MCSA NEWS
– Online Edition
December 2009,
Volume 4, Issue 12
Entire PDF Edition: http://mcs-america.org/December2009.pdf (View, Download, and Print)
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
An Interview with Author Eva Cabellé
Missing: A Life Broken by Multiple Chemical
Sensitivities
Social Security
Disability Representing Your Claim
Time to Look at Your Home in a Different Light Basements,
Part 1
Preying on the Desperate Miracle Cures Hold False Promise
Vaccine Adjuvant
Alters Neurological Function in Rat Experiment
Chelation Effective
for Autism
Q&A Scent Strip Advertisements
An Interview with Author Eva Cabellé
Missing: A Life Broken by Multiple Chemical
Sensitivities
Eva Caballé is
the author of the recently published book in Spanish, Desaparecida:
Una vida rota por la sensibilidad
química múltiple (Missing: A life broken by Multiple Chemical Sensitivities) published by El Viejo Topo,
By
“Yes, there is something hidden in this
silence. It is the interests of the chemical and pharmaceutical companies so
that people won’t know that their products are causing new and terrible
illnesses like Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS). Recently it has been
demonstrated that MCS is not a psychological illness and that old studies that
said it was were fabricated to protect the interests of the chemical and
pharmaceutical industries.” - Eva Caballé
Eva Caballé is a
37 year-old
Eva Caballé is
also the author of the blog NO FUN. She says: “NO FUN is a blog about Multiple
Chemical Sensitivities, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalitis and
Fibromyalgia with information and advice for people who are sick and for anyone
who wants to live a healthier life free of toxics.”
López-Arnal: Let’s start with a definition. What is MCS?
Eva Caballé: MCS is an acquired chronic illness, not a psychological one, which
manifests itself with multisystemic symptoms as a
reaction to a very small exposure to chemical products which are normal
everyday chemicals, but unnecessary ones like perfumes, air fresheners, and
laundry softeners. The symptoms, which are chronic and maybecome
acute in a crisis, include fatigue and respiratory, digestive, cardiovascular,
dermatological and neurological problems.
MCS is a syndrome with three grades of
severity, so not all who are sick suffer the same level of disability and
isolation. It is an illness which has been known since the 1950s, but it has
yet to be recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO). More than 100 research articles support the
organic basis of MCS and the number of people affected is increasing rapidly,
people are affected at a younger age, and the European Parliament includes MCS
in the growing number of illnesses related to environmental factors.
LA: You say that MCS is not recognized by the WHO despite the number of
scientific articles that support the organic basis of this illness. Why do you
think that the WHO is so skeptical, so cautious?
EC: We know that the WHO has been debating the MCS issue for years. But the
process of recognizing the illness is taking longer than usual due to the
pressure that the chemical and pharmaceutical industries are putting on the
WHO, as they are not interested in having it known that they are directly responsible
for this illness. Without going any further, in
LA: You also say that the number of people
with MCS is growing rapidly. Can you give us any data to illustrate this?
EC: I am quoting Dr J Fernández-Solà (an Internal
Medicine specialist from the Hospital Clinic in
LA: What symptoms could make one think that they have this illness?
EC: Perhaps the most common symptom is noticing unbearable smells which one
did not notice before. One stops tolerating various chemical agents like
cleaning products, perfumes, tobacco smoke, car emissions, etc. When you have
MCS and you are exposed to these chemical agents, a series of symptoms are
triggered automatically like choking, irritation of the respiratory tract,
tachycardia, headaches, mental confusion, dizziness, nausea, diarrhea, extreme
fatigue, and/or pain.
These symptoms don’t get better until you
cease contact with the chemical agent that produced them. You may also stop
tolerating alcohol, dairy products, and gluten. You may develop intolerance to
various foods and medications. Often there are other environmental
intolerances: to heat, to cold, to noise, to sunlight. and
to electromagnetic fields (computers, high power lines, telephones, cellular
phone antennas, microwaves, etc).
LA:
What differences are there between MCS and, let’s say, Fibromyalgia?
EC: MCS, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalitis (CFS/ME) and
Fibromyalgia (FMS) are illnesses in the same family. In fact, many who have MCS
actually have all three illnesses. More
and more people with CFS/ME and FMS over the years also develop MCS. These conditions share many of the same
symptoms, though the biggest difference is that those with MCS do not tolerate
even the smallest exposure to chemical substances and must maintain strict
environmental control and use a mask with a carbon filter to filter out the
environmental toxics in the outside world.
LA: What medical treatment does a person with MCS receive from the Spanish
health care system? Do you think it is adequate? Do you think it is fair?
EC: In
LA: But, isn’t it a bit of a contradiction the fact that the European
Parliament considers MCS an environmental illness and that in Spain, the
central government and the regional governments look the other way?
EC: Of course it is! It is all with the excuse that the WHO has not yet
recognized it as an illness. This does not mean that it does not exist! The decisions that are taken at a
bureaucratic level do not make patients disappear by magic. They use this
argument to discredit the illness when it is really a conflict of interest to
recognize it. They will tell you that there are no specific biomarkers for MCS,
but that is not uncommon in other illnesses which are well recognized.
LA: What percentage of the population is it thought to be affected by this
illness right now?
EC: According to the 2007 study published by doctors from the
In 5%, these processes are clearly pathological
and are above the organism’s capacity to adapt.
So, it results in skin, respiratory, digestive and neuropsychological
manifestations, frequently chronic and persistent. If MCS affects 5% of the population, it
cannot be considered a “rare disease,” which are the
ones that affect less than 0.0005% of the population.
LA: Are you speaking about the Spanish population or are you thinking in
European or world terms?
