toxicity, but doesn’t mandate ingredient disclosure. We each have our own allergies and sensitivities, so what may be deemed “safe” for one person may be harmful for another.

Kids are among the most vulnerable peeps. Children under the age of six are more likely to die from ingesting dish soap than any other product in the home. Luckily, most of us ingest or inhale dish soap residue in doses much too small to be lethal, but the chemicals are still having an effect. Women who work at home are 54% more likely to die from cancer, because of a higher exposure to household cleaning products. And the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined that indoor air quality may be twice as polluted as outdoor air.

Environmental Working Group (EWG) has found that everyday products like dish soap and laundry detergent are polluting our air and our bloodstreams with toxic chemicals linked to cancer, infertility, and stunted development. You’re probably thinking sure, you’re fill-in-the-blank age, you’ve been exposed to a lot in your short/long life. But here’s the kicker: we’re toxic from womb to tomb. A recent EWG study tested the umbilical chord blood of 10 unborn babies, and found a total of 287 toxic chemicals, an average of 200 per fetus. (You can find out more in the accompanying video.) The chems in babies included 28 waste by-products, 47 consumer products like Teflon and Scotch Guard, and 212 industrial chemicals and pesticides (such as PCBs and DDT) that were already banned more than 30 years ago. Our newborns are coming into the world with a heavy “body burden” of toxins that will impact their health and development.

Link to full story and video at The Huffington Post.

Link to more videos on the topic of chemicals and children from a conference sponsored by Seventh Generation.

Photo by Brittany Bush.

Five green Obama dreams from Zaproot

From Zaproot.

Yes, we can change. Obama wins the presidential election and here are our top 5 green dreams for 2009. Zero Pollutions Motors creates the car of the future, and it runs on air. And, check out the latest in Green Gadgets.

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

Synthetic chemical carpet cleaning products are not safe

Safe housing is a huge problem for people with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. I received a distressing email from Ruth this evening. Ruth is one of our flock, who lives in an apartment building and earlier in the week was looking for alternative nontoxic air fresheners and carpet cleaning products to suggest to her landlady for use in the common areas. I wrote a post about it on Monday.

Ruth had been assured by her landlady that the commercial carpet cleaners, who were scheduled to come clean the carpets in the common areas, would not use fragrance in their products. But evidently that didn’t mean they were going to use eco-friendly nontoxic products. Ruth returned to her apartment building this evening to find the place a mess of toxic fumes from the products they used to clean the carpets. She felt sick and stressed, retiring to her apartment, which luckily is a safe place for her.

This is another story of how people just do not understand that the chemicals in commercial carpet cleaning products are highly toxic. It’s so hard for those of us with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity to be heard! And the fact is, while people who are not as sensitive as we are may not feel pronounced symptoms to exposure, they are in fact also being exposed to toxic chemicals.

Look at what CHEC Healthe House, a site dedicated to environmental health risks affecting children, has to say about carpet cleaners:

Like other cleaners, carpet cleaners may contain toxic ingredients, some of which are not listed on labels because they are considered “proprietary” or “trade secrets”.

Some carpet cleaners–especially spot removers–can be particularly dangerous, because they contain chemical solvents similar to those used by dry cleaners. These chemicals dissolve dirt without soap and water, but give off strong odors. Other potentially problematic ingredients in carpet cleaners include other compounds that produce lots of fumes (like formaldehyde), acids, pesticides, disinfectants, lye (sodium hydroxide), fragrances and many others.

Fabric and carpet stain repellents or “guards” may contain plastics and other potentially dangerous ingredients. The key ingredient in 3M’s popular Scotchgard® line of products, perfluoro-octane sulfonate (PFOS), was once portrayed as chemically inert, but recent research shows that it is a persistent organic pollutant (POP). PFOS, a suspected hormone disruptor, accumulates in the environment and the tissue of animals and humans. Despite ample evidence of PFOS’s persistence, 3M kept it on the market for 40 years. In spring 2000, 3M announced it would phase out PFOS products by the year 2002. The safety of another perfluorinated compound, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), the main ingredient in Teflon®, which is used to coat non-stick pans and in fabric protectors, is currently under investigation.

