MCS 2007: The Year in Review

MCS America News, Volume 3, Issue 1, January 2008.

It was a busy year of activism in the multiple chemical sensitivity community. Much progress was made in the awareness arena. Let's review a few things that happened this year:

January

January saw the kick off to the proclamations season, when activists around America began thinking about requesting proclamations from governors and mayors in across the country.

January was also the month a researcher, Staudenmayer, attempted to prove that litigants with Idiopathic Environmental Intolerance are malingering and MCS America published a rebuttal. http://www.mcs-america.org/february2007pg15161718.pdf.

February

February was the month that MCS America Petition to the AMA, CDC, WHO, and NIEHS was mailed. It was the work of many individuals, both professionals and community members, who came together to write and edit.

February also saw genetic research by Schnakenberg et al showing that subjects who report chemical sensitivity are more often slow acetylators and harbor deleted GSTM1 and/or GSTT1 genes. http://www.mcs-america.org/april2007pg1011.pdf

March

March was the month that Carolyn Cooper, RN published her article in the American Journal of Nursing, which expressed that although the cause and diagnosis of MCS remain controversial, she is urging nurses to heed MCS patient concerns when hospitalized. http://www.mcs-america.org/february2007pg15161718.pdf

March brought the first of many wonderful press releases about MCS in the mainstream media.

Real Estate: Scents May Not Make Cents
http://www.free-press-release.com/news/200703/1175069176.html

Study Finds Cologne Causes Acute Neurotoxicity and Air Flow Reduction
http://www.free-press-release.com/news/200703/1174980567.html

Studies Show Genetic Variations in MCS
http://www.fastpitchnetworking.com/pressrelease_pdf.cfm?PRID=7007

Studies Show Air Fresheners May be Harmful
http://www.sanepr.com/Studies-Show-Air-Fresheners-May-be-Harmful_14606.cfm

MCS America Seeks Recognition for Environmental Illness

http://www.fastpitchnetworking.com/pressrelease_pdf.cfm?PRID=6929

April

April saw the opening of MCS America's first Cafe Press MCS awareness logo shop, which now houses eight shops, and four in progress, with various awareness t-shirts and gift items. These items are provided at wholesale cost. MCS America's mark-up is 0%. MCS America provides the artwork and maintenance of the stores on a volunteer basis to further the awareness of MCS and to support the mission of MCS America.

http://mcs-america.org/index_files/MCSstore.htm

The month of April also brought research from Monnet-Tschudi et al confirming that neurotoxicant chemicals cause inflammation and injury to the central nervous system.

http://www.mcs-america.org/September2007pg10.pdf

April began the monthly publication of articles about MCS in the mainstream media:

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewByAuthor.asp?authorID=1657

May

May was celebrated as MCS Awareness and Education Month and Toxic Injury Awareness and Education Month in 34 states with 37 proclamations issued by governors and mayors across America.

http://mcs-america.org/index_files/proclamations.htm

May also brought Christiane Tourtet's library awareness display.

http://www.nettally.com/prusty/Formww.htm

May brought the addition of a database of MCS and related scientific studies to the research and resources provided by MCS America, which now houses 40 full text studies and over 2,000 abstracts.

http://mcs-america.org/index_files/MCSScientificStudies.htm

May also brought the long awaited release of a new book by Dr. Martin Pall, PhD, "Explaining Unexplained Illnesses".

http://www.mcs-america.org/July2007pg27.pdf

June

June brought a face lift to MCS America's website, with new bold colors, larger fonts, and more user friendly navigation. It also brought the finalization of moving all the state subsidiary websites to the MCS America umbrella page:

http://mcs-america.org/index_files/statechapershomepage.htm

July

In July, the news media was flooded with stories about Susan McBride, who filed a lawsuit against her employer in Detroit to ban fragrances and cigarette smoke in the workplace.

http://www.mcs-america.org/August2007pg1819.pdf

August

August saw the meeting of the Chemical Injury Information Network (CIIN) case definition committee. Results are still pending publication.

August was the month that MCS America's Ready to Go Activist Website was launched, providing community members with pre-designed letters for various purposes for their personal activism. Many times we want to write a letter to an establishment, individual, or other entity to educate them and request they change their practices. The hardest part used to be writing the letter, and often it never happened because there was no time. The addition of these samples letters, which can be customized and printed by individuals who would otherwise not be able to send a letter, has increased personal activism.

http://mcs-america.org/index_files/ReadytoGoMCSActivist.htm

August also brought a study by Prockop, which showed that neurotoxic injury is not treatable.

http://www.mcs-america.org/November2007pg22.pdf

September

September brought the addition of "perfume kills" activist items in MCS America's Cafe Press Shops.

http://www.mcs-america.org/September2007pg22.pdf

September got our attention when Boyd and Genius, researchers, published the staggering economic costs of environmental illness in Canada.

http://www.mcs-america.org/December2007pg20.pdf

October

October saw the release of MCS America's Position Statement, a fine point in time when MCS America finally declared it's position on the etiology (causation) of multiple chemical sensitivity. It states in part, "Therefore, it is essential that MCS be immediately and fully recognized in America as an organic physiological disorder induced by toxic environmental insults. Environmental toxicants and irritants from perfumes, smoke, pesticides, industry, and building materials must be reduced or effectively regulated through legislation and enforcement to prevent injury to all citizens. Immediate accommodation with a safe environment for school, work, and housing should be granted to MCS victims who are still capable of working, while those permanently injured should receive disability benefits. The Americans with Disabilities Act must be enforced, to provide the same rights to MCS patients as other disabilities, with protection from abuse, harassment, and discrimination. As new information is published regarding MCS, it is crucial that it be communicated to the medical and public communities. Accurate, objective information which is free from conflicts of interests, ties to the chemical industry, and connections to the pharmaceutical industry must be rigorously researched and widely disseminated. Funding is immediately and direly needed for additional investigation into the etiology, treatment, and prevention of this costly, devastating, and disabling disorder.... Sufficient clear and present evidence is currently available to show that MCS is real and disabling, and to justify, indeed to demand, immediate action."

http://mcs-america.org/MCSPositionStatement.htm

October also confirmed that household cleaning chemicals contribute to soaring asthma rates when Henderson et al published their study.

http://www.mcs-america.org/December2007pg22.pdf

November

In November a new service was launched by MCS America known as MCSA Feeds. It is an email list server with the purpose of distributing daily news and research studies on multiple chemical sensitivity, chemical injury, environmental concerns, and other related environmental illnesses and disorders.

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/mcsafeeds

December

December brought another new service from MCS America known as MCSA Safer Salvage and Share, a "safer" version of freecycle. The purpose of this program is to find and recycle needed "safe" or "safer" items. All items are exchanged for free. Shipping costs are arranged between donor and recipient. Items may include gift certificates for food, shelter, medications, and other basic needs.

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/MCSA-safer-salvage-and-share/

It's been a busy and successful year! Best wishes for a healthy and prosperous 2008!