EC: I am talking worldwide. It is considered an illness of the industrialized
world. In countries where there are statistics about this illness, like in
LA: And do we know the causes? MCS, as you have said, is a disease related to
environmental factors. What does that mean exactly?
EC: Studies say that the cause is the toxics in the environment we are exposed
to. There are two ways of developing MCS: from one single exposure to toxics at
a high dose or by several exposures to small amounts over the years. There are
toxic substances in the air we breathe, water we drink (in the plastic if we
drink bottled water), clothes we wear (formaldehyde, dyes, traces of
pesticides), cleaning products, beauty products, food we eat (pesticides,
additives and artificial colors which have been banned in the USA for many
years for being cancer causing), and in silver dental fillings (which have
mercury). Over the years, our body accumulates all these chemical substances
which circulate in our environment without any controls, substances which we
must remember have been in use so many years until the toxic load becomes
unbearable and we end up getting sick.
According to our genetic make-up, it could end up being MCS. But other
people do not get off scott-free because they will
end up developing cancer, asthma, allergies, autoimmune diseases, or any other
illness of environmental origin. Even doctors complain that there is no funding
for researching MCS, that no one wants to fund MCS
studies, because studies normally are funded by pharmaceutical companies so
they can develop a medication, that is, for their own profit. But as MCS patients do not tolerate most
medication, they are of no interest to them.
LA: But, what sense does it make to know all this and not take any measures?
Why do we keep using these products if we know of their toxicity and of the high
risk their use entails? It is not an ideal situation that you describe. Why do
we not put some order in this toxic chaos?
EC: That is a good question. It does not make any sense to not take any
measures and to keep on using these products. If health authorities do nothing,
the option is to stop using these toxic products and it will have to be us who
take charge of things. In the labels on the fabric softener,
the beauty products, the perfumes. or the air
fresheners it does not say: “Warning, this product is toxic and it will keep
accumulating in your body until it causes you Multiple Chemical Sensitivities.”
No one warned me. That is why I try to
share all that I have learned
since I got sick four years ago, so that people will know what we
are not being told. For example, it is so hard to regulate tobacco that all
this will surely be harder because we are not talking about one product. The
problem is more than that. Has everyone forgotten that in the 1960s medical
reports were hidden or changed, reports that showed that tobacco caused cancer?
What is happening is nothing new. Power is not in the
hands of politicians. It is in the hands of the multinationals.
LA: Describe, briefly, the life of a person with MCS. What measures does the
person have to take? What treatment does the person have to undergo?
EC: The treatment is basically one concept: Environmental Control.
Environmental control is to basically avoid any exposure to toxics or chemical
substances as much as possible. The
basic points are:
- Eat organic,
non-processed foods (normally it is recommended to avoid dairy products
and gluten).
- Filter all water,
including drinking water, cooking water, and water fo showering.
- Substitute all
beauty and cleaning products with ecological ones without fragrance.
Logically, one must stop using colognes, air fresheners, laundry
softeners, etc.
- Use ecological
clothing that does not have any dyes nor toxics.
- Get an air filter.
- Buy furniture and
mattresses that are made of ecological materials that have not been
treated with chemical. And when you
paint the house, it must be ecological paint.
- Avoid or minimize
exposure to electromagnetic fields.
- Use a
carbon-filter mask when you go outside or in situations in which there are
a high concentration of toxics.
- Try to live in an
area which is the least contaminated as possible and in a house made of
non-toxic materials.
As you can see, environmental control
involves a high financial cost, for which we have no help and is almost
impossible to carry out.
Besides environmental control, which is
also beneficial for healthy people, there are personalized treatments. These
involve nutritional supplements, saunas, oxygen therapy, etc. Each person with
MCS is different and also some people have other added illnesses. Therefore,
one has to have a lot of tests done to determine what is best in each
situation. In
LA: What government help does a person with MCS receive? It does not seem
possible for someone so sick to go to work. How can you organize your home if
your family does not have the available time?
EC: We get no help when we have MCS. Even the masks, without which we cannot
survive, we have to pay for ourselves. This is the economic drama that goes
along with this illness. When one has severe MCS, one cannot work. But, if one has mild MCS it is not possible
either because no employer is willing to adapt the work place so that a person
with MCS can continue working. In some cases, some people get disability, but
usually it involves going to court. We must remember that there are young
people who get sick who have not worked long enough to have the right to a
pension. What is their future? I always say that I am amazed that there is not
more depression amongst people with MCS. Who would not be depressed in such a
hard situation? One can try to get disability, but the amount of money that one
gets is very small, depending on the scale of severity recognized. In my case,
I am lucky to have my husband’s and my mother’s help, because I am so severely
ill that I cannot do anything in the house, nor even cook for myself. Even if I
had the money to pay someone to come and help me at home, that would not be
possible. Just to be able to have my mother come over, she has had to change
all her washing and cleaning habits as well as showering herself before coming.
LA: Why do we hear so little about Multiple Chemical Sensitivities? What is
behind all this? What is behind this silence?
EC: Yes, there is something hidden behind this silence: the interests of the
chemical and pharmaceutical industries not to have it known that their products
cause terrible new illnesses like MCS. Recently it has been proven that MCS is
not psychological and that studies that were done in the past which said that
it was psychological were manipulated in order to
protect the interests of the chemical and pharmaceutical industries.
Unfortunately, it is very easy for the
government to ignore us, as most of us live under house arrest and we do not
have the strength to organize ourselves. It is clearly an abuse of power. Only
our families, friends, and neighbors know we exist and how hard our everyday
life is. But, despite the seriousness of our situation, we are many and more
every day who fight from our homes and through
Internet for our rights and try to make MCS visible. We share information to help each other out,
as our government does not help us.