During application and while drying, the chemicals in carpet cleaners and protectors evaporate and may concentrate in the air, causing indoor air pollution. This is more likely if the room is not well ventilated, the weather is hot and humid or the room is damp. Indoor air pollution can cause headaches, irritation to eyes, nose and lungs, asthma attacks, congestion, sneezing, coughing, fatigue, nausea and other symptoms.

There is some speculation that there is a link between carpet cleaners and Kawasaki Disease, though there is limited evidence to support this. Long-term exposures may increase the risks for chronic diseases, such as heart disease and cancer, depending on the chemicals involved.

Carpet shampoos usually leave a sticky residue on carpet fibers. The residue is usually hard to see or feel–though it can make carpets feel rougher and you may be able to smell it. Not only does the residue attract and latch onto dirt, but children, who crawl and play on carpets, can inhale these residues and get them on their hands, which often go into their mouths.

Dry shampoos, powders and foams may also linger on carpet fibers. These products generally contain solvents and detergents that must be applied for a specific period of time, then vacuumed to remove the cleaning product. A residue may be left behind or the product may sink deep enough into carpets to avoid being pulled out by the vacuum cleaner. Powders or dusts are easily inhaled and may irritate airways and cause asthma attacks. In fact, anti-dust-mite carpet treatments sometimes contain tannic acid or benzyl benzoate, both of which are skin, eye and respiratory irritants. Deodorizing powders often contain fragrances that irritate asthmatic lungs as well.

To remove shampoo residue from your carpet, see How to Keep Carpets Clean without Dangerous Chemicals. CHEC recommends that children stay out of the house for at least four hours after carpets have been cleaned by any method. This can help reduce the risk of Kawasaki Disease, which may be linked to carpet cleaning.

Dangerous Chemicals Found in Some Carpet Cleaners

Solvents
Butoxyethanol and other glycol ethers
Tetrachloroethylene
Perchloroethylene

Acids and other corrosive chemicals
Hydroxyacetic acid
Hydrofluoric acid
Nitrilotriacetic acid
Sodium hydroxide
Sodium carbonate

Mildewcides and Disinfectants
Tributyl tin
Formaldehyde
Phenol

Other chemicals
Butane, propane and isobutanes (aerosol propellants)
Dibutyl phthalate
Nonylphenol ethoxylate (surfactant)
Octylphenol ethoxylate (surfactant)

You can find out if a carpet cleaning product you use or are considering contains any of these ingredients on the Household Products Database, produced by the National Institutes of Health. You can also search by ingredient.

Ruth, We all hope you are doing okay. Keep us posted. Aloha, Susie

Photo by Pomme Granny.

The hunt for nontoxic air fresheners and carpet cleaning

I worked on a question today from Ruth (at left), one of our flock with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, who emailed me about two problems she’s having in her apartment building. The first problem is about the toxic air fresheners used in the common areas, and the second is the landlady’s plans to have the hallway carpets professionally cleaned.

In Ruth’s first email, I could feel her frustration:

…after speaking with the assistant manager and the land lord late last week, they have decided that they would just remove one of the gel type fresheners…the one that is in the main entry that I come in from my car in the parking lot….they said that there are just too many odors in the building coming out of people’s apartments, so it is necessary for them to use these. They thought of other things (those perfume mounts on the walls that spritz out fragrance periodically, like in the nursing homes…that is one of the reasons I am not working now!) and they came up with having the hall rugs cleaned….I asked that they not use fragrance in the solution…they can’t honor that because the rugs are so dirty and stinky…thus they “have to use it.”

They asked me if I knew of an alternative….I thought perhaps there was an essential oil air freshener (solid?) that could be placed in the hallway instead, but have not found anything…

Luckily, Ruth’s landlady is open to alternative solutions. While I was researching air fresheners, Ruth emailed me with an update on the carpets:

The carpet cleaners are scheduled to come on Thursday, the 6th, and they will do just the halls. I spoke with my land lady just now, and she said she called them right away after I spoke with her the other day, explained my situation to them and they understood that there should be no fragrance used. It is a dry type of cleaning that they do, apparently…they don’t use water. Not sure what that is about. But it sounds like she did her best to let them know about  my issue with fragrance. So we will see what happens.

I was so happy to hear this! What I was most impressed with was the way Ruth got proactive, went to speak to her landlady. Brava, Ruth!