LA: You talk about studies that were altered that “showed” that MCS is a
psychological illness in order to preserve the interests of large corporations.
Were they blinded by the color of money? Can you give us an example?
EC: On September 2008, the magazine Journal of Nutritional & Environmental Medicine,
published a study by Goudsmit and Howes
entitled “Is multiple chemical sensitivity a learned response? A critical evaluation of provocation studies.” This study
showed that MCS is not a psychological illness and that its origin is tied to
chemical substances. I translated to Spanish the article that MCS America
dedicated to this study:
“They suggested that MCS was a
psychological condition related to expectations and prior beliefs, a position
which both the chemical and pharmaceutical industries worked hard to imply as
it would eliminate their chemicals from being a liability and promote the use
of profitable psychiatric drugs in the absence of drugs that could negate the
effects of environmental pollution. Since the majority of chemical and
pharmaceutical companies share the same ownership, this position was promoted
vigorously and skillfully through industry controlled journals.
Fortunately, these bogus studies were re-examined by Goudsmit
and Howes using additional scientifically accepted
criteria. The studies promoting a psychological basis for MCS were found
to be grossly misleading due to numerous methodological flaws and
shortcomings. They determined that MCS is more closely linked to exposure
to chemicals than to disorders such as anxiety, somatoform disorders, and
depression.”
LA: One of your articles is entitled “We are born naked” and it has had a
great repercussion amongst people with MCS and other people interested in the
topic. Why? What was this article about?
EC: I wrote the article for the on-line cultural magazine Delirio, which exposed the total neglect and
abandonment that people with MCS, suffer and makes a special point on the
situation in
LA: Disaster that is coming? What disaster? Why has the actual model of our
society failed? Is this because of the illnesses it generates? Tell me about a
more humane model.
EC: The cases of MCS are increasing rapidly and affecting younger and younger
people. Each day there are more children with allergies, asthma, celiac
intolerance, etc. The cases of cancer are multiplying and are appearing in
families with no cancer history. There are constantly new studies that show the
relationship between chemical substances and electromagnetic radiations with
certain cancers or an increase in allergies. If something is not done, the
future that awaits us is not that of a healthy society. I, like other people
with MCS, are the proof that this society has failed.
When I was little, I use to think that the
government looked after us and that if something was sold,
it was because it was safe. I could not have been more wrong. The air quality
in cities like
LA: You have written a book, a magnificent book, entitled Missing. Why
Missing? Where have you disappeared from?
EC: Thank you for praising my book. As a new writer, it is an honor.
LA: The honor, dear Eva, will be that of the readers,
I can assure you.
EC: I thought of the title when I read the great introduction to my book that
Clara Valverde has written (she is a writer,
president of the Liga SFC- CFS League- and lives with
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome). It was then that I realized that a lot of people
might think that I disappeared from the face of the Earth. I went from having a
job with a lot of responsibility in a bank, going to the gym every day, going
to rock concerts, going out with friends and sharing holidays with my family,
to being locked up in my house to be able to survive. Seen from the outside my
immediate group, I am missing, kidnapped by MCS. The outside world is toxic for
all. But for those of us who have MCS, it is to the point that we cannot go out
without a carbon-filter mask that protects us from harmful chemical substances
and, in some cases, the severity is such that even with a mask we cannot go
out. I am sentenced to live within my four walls because they have not taken measures
to ban chemical substances that, in me, set off a crisis and in other people
makes them develop an environmental illness. It is not
normal that every day we hear of a cancer death. Does no one care that this
society is sicker every day and that this is not sustainable?
LA: Finally, how should society and the health services act regarding these
new illnesses? Are they really new? Can you suggest some basic ideas?
EC: As I was saying before, MCS it not really new as the first cases were
reported in the 1950s. We cannot use the idea that they are new as an excuse in
2009 to justify that nothing has been done. At an international level, the
first thing should be that the WHO recognize MCS once
and for all as an illness. But until this happens, our country should recognize
MCS, following the example of other European Union countries. Also they should
train doctors and adapt the health services for MCS.
All this would also mean that we should have
access to disability pensions and other support to be able to adapt to our
illness.
Right now, when people with MCS get sicker
because of their illness or because of another illness they might also have,
they do not have anywhere to go because there aren’t any hospitals that are
prepared for them and health workers do not know about their pathology. That’s
how serious the situation is. It is also necessary to put into place prevention
policies such as “free of fragrances” in hospitals and public buildings, and to
control and ban certain substances. All this would be beneficial for the health
and well-being of all citizens, not just those of us who have MCS. And,
obviously, there should be put in place a public education campaign so that
people can learn about MCS as a disability. When you go out on the street with
a mask, you leave yourself open to all kinds of mocking and abuses and this is
unacceptable. There are people who are ill who do not even get any support from
their friends and family, all because MCS is not recognized. We are not asking
for special treatment, but rather adequate treatment for the problems that this
illness creates.
LA: What you are saying and asking for is
very reasonable. Thank you for your words. Would you like to add something else?
EC: Yes. I would like to share that making my situation public as I do through
my blog and now even more through my book, I could serve as a warning to all
those who are still healthy. Perhaps they think that because they do not have
the genetic predisposition to MCS, that they are safe and cannot get sick like
I did. But this is not so. As I have told you, the chemical substances that
cause MCS, also provoke many other illnesses. Also, we can and should live in a
different way, a way without so many chemical products which would be good for
our health and also for the environment. We must change before it is too late
and the change starts with each one of us because as consumers we have a lot
more power than we think. If there is no
demand, then there is no offer. And to
end, I would like to bring up a paragraph from my article “We are born naked”:
“Those of us who live with MCS would like
this illness to be recognized; we would like to have the same rights as other
chronic patients; we would like society to know of the risk it is in; we would
like the government to protect its citizens and to help them prevent getting
sick unnecessarily. We don’t want anyone else to feel naked because of having
MCS.”