Meanwhile, I asked my Twitter community (an online social network) about any suggestions for nontoxic air fresheners. I received many suggestions, some ideas more suitable for home use than for an apartment building, but they are all good ideas. As always, people with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity should be very careful when using any product; what might work for one person might be problematic for another.

Allie at Allie’s Answers recommends the Everyday Stain & Odor Remover from Earth Friendly Products. Is there a canary out there who has tried this product? Please give us your thoughts in the comment section.

Of the rest of the suggestions, some involve natural scents, which may or may not work for people with MCS.

Adonya Wong at Healing… Through the Eyes of Autism says she uses “Pure Citrus Orange by North American, it’s 100% natural & non aerosol. If the halls are carpeted, sprinkle baking soda on it. If not, mop with vinegar & water. Great odor fighters. Or dab your fave essential oil on a cotton ball & ‘hide’ it in several places.”

Recycle Your Day says, “We use Uni-Fresh, Air Freshner, Lavendar Scent by Earth Friendly Products - non toxic!” Lavendar is one of the very few natural scents that I can tolerate.

Two true Earth mamas recommend herbs straight from the garden. Arwen at Musings on the Tarot recommends fresh rosemary and sage (I grow both in my garden and LOVE them!), or DIY air fresheners with essential oil and distilled water. And Rose at A Little Bit of Green suggests fresh eucalyptus, which she says she’s always loved from her father’s floral shop, but would not work for me personally because I have a bad reaction to eucalyptus and other menthol type botanicals (up my nose and in my eyes!).

And in my hunt, I found natural Aromatherapy Refreshing Sprays at Vermont Soap Organics.

Your thoughts?

Photo from Ruth. Used with permission.

UPDATE!!!: Leslie, aka La Mama Naturale, at Recycle Your Day, has found just what we are looking for! It’s a nontoxic air freshener made my Method: no phthalates, in a container that 80% recycled paper, lavender scent (which as I noted is a botanical that I can tolerate).

I need to confess that the Method product was suggested on Twitter yesterday by the nice folks at Aquatic Eco-Systems, but I couldn’t find the link to the Method website to check the ingredients. And now we know! Yep, nontoxic!!

High level of toxic pesticide found in homes

Here’s yet another reason to go organic with your pesticides, use HEPA vacuums and air filters (and use them frequently), and remove your shoes before entering your home so as not to track toxic substances in from outside sources.

By the way, as the report below suggests, I use a boric acid and powdered sugar mix (50-50) for cockroaches and ants in the house, and diatomaceous earth for flies and mites in the chicken coops, all with great results.

(Beyond Pesticides, November 3, 2008) A new study, Pyrethroid pesticides and their metabolites in vacuum cleaner dust collected from homes and day-care centers (doi:10.1016/j.envres.2008.07.022), by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) National Exposure Research Laboratory finds concentrations of 13 synthetic pyrethroids and their degradates in indoor dust collected from homes and childcare centers in North Carolina and Ohio. The study results show the extent to which hazardous pesticides are present in indoor environments and threaten the public’s health, especially the health of children. With 85 vacuum cleaner bags analyzed, permethrin was present in all 85 dust samples, at least one pyrethroid pesticide was found in 69 samples and phenothrin was found in 36 samples.

[...]

Children are especially sensitive to the effects of permethrin and other synthetic pyrethroids. A study found that permethrin is almost five times more toxic to eight-day-old rats than to adult rats due to incomplete development of the enzymes that break down pyrethroids in the liver. Additionally, studies on newborn mice have shown that permethrin may inhibit neonatal brain development.

Although synthetic pyrethroids are often seen as safe alternatives to organophosphate insecticides, this study clearly demonstrates that when these chemicals are applied in houses, they do not disappear. Moreover, they are making their way into human bodies at alarming rates. At the same time, there are clear established methods for managing homes and schools that prevent infestation of unwanted insects without the use of synthetic chemicals, including exclusion techniques, sanitation and maintenance practices, as well as mechanical and least toxic controls (which include boric acid and diatomaceous earth). Based on the host of health effects linked to this chemical class, synthetic pyrethroid use in the home is hazardous and unnecessary.

Link to full release from Beyond Pesticides.

Photo by oneparticularwave.

Who’s chirping about Multiple Chemical Sensitivity today?