This interview was first published in Rebelión. Translated into English by
Clara Valverde, President of Liga
SFC. Reprinted with permission of Eva Caballé.
Walkup
Talks Disability Representing Your
Claim
One question people always have is whether
or not to retain a representative on their disability claim, and if so, when in
the process is the best time to do this. They may also want to know if it is
best to get an attorney or a non attorney, and if they should hire someone in
their immediate area or someone from a national firm.
Anyone is allowed to serve as a
representative in a Social Security disability or SSI claim. Only attorneys and those representatives who
are certified by SSA can get direct payment of their fees, however. Others have to be paid directly by the
client. Attorneys are automatically
allowed to both represent claimants before SSA and to obtain direct payment of
fees. Other people who wish to have
withholding and direct payment of fees have to take a national test and be
certified by SSA.
Attorneys can practice before SSA in all 50 states so long as they are a
member of the bar in any one state.
Other representatives can likewise practice in any state.
One advantage of hiring an attorney rather
than a non attorney is accountability for malpractice. Attorneys will generally have malpractice
insurance, and this can be verified by checking with the bar association that
registers attorneys in the state or states in which they are licensed. Non attorneys have no such insurance.
Another advantage of an attorney is the
training they receive in the practice of law, which is readily transferable to
SSD claims, and their years of experience in the court systems. There are no training programs as such for
non attorney representatives, although some of them are trained as vocational
experts, nurses, paralegals, insurance claim representatives, etc.
If you do hire someone, be sure that you
find out exactly what their experience is in Social
Security disability claims, and possibly in the area of your particular
impairments as well. When it comes to
MCS, most attorneys, even those who specialize in disability claims, often have
little experience.
My website www.MCSLegalHelp.com
contains a list of “Ten Questions To Ask Your
Lawyer”, which can give you further guidance.
When to get a representative
Many people who consult representatives
before they are at the hearing level are told to call back when their case gets
to that point. In MCS cases, however, it
is my feeling that the sooner in the process you talk with someone, the
better. There are many pitfalls that you
can get into in filling out the application and other forms, going for medical
examinations, and getting reports from your doctors, not to mention seeing
other doctors who may be more specialized and knowledgeable about MCS and
getting more specialized testing performed.
Also, the longer you are seeing a doctor before the hearing, the more
weight is attached to his or her opinion, so it pays to get on the right track
with the right doctors as soon as possible.
As I discussed earlier in this series,
just going for medical appointments and/or the Social Security offices may be
problematic for MCS sufferers, and we try to work out accommodations for each
of those things for you before you agree to go.
I therefore recommend that MCS clients get in touch with me before they
even make the application, or maybe while they are still working and trying to
get accommodations from their employers.
National or local
Every major city will have dozens of
lawyers and other representatives who advertise their availability for Social
Security disability representation.
There are also a few “mega-firms” that advertise nationally. Some of those are law firms and some are not.
One
of them advertises that they are “
My experience has been that even with
lawyers who are well versed in Social Security disability and have many years
of specialized practice, MCS cases are still a rarity. I have seen the results of many hearings
where it appeared to me that the attorney did not understand MCS and was trying
to dance around it using psychological impairments or confusing it with
“allergies”. It is my view that you have
to be up on the science in this field to make up for the lack of understanding
of most mainstream doctors.
What the large national firms do is to
assign your case to a clerical person to work up and get the medical reports
and records. Then, when the case is
ready for a hearing, they try to find a local attorney in your area to handle
the hearing and ship them the file a short time before the scheduled date.
Usually they do not pay the local attorney very much so they tend to get new
lawyers who are trying to break into the business.
To the extent that this may or may not
work for the more regular types of disability claims, I think it is ill suited
in particular for MCS cases for the reasons stated above. Some of the national advertisers are not even
attorneys and some of them are tied in with long term disability insurance
carriers from whom the client is referred.
The client is told that if they use this firm, they will not be charged
a fee. However, this is deceptive as if
they get an independent representative, the fee charged will be deducted from
the amount of retroactive benefits that has to be re-paid to the insurance
company anyway, so there is no charge to the client either way.
The disadvantage here is that the SSD
representative is not independent of the insurance carrier.
This comes into play where the insurance
carrier decides to cut off the claimant after two years when the definition of
disability in the policy shifts or when exclusions kick in. In particular, there are usually exclusions
in employer sponsored disability plans for conditions caused “in whole or in
part from mental impairments”, and sometimes for conditions which are “self
reported”. The policy is then limited to
two years of payments.
If someone who has been getting insurance
payments for less than two years is referred to a company for representation on
a Social Security disability there is an incentive to try to categorize the
claim as involving a mental impairment so the insurance company can bail
out. Even if they do that, they may
still have the temerity to ask for repayment of the retroactive benefits that
overlap and the representative may counsel the client that they have to make
the payment. (I tell them to blow it off
and let the insurance company come after them while we appeal the denial).
Bear in mind as well that there are really
no ethical constraints or obligations towards you when you are represented by
non attorneys, whereas the attorneys are monitored by their state bars and can
be sanctioned.
Big vs. little (The Zen of Law Practice)
While I am on the subject, I wanted to say
something about “big” versus “little” in terms of law firms and others
practicing in this area.
I was one of the pioneers in attorney
advertising in my state, having worked at a legal clinic which actually
advertised before it was legal to do so to try and prompt a court challenge on
the historic restrictions to lawyer advertising. Someone else beat us to that,
however. In those days, advertising was
new and mostly in print, and you could do it for a reasonable amount of
money.
Another barrier was broken when lawyers
started to advertise on TV. This upped the stakes and increased the costs
exponentially. My experience is that the
quality of the services you as a client may receive may tend to be more or less
inversely proportional to the amount of advertising the firm is doing. It’s simple economics. If you are spending a large amount of money on
advertising, you have to have a large practice to support it, and you have to
cut costs in other areas to make up for the advertising expense.
This is particularly true in Social
Security representation where the fees are limited. You don’t get any “windfall” cases like in
personal injury where you 
can potentially make a lot of money on one
case to offset the more modest returns elsewhere.
One way that you cut costs is to set up
your practice basically as an “assembly line” where you have clerical people do
most of the work and then hire cheap recent law school graduates or others to
do the actual hearings with little preparation time. I’m not saying that everyone does that who
advertises a lot, but the economics of that type of practice are what they
are.
The internet has changed that somewhat.
We are now able to focus our marketing to certain niches and keep the
overhead from becoming unbalanced with large traditional advertising costs. This allows us to maintain a lower case load
and give more personal attention. In some situations, like my own, we can even
practice out of our homes and reduce the overhead further, thus allowing more
attorney time to each case. It’s what
you net, not what you gross. Less is
more.
This has been my last installment in the 12 part series on disability law
as it relates to MCS claims.
Readers are referred to my website, www.MCSLegalHelp.com, for more information.
Thank you,
Michael J. Walkup
Attorney
Time to Look at Your Home in a Different Light
Basements, Part 1
Intro
For many people who have had MCS for some
time, they have slowly made their living space their sanctuary. For those who
are newly diagnosed, things are going to be different, and need to be for you
to stay as well as possible. That means looking at your home in a different
light. This series of articles will walk through the kinds of elements that I
look for in a healthy house, and where the potential problems lie within a
home. We will focus on the sneaky things that you may have missed in your own
process as well.
Basements
One of the silliest places that humans
live is below ground. It’s something we did way back in the days of us living
in caves and hiding out from saber tooth tigers. Luckily we’ve gained some
insights into life and living, like running away from tigers and other bad
things that we come across, for example.
Unfortunately, the concept of living in
caves has stuck with us as some primordial sense of safety. Basements are,
however, far from that truth.
The history of basements is relatively simple. We started out with cold
cellars where we stored our rutabagas in hopes that they would grow mould so we
wouldn’t have to eat them. That worked well since the cold room was cold, wet
and full of moisture in the air. Next we found these new fangled furnace
thingy’s that ran on coal and we needed a place to store this stinky, sooty
coal, so we figured the basement was best and it now became the coal cellar.
Still the rutabagas grew mould even under the coal dust, and so the story
continues. Next our houses became bigger again, and we needed a place to put
the noisy kids, so we dug out the basement even farther and laid down some
carpet and old furnishings, and tossed the kids into it. They still don’t eat
rutabagas and the basement is still cold, wet and full of moisture in the air.
For those of you who have a dirt crawlspace under your home, go back a step and
remove the coal furnace, and you are there in spades.
The challenge with this type of
construction is that when you dig a hole somewhere it wants to fill up with
water. This is amplified by a few different elements.
First, the relative humidity of soils
typically is about 100% RH. This means that soil is really wet. Not always
physically soggy or muddy, but the moisture content in the air spaces between
the soils are very high, at maximum capacity.
Now everything in the universe wants to be
at equilibrium, so if it’s 100% RH on the outside of your basement wall, and
45% RH on the inside, the moisture wants to be equal, so there is a drive, a
push a force that moves the water from the soil to your basement. This is
called diffusion. Think of an orange and how when someone peels it across the
room you can smell it instantly. That’s because the orange molecules want to be
at equilibrium in the room, and spread out throughout the space. Ditto with the
water on the other side of your basement wall, it wants to be at equilibrium
and passes through the concrete, which can move water very easily because it is
very hygroscopic.
Hygroscopicity is the ability of a material to suck up
moisture in a liquid or vapor state. Concrete is really good at that. It is
filled with little tiny tubes inside the concrete and they are called
capillaries, like veins so to speak. These capillaries can suck up water
because the water molecules bond to the walls of the capillaries. There is
enough capillary action to pull water in concrete straight up to almost 1
kilometer (.62 miles) in the air! This is an incredible amount of suction
power.
So, if you think that just because there
is a little water in the corner of your basement, your wood structural members
on top of your concrete wall are safe, think again. It is very important that
these are separated from each other with some sort of gasket, because that
water is always present, and always moving through the concrete. Typically anything newer than 1970’s construction has some form of
gasket between the concrete bits and the woody bits. I’ve seen it
earlier from good quality construction, but it’s rarer.
The other challenge with basements is the leakage of air into them from the
outside. We all know that hot air rises and cold air falls, right? Well the
outside air in the summer is pretty hot, and your basement is pretty cold, in
comparison. It’s colder due to the earth’s relatively stable temperature, which
keeps the basement cooler than upstairs.
The air that is being blown around by wind and it’s
pressure outside hits the walls of your house on the windward side, and is
sucked into your basement. This happens because the two temperatures, just like
the moisture content in the air, want to be at equilibrium. So, the hot air wants to heat your basement,
and the house’s stack effect pulls it in, which is the ability of the house to
act like a chimney.
Since the cold air is more dense that hot air (hot air expands and becomes
buoyant), the air in the basement is under negative pressure or to put it
another way, the air in this space is being sucked into the house, while the
air at the top of the hot house (that acts like a chimney) is positively
pressurized and is trying desperately trying to escape out the top and leeward
side through cracks and holes. The amount of air escaping is equal to the
amount of air being pulled in at the bottom and windward side.