Glenda at Writing Stories About Real People, an eclectic blog chock full of interesting topics, writes about a tough week with her chemical sensitivity. In her post entitled “Indoor pollution is killing me!” she says:

This week, although I’ve gone as green as possible in my house, we are having a renovation done and after the plumber had come to put in the pipes for the washing machine, I had the worst attack I’ve had in many years. Turns out it was the glue used on the PVC piping. The harsh chemicals took my breath and I had to go outside to breath[e]. We closed off the new laundry room, placed an air filter machine in the living area but I had to retire to my little cubby hole of a room with my own air cleaner which runs day and night, close my door and hibernate.

The Windsor Star talks to Susan Jasper, vice-president of the Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/ Fibromyalgia Society of Alberta (ME/FM), who has fibromyalgia.

Q: How are ME/CFS [Chronic Fatigue Syndrome], fibromyalgia and multiple chemical sensitivity related?

A: They are all distinct, but the reason we lump them together is we think they’re environmentally linked, in the sense that people are affected by their environments more than (with) other conditions. Usually ME/CFS is post-viral, while fibromyalgia is more commonly related to physical trauma, like a motor vehicle accident or a multiple head and neck trauma, and then the pain spreads. Multiple chemical sensitivity can start on its own, for example if you have a history of being in a sick building, where there’s little ventilation and chemicals from the office such as toner or paint. It starts as an exposure problem that generalizes.

MCS America posts an informational flyer on the Quick Environmental Exposure and Assessment Inventory, a standardized questionnaire developed by Dr. Claudia Miller that assists researchers and clinicians when evaluating patients for chemical sensitivity.  It measures exposure levels and symptom severity and estimates the life impact of a chemical injury.

Canary’s Cry for Friday, Oct. 31

Oh the horror:

The Canary is screaming her head off about The Washington Post report on the Bush Administration making “A Last Push to Deregulate,” which will result in the easing of many environmental rules including clean air protection. The Post says, “Those and other regulations would help clear obstacles to some commercial ocean-fishing activities, ease controls on emissions of pollutants that contribute to global warming, relax drinking-water standards and lift a key restriction on mountaintop coal mining.”  The Post also says, “The burst of activity has made this a busy period for lobbyists who fear that industry views will hold less sway after the elections.”

ChicoER.com reports that school officials had to close two portable library buildings in Hamilton, California, due to mold growth. Officials didn’t know whether the library books will have to be cleaned or destroyed.

The Press Enterprise, in “Cement dust harmful, suit says,” reports on a lawsuit filed on behalf of 268 people who allege they’ve been harmed by hexavalent chromium emissions from the TXI Riverside Cement Co. plant just north of Riverside, California. Attorneys for the plaintiffs are working with Erin Brockovich-Ellis, the legal researcher made famous by the 2000 movie “Erin Brockovich.” The lawsuit filed by the Westlake Village firm of Masry & Vititoe claims the plaintiffs — people who lived or worked near the plant — have suffered from unspecified types of cancer, kidney and liver injuries, upper airway and skin irritations as well as emotional duress.

EPA weakens pesticide standard at request of manufacturer

Environmental Protection Agency’s action at behest of manufacturer could double human exposure to food contaminant linked to asthma, infertility

Think the EPA is looking out for your health? Think again. Here’s a press release from the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit research organization. Click on Skin Deep graphic for more info on the chemical benzalkonium chloride.

OAKLAND, CA - At the request of a single manufacturer - Edwards-Councilor Co., Inc. of Virginia Beach, VA - the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has weakened federal safety standards for a toxic chemical that is used in a broad range of cleaners and other consumer products that come in regular contact with food.

The chemical in question - alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride, or ADBAC - is a pesticide and antimicrobial agent that is suspected of causing asthma and reproductive system damage. Products containing this chemical are regularly used to sterilize surfaces and utensils used during food preparation. Residues that remain can accumulate in food and be consumed by unwitting diners.

“EPA should not give a free pass to this potent chemical, given its widespread use in commercial and consumer products, and growing concerns about its adverse impacts to human health and the environment,” says Environmental Working Group scientist Rebecca Sutton, Ph.D.

This toxic antimicrobial is a type of benzalkonium chloride, a class of antimicrobial chemicals used in a broad range of cleaning products and at least 207 personal care products, where it is completely unregulated,according to an EWG analysis. EPA’s action, effective Oct. 20, has rolled back a key federal safety standard in place to reduce consumers’ risks.