Most of us are concerned about the energy efficiency side of things, but
this is also a major air quality issue, as the air is coming through cracks in
the walls, floors, joints and other places that no one cleans. This means the
air is dirty, dusty, and potentially moldy coming into the space, which is then
just warmed up and moved through the house. If that doesn’t sound good for you,
it isn’t.
We have two different forces acting upon
the basement. We have the moisture drive
from the soil, which is coming at us from the walls and from the floor. The
walls are mostly from precipitation working it’s way
into the soil and then into the walls, while the floor moisture source is
typically from the water table below us rising up, as it is a dynamic stream of
water moving and changing. Both sources add moisture to the basement that can
negatively impact the space.
Secondly we have the air being drawn into
the basement through the leaks, cracks and holes that is dirty and unfiltered,
creating now poor air quality, with potential moulds in the air, and mixed up
with some moisture from the soils around us.
Finally all we do is add some carpets
(sponges) and some old furniture (dusty, dirty, and breaking down chemicals)
into the mix, stir it up with some high energy kids, and we have all the fixin’s for some really poor air quality.
In the next article we will talk about how
to make the basement as healthy as possible. Now that we understand the science
of what is going on, it’s significantly easier to take control and improve the
situation as best as possible.
Stephen Collette is a Building Biology
Environmental Consultant and LEED accredited professional, who owns Your
Healthy House, and is living with his family in Lakefield,
705-652-5159
Stephen Collette is a
Stephen Collette is a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design -
Accredited Professional (LEED AP), which allows Stephen to use the
Formaldehyde
Linked to Asthma
There is a significant association between
formaldehyde exposure and childhood asthma according to a recent scientific
literature review by researchers Gerald McGwin, Jr.,
Jeffrey Lienert, and John I. Kennedy, Jr.
Roughly 7% of adults and 9% of children suffer from asthma in the
Many products in
the indoor environment emit formaldehyde, including particle board, urea
formaldehyde insulation, carpeting, and furniture. Clothing is also treated with
formaldehyde. Mobile travel trailers
provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to displaced
Exposure to
formaldehyde can cause irritation of the eye, nose, throat and skin. Chronic exposure, such as that experienced in
the home from treated furniture and carpets, has been linked with cancer and
asthma.
“The results of
this study provide important evidence regarding the potential causal link
between formaldehyde and asthma in children, says McGwin.
Protect children
from formaldehyde exposure next to the skin by buying organic and untreated
clothing. Wrinkle resistant, stain
resistant, and permanent press clothing are treated with formaldehyde and other
potentially toxic chemicals. As a simple
test on new clothing, fill a spray bottle with water and spray a bit on the
garment. If it absorbs, the formaldehyde
level is low. If it beads up and does
not absorb, the formaldehyde level is high.
Most furniture
is sprayed with potentially toxic chemicals to resist mold, wrinkles, and
stains. Fire retardants are applied as
well. Look for organic and untreated
furniture. Press wood generally contains
a high amount of formaldehyde. Consider
metal and stainless steel options and sew your own cushions.
Bedding which
has not been treated with fire retardants can only be purchased in the
Formaldehyde can
also be found in some childhood vaccinations.
Check the ingredients before vaccinating. There are often other brands which may have
little or no formaldehyde.
Reference
Gerald
McGwin, Jr., Jeffrey Lienert,
and John I. Kennedy, Jr. Formaldehyde Exposure and Asthma in
Children: A Systematic Review, Environmental Health Perspectives. doi: 10.1289/ehp.0901143 . 6 November 2009.
Preying on the Desperate
Miracle
Cures Hold False Promise
Authors: Lourdes
Salvador
The History of Health
Scams
People with incurable illnesses are often
the target of miracle cure scams. These promises usually involve the marketing
of unproven cures for a fee. Often the cure is easy and painless and the
aggressive marketing is loaded with lucrative testimonials and success stories
in bold fonts and bright colors with flashing text and lots of exclamation points.
They come in the form of websites,
word-of-mouth, multi level marketing, e-mail marketing, printed ads, mail,
telemarketing, and the backs of traveling wagons.
The danger is not merely the wasting of
time and precious money to purchase these cures. In addition, these miracle cures often delay
appropriate medical care. Some may even
be harmful or
interact with prescription medications in a negative way.
These scams are often widely touted by the
chronically ill because they offer false hope.
When one is sick, scared, in pain, and desperate for relief, the promise
of being cured is easy to grasp onto. However, the pain of being duped and
realizing it was only false hope can be devastating.
Ten Warning Signs of a Scam
The Promise Of A Quick And Easy Cure
Presents Unproven
Patient Testimonials & Emotional Appeals Instead Of Science
Claims To Cure Many
Ailments Which Have No Cure In Medical Science
It’s Not Sold In Stores
It Has Undisclosed
Ingredients Or Content
You Have To Keep At
It To Get Results
It Doesn’t Work
Because You Did It Wrong
Science Hasn’t Even
Bothered To Discredit It (No Threat To Pharmaceutical
Sales)
The Seller Lacks A Medical Degree Or Similar Qualification
It’s Too Good To Be True
Targeted For A Scam
Chronic fatigue
syndrome (CFS), fibromyalgia (FM), and multiple chemical
sensitivity (MCS) are debilitating illnesses which have no cure and
leave sufferers lives in ruins. Even those with the best ability to adapt and
cope often suffer from the abuse of other well-meaning people who think the ill
somehow brought these illnesses upon themselves or that the illnesses don’t
really exist. This can create a
situation of desperation
in which a patient is willing to try anything to get better.