Reviews of available toxicological and epidemiological research on ADBAC and other quaternary ammonium compounds, or QACs, reveal substantial data gaps and significant cause for concern regarding impacts to human health and the environment. As EPA eased food safety standards for this particular pesticide, it neglected to consider evidence that ADBAC and other QACs may be reproductive and genetic toxicants. In addition, studies on people and lab animals have linked these compounds to increased risk of asthma.

In an interview in the leading scientific journal Nature in June of 2008, Washington State University scientist Dr. Patricia Hunt says she observed a severe decline in the fertility of her lab mouse population after moving her lab from Case Western University in Cleveland, OH to Pullman, WA. The culprit: the disinfectant Virex, that contains ADBAC and other QACs, and which was used to clean the mouse cages in the new animal facility.

Widespread use in hospitals of disinfectants containing ADBAC and QACs is believed to be one of the primary reasons asthma is on the rise among health care workers. A recent survey of 3,650 health care workers in Texas found that the likelihood that these workers developed asthma during their careers doubled if they performed general cleaning of surfaces.

“EPA’s action to remove these safety standards at the behest of a single company goes against the Agency’s own mission ‘to protect human health and the environment’,” Sutton said. “EPA’s acquiescence to Edwards-Councilor will increase human exposures to this toxic chemical, and may lead to more cases of asthma and infertility among Americans.”

Dr. Sutton’s entire letter to EPA can be found here.

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Environmental Working Group is a nonprofit research organization based in Washington, DC that uses the power of information to protect human health and the environment.

Link

Thanks, Ruth!

Mommie blogger tackles toxic home products

Alison (at left with family), an excellent “mommie blogger” at GreenMe.vg, wrote this week on using nontoxic products in the home. It’s a fabulous post! Those of us with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity are always very excited to see the topic of toxic home products recognized and discussed within the green mommie blogosphere; green mommies are the savviest consumers around, they know their stuff!

I love Alison’s suggestions for nontoxic products, and she includes a very smart warning about not trusting the “green” label, which has no standard guidelines whatsoever.

…the lung is a working organ and the only way for humans to get oxygen into our blood stream. Every time we inhale a chemical irritant we damage our lungs. Enough damage and the lungs start to lose their ability to repair themselves. Furthermore airborne irritants and toxins can aggravate the lungs for folks who already have breathing problems, such as asthma, even worse they can induce asthma in folks who were previously not at risk. Smoking may be the most common cause of lung cancer but it is not the only cause.

According to research collected by the EcoMom Alliance over 150 toxic chemicals are common to the average household. What is really bad news, is that many of these chemicals have been connected to increased incidence of asthma, allergies, cancers, and behavioral disorders.

Link to Alison’s whole post for chemicals to avoid, nontoxic replacements, and info on the “green” label. Brava, Alison!

Canary’s Cry for Wednesday, Oct. 29

The Washington Post reports that the FDA’s ruling on BPA was flawed (surprise, surprise). The Posts says, “The Food and Drug Administration ignored scientific evidence and used flawed methods when it determined that a chemical widely used in baby bottles and in the lining of cans is not harmful, a scientific advisory panel has found.” Basically, the FDA ignored the mounting scientific data showing bisphenol A (BPA) is a danger to health and instead relied on industry-funded studies that concluded it’s safe.

ExMaxHealth reports on “Bug Bombs Linked to Illness.”

State health officials have documented dozens of cases of illness or injury from exposure to bug bombs or insect foggers in Washington in the past three years. Many people don’t know that these products can be a health risk, especially if directions aren’t followed.

Between 2005 and 2007, the Washington Poison Center received 256 reports of people who had symptoms after bug bomb exposure. The Department of Health, which typically documents only the cases reported to the center that seek medical attention, attributed 47 illnesses and injuries associated with bug bombs in the same period.

Medical News Today reports that “Tobacco Abuse by US Troops in Iraq Twice National Average.”