Another thing that creates desperation is
a persons unwillingness or difficulty to accept a
change of circumstances, such as what occurs when a person with MCS must avoid
contact with everything they once believed was safe. Life as it was known no
longer exists. Friends, family, home,
and career plans are all drastically affected. If a person has trouble
accepting the new reality and isn't willing or able to create a new life within
this new set of circumstances and limitations, desperation can set in.
CFS has had its
share of miracle cures. The recent
discovery XMRV Retrovirus has led to the potential
that this virus is the cause of CFS.
Many CFS patients have been delighted with this news because it gives their illness
long-awaited legitimacy. Still others
are not so happy, believing that the drug companies may be behind this
discovery with nothing more than intent to market a profitable new drug. Irregardless, in the face of emerging viral
evidence, XMRV is now a newly emerged threat for purported cures.
People with MCS are also coerced into
unproven treatments. Often, these treatments consist of over-simplified and
unsupported views on a single barely-relevant component of a vastly
multi-dimensional illness. These
over-simplified treatments give false hope and address something that the
person can quickly and easily address, such as the amygdala.
An Example of a Medical Scam
The amygdala is an almond shaped part of
the limbic system of the brain. It is
believed to be responsible for regulating emotions and fear responses. It is also called into action to ‘alert’ a
person to dangers, such as a toxic chemical exposure. Studies have shown that breathing carbon
dioxide can trigger panic attacks because the carbon dioxide toxicity alerts
the amygdala, generating a fear response… the body’s way of saying, “Get away;
you are being poisoned.”
Because most people are not aware of the
many chemicals around them and many chemicals such as carbon dioxide are
completely odorless, the connection between the amygdala’s response and the
‘flight or fight’ panic response is not made on an intellectual level. The
resulting panic attack appears to be an irrational fear, when in reality the
amygdala is a sensor which functions as an alert to various dangers.
In some people, it is possible that fear
responses can become exaggerated and turn into a
vicious cycle. Since people new to MCS are not informed about all the toxic
chemicals in everyday products and materials, they may be given a lot of
misinformation about what is really going on.
Articles which claim MCS is a disorder about
smells instead of a response to toxic chemicals increase ignorance of the
truth. This can establish a fear of
smells in some people, along with inadequate responses to real toxic threats.
Through continued exposure to toxic chemicals that injure brain and body
processes, the damage becomes more complex both physically and emotionally
because more and more biological systems are involved.
More than one health scam purports to cure
CFS and MCS by retraining the amygdala to eliminate fear. Unfortunately, these
scams rely on an overly simplistic view of complex multi-system illnesses… a
view which ignores
vast biological evidence of reduced liver function, cellular inflammation,
oxidative stress, endocrine disruption, central nervous system changes, and
other symptoms which result from poisoning and are not the result of a simple
panic attack. The view is so simplistic that it
relies on the mistaken belief that MCS and CFS are just fear and completely
ignores the biochemical damage done by toxic chemicals… the very thing the
amygdala’s alert function is designed to prevent.
Therefore, therapies aimed at reducing the
sensory action of the amygdala so that it does not alert one to get away before
the harmful effect of a chemical exposure cause physiological damage only serves to
increase the danger from the harmful effects of these substances. Fear and toxicity are independent of one
another.
To date, we are not aware of anyone who
has recovered any semblance of a normal life without first making major changes
to facilitate healing. Having a safe, non-toxic home where one can avoid
exposures is of primary importance. Making adjustments to diet, learning about
food sensitivities, eating organic foods, drinking highly filtered
water, and using targeted supplements to help repair cellular and other
damage is also required. After these
changes, it is quite possible that emotional therapies and amygdala retraining
can help the few people who have failed to adapt and cope well with these
changes. But emotional therapies and
amygdala retraining won't remove poisons or cure CFS, MCS, or FM.
Examining the various amygdala retraining
claims, it is easy to see that all ten warning signs of a scam are
present.
The
Promise of a Quick and Easy Cure
People are told a
simple brain exercise they can do at home will cure them.
Presents
Unproven Patient Testimonials & Emotional Appeals Instead of Science
The websites and
material abundantly claim cures and provide emotional testimonials designed to
give false hope. Materials flash, have capital
letters, and brightly colored text to get your attention. No scientific evidence or proof of cure can
be found.
Claims to Cure Many
Ailments Which Have No Cure in Medical Science
These amygdala
retraining programs claim to cure MCS, FM, CFS, depression, anxiety, and a host
of other illnesses… none of which can be cured by medical science. MCS, CFS,
and FM experiments involving successful amygdala retraining which results in
remission cannot be found in the scientific literature.
It’s
Not Sold in Stores
It’s not sold in
stores and it’s not written about in books. The techniques are kept top secret
and are often only taught in expensive workshops for a high fee.
It
Has Undisclosed Ingredients or Content
The nature of the
exercises and ‘retraining’ is not revealed until a fee is paid. No doctor would
offer a surgery without revealing the full nature of the procedure to be
performed, nor should a person be expected to pay for any type of treatment or
therapy without knowledge of the procedure they are paying for.
You
Have to Keep at it to Get Results
The purporters of
amygdala retraining say it’s simple and easy and claim they themselves have
been cured… instantly or within days. But you will have to keep practicing the
technique to get results… often for months they claim.
It
Doesn’t Work Because You Did It Wrong
After you’ve
shelled out money and taken the workshop and don’t get results, you are simply
told, “You’re doing it wrong.” But they
often can’t specify anything wrong with your technique, just that you have to
practice more or concentrate harder.