The prevalence of tobacco use by US military deployed to Iraq is more than twice the national average. Researcher Michael A. Wilson of the United States Navy surveyed 408 Marines and sailors deployed in Iraq to assess the prevalence of tobacco abuse and usage patterns related to service. Overall, 260 (64 percent) of the Marines and sailors surveyed used some form of tobacco. Of those, 213 (52 percent) smoked cigarettes, 145 (36 percent) used smokeless tobacco (dip, chew), and 98 (24 percent) used both. For all tobacco abusers, 74 percent expressed a desire to quit using tobacco. Researchers conclude that the prevalence of tobacco abuse during deployment to Iraq is significantly higher than the national average of 29.6 percent reported in a 2006 national survey. The rate of usage also was higher than the 38.9 percent reported for troops returning from Iraq, based on a 2004 survey.

Science News says that “Farm Chemicals Can Indirectly Hammer Frogs.” “Atrazine, the second-most widely used agricultural pesticide in America, can pose a toxic double whammy to tadpoles. The weed killer not only increases the likelihood that massive concentrations of flatworms will thrive in the amphibians’ ponds, a new study reports, but also diminishes the ability of larval frogs to fight infection with these parasites.

Photo by The Facey Family

Tainted candy alert

White Rabbit Creamy Candy, Koala’s March Crème filled Cookies, and Sherwood Brands Pirate’s Gold Milk Chocolate Coins may contain melamine.

I used to eat White Rabbit Creamy Candy as a kid, it’s a local favorite, so this melamine scare is a little creepy to me. Here’s some info from an email I received from momsrising.org:

We want to give you a heads up about some Halloween candy that could be bad for kids: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning consumers not to consume White Rabbit Creamy Candy or Koala’s March Crème filled Cookies because they may contain melamine. (1)  And, the Canadian government is warning the public not to consume Sherwood Brands Pirate’s Gold Milk Chocolate Coins, which may also have reached the U.S. (2)

What’s wrong with these candies? You’ve likely heard about the dangerous chemical, melamine, which was recently found in the Chinese milk supply and sickened thousands of children in China.  We’ve now seen reports that melamine tainted milk has been used in some Chinese candy products that have been shipped to the United States. (3)

The good news is that Chinese candy makes up only 0.7% of the candy sold in the U.S. (4) and the risk of serious harm from minor exposure to melamine is considered low by the World Health Organization (5). That said, we wanted to send this out to you because we don’t want our kids eating candy with any toxic ingredients.

*Please forward this email to friends, family, and your school email list so all can be on the lookout for this tainted candy on Halloween.  (And, if you’re not already a member of MomsRising, please sign on now so we can keep you informed: http://www.momsrising.org/fighttoxins)

MomsRising has created a page where you can easily share this information with friends, as well as see pictures of the tainted candies, get more information, and download a flyer that you can post on your school or other community bulletin boards.

See the Tainted Candy Pictures, Get the Flyer & Tell Friends Here:

http://www.momsrising.org/melamine

Enjoy a safe and happy Halloween,

Joan, Kristin, Katie and the MomsRising.org Team

1. http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/melamine.html

2. Here’s the Canadian government’s warning:

http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/corpaffr/recarapp/2008/20081008e.shtml

The Vancouver Globe and Mail:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081028.wlhalloween28/BNStory/lifeFamily/home

And an article in the Chicago Tribune:

http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/features_julieshealthclub/2008/10/chocolate-coins.html

3. From Consumer Reports:

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2008/10/chinese_formula07.html,

Candy problem verified on Snopes: http://www.snopes.com/food/warnings/coins.asp

4. http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-09-24-melamine-china_N.htm

5. “Consumers exposed to tiny amounts of melamine shouldn’t worry, says Angelika Tritscher of the World Health Organization. ‘Melamine at low doses is actually not considered to be very toxic.’” Quote from: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-09-24-melamine-china_N.htm

And some recent press coverage:

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/story.html?id=868904

http://www.sltrib.com/sports/ci_10626959

Erin Brockovich investigates brain tumor cluster

Erin Brockovich, the environmental activist portrayed by Julia Roberts in an Oscar-winning movie, met with people in Cameron Monday night. KMBC-News clip:

Report at MyCameronNews.com:

Brockovich speaks to Cameron residents concerned about brain tumors

Approximately 200 Residents of Cameron, Mo. gathered in the gymnasium of the Cameron High School in the hopes that community activist Erin Brockovich would lead them to answers. After feeling unsatisfied with answers from government agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency, Missouri Department of Health, the Center for Disease Control and the Department of Natural Resources who stated that the number of brain tumors in the area were below statistical rates, Brockovich was welcomed with open arms in hopes of finding a reason for the community’s recent health scare.

Brockovich opened her town hall meeting by stating, “I won’t have all of the answers you are looking for tonight. It will take a long time to find out what is causing the problem here. But I can say that I am very uncomfortable with what I am learning.”

Link to full story at MyCameronNews.

Breast cancer survivor battles pesticide overspray

OMG, look at what this poor couple has to put up with! And the husband says his wife is chemically sensitive (I think the plea below is written by the wife). I feel so sorry for these people! If this is happening to you, you need to call the authorities, call the cops, call your local pesticide control authorities. Find out what the law in your state says about overspray and then take action. No one should have to put up with this!

HELP! Our neighbor values a green lawn more than a life! They constantly have their yard, trees and shrubs sprayed with pesticides. Pesticides that are on the EPA’s list of endocrine disruptors.

We have a pesticide free yard and organic garden. Every month, we have to cover my garden and fruit trees to keep the lawn care company from over-spraying onto our garden and fruit trees. This last time, I caught them spraying full blast and it coming through the fence that clearly divides our property lines. I stopped them just short of spraying my honeysuckle vines that cascade over the fence.

They know I am pesticide sensitive and am trying to keep the spray off my yard. The lawn care company boasts they have the right to do this!!! And that they can spray anything that is on the neighbor’s side of the fence and that our concern for over-spray is not substantiated. They are saying I do not have the right to a pesticide-free yard!!!

We must go cry out to our city, county, state and federal governments to get over-spraying to be illegal. Every homeowner in America should have the right to NOT HAVE HARMFUL CHEMICALS SPRAYED ON THEIR LAWNS VIA THEIR NEIGHBOR! Help me start this fight! After all, the tomato you pick from your organic garden may have the pesticides from your neighbor on it. Do you feel safe feeding it to your children?

Contact the Governor of Colorado, Bill Ritter and tell him Bev Veals wants Residential Pesticide Use Guidelines! I am a 9-year, two-time, advanced stage breast cancer survivor. PLEASE HELP ME OUT!!! E-mail: beepesticidefree@mac.com

Link

UPDATE: Drat! Their email beepesticidefree@mac.com is not working, the email I sent them was rejected by the recipient domain.

Canary’s Cry for Tuesday, Oct 28

Blacksmith Institute in collaboration with Green Cross Switzerland issued a Top Ten List of the world’s most dangerous pollution problems [Urban Air Quality at left]. The report names pollution as one of the leading contributing factors to death and disability in the world and highlights the disproportionate effects on the health of children.

The Top Ten list includes commonly discussed pollution problems like urban air pollution as well as more overlooked threats like car battery recycling. The problems included in the report have a significant impact on human health worldwide and result in death, persistent illness, and neurological impairment for millions of people, particularly children.  According to the report, many of these deaths and related illnesses could be avoided with affordable and effective interventions. “Our goal with the 2008 report is to increase awareness of the severe toll that pollution takes on human health and inspire the international community to act,” said Richard Fuller, founder of Blacksmith Institute. “Remediation is both possible and cost-effective.”

Army Times reported that “Burn pit at Balad raises health concerns.”

Troops say chemicals and medical waste burned at base are making them sick, but officials deny risk.

An open-air “burn pit” at the largest U.S. base in Iraq may have exposed tens of thousands of troops, contractors and Iraqis to cancer-causing dioxins, poisons such as arsenic and carbon monoxide, and hazardous medical waste, documentation gathered by Military Times shows.

The billowing black plume from the burn pit at 15-square-mile Joint Base Balad, the central logistics hub for U.S. forces in Iraq, wafts continually over living quarters and the base combat support hospital, sources say.

Reuters INDIA picked up the Reuters Washington story “Does mold make you sick?” Fungus expert Joan Bennett did not believe in toxic mold — the cause of “sick building syndrome” and many lawsuits — until her New Orleans home was flooded during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. When she got a whiff of the foul air that the black goo had created in her home, she decided to change her research focus and try to find out how and if the fungi that took over most of the flooded homes on the Gulf Coast might make people ill. “The overwhelming obnoxiousness of the odor and of the enveloping air made me start to believe in something that I had never believed in before — sick building syndrome,” Bennett, of Rutgers University in New Jersey, told a news conference.

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