Science Hasn’t Even
Bothered to Discredit It (no threat)
Usually when a
complimentary or alternative treatment works, it is a threat to the drug
industry and they actively work to produce studies to discredit it in favor of
drug based approaches. MCS, CFS, and FM experiments involving amygdala
retraining which results in remission cannot be found in the scientific
literature.
The seller
lacks a medical degree or similar qualification.
None of the
purporters of amygdala retraining cures hold medical credentials.
It’s
Too Good to Be True
A simple exercise
you do each morning for a short time and you’re cured. You can stop the exercise once the amygdala
is retrained. After spending hoards of
money on testing, doctors, treatments, medications, and other methods, this
seems so easy, it can’t be for real.
All
ten warning signs of a medical scam are present when it comes to curing MCS, CFS,
and FM with amygdala retraining.
At its best,
such a ‘retraining’ might be useful for the few people who are genuinely
fearful or suffer exaggerated amounts of anxiety over their illness. It may indeed be a great technique to help
address the many emotions living with a challenging chronic illness presents. For this small percentage of the chronically
ill and general population, retraining may serve as a good coping technique to
deal with the many emotions which arise when illness strikes.
However,
claiming that amygdala retraining can prevent poisoning by a toxic agent and
somehow cure toxicological damage is nothing more than a complete and total
scam.
In
response to amygdala retraining, a respected colleague said:
“All the brain retraining programs are just giant
frauds designed to suck money out of the sick and desperate. If you want some
real answers to CFS, ask yourself why is it one of the
most toxic materials (mercury) in most people’s mouths. Why do we inject it
into people with vaccines? I could go on. No one wants to ask the hard
questions.”
Some people with CFS, MCS, and
FM are tired of all the supplements, avoiding places, having to check
everything out in advance, and don’t feel that this is a life worth living
long-term.
Rather than wasting time on
miracle cures, it is suggested that people who want to see a change in their
lives become politically active and join in campaigns to stop toxic chemicals
in everyday products.
Instead of spending hundreds of dollars on promoted cures and the 30 minutes or
hour a day meditating on brain changes, donate to groups like the Environmental
Working Group (EWG) and spend 20 minutes a day calling your elected
representatives and the companies making toxic products and get them to stop poisoning
the planet and human life. The problem
of illnesses like MCS would be solved then!
No Toxic Chemicals = No Chemical Injuries
= No Illness
Vaccine
Adjuvant Alters Neurological Function in Rat Experiment
Autism is a neurodevelopmental disability
characterized by social withdrawal, communication deficits, and repetitive
behaviors. Both genetic and environmental factors have been implicated as
causes of autism, moreover a high body burden of mercury and other toxic metals
from vaccinations and environmental exposures has been increasingly given more
attention.
Thimerosal is mercury containing vaccine
preservative added to many childhood vaccines.
It is widely suspected as a cause of an increasing widespread epidemic
of childhood neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism.
Now, a new study
shows that administration of thimerosal leads to long lasting neurological
impairment in rats, specifically by altering the neural process of handling noxious stimuli.
Analysis also
shows that significant amounts of mercury from thimerosal accumulates in the
rat brain and remains long term. The
mercury is not readily cleared, as was previously believed. Though mercury readily leaves the blood
stream, it does not leave the body. It
is now recognized to accumulate in brain tissue.
Additionally, this research is supported
by various prior studies which show that children with autism suffer from a
weak ability to excrete mercury and that the weaker the
ability, the more severe the symptoms of autism.
Now, two new research studies
investigating the effects of chelation therapy on the health and behavior of
children with autism spectrum disorders have discovered that children receiving
chelation to reduce mercury levels had significant improvements.
It appears that mercury may produce they
symptom set recognized in the autism spectrum disorders as a form of autism.
References
Adams JB, Baral
M, Geis E, Mitchell J, Ingram J, Hensley A, Zappia I, Newmark S, Gehn E, Rubin RA, Mitchell K, Bradstreet J, El-Dahr J. Safety and efficacy of oral DMSA therapy for
children with autism spectrum disorders: part A--medical
results. BMC Clin Pharmacol. 2009 Oct 23;9:16.
Adams JB, Baral
M, Geis E, Mitchell J, Ingram J, Hensley A, Zappia I, Newmark S, Gehn E, Rubin RA, Mitchell K, Bradstreet J, El-Dahr J. Safety and efficacy of oral DMSA therapy for
children with autism spectrum disorders: part B - behavioral results. BMC Clin Pharmacol. 2009 Oct 23;9:17.
Olczak M, Duszczyk M, Mierzejewski P, Majewska
MD. Neonatal administration of a vaccine preservative, thimerosal,
produces lasting impairment of nociception and
apparent activation of opioid system in rats. Brain Res. 2009 Dec 8;1301:143-51.
Epub 2009 Sep 9.
Q&A How to Block EMF Exposure
Q: What I can do to counteract electromagnetic
field exposure to protect my health?
A:
There are several good EMF and electrosensitivity brochures which may be
helpful to understand the health effects of electromagnetic field
exposure.
Electrosensitivity
Brochure by Kato Yasuko
http://mcs-america.org/KatoYasukoElectrosensitivityBrochure.doc
Bees, Birds, and Mankind - Destroying Nature by ‘Electrosmog’
by Ulrich Warnke
http://www.mcs-america.org/BeesBirdsandMankindDestroyingNaturebyElectrosmog.pdf
Electrosensitivity?
What's that?
http://www.es-uk.info/docs/20080829_es-uk_leaflet.pdf
EM Facts Consultancy: Wireless Networks (Wi-Fi)
http://mcs-america.org/EMFFactsConsultancyBrochureonWiFi.pdf
The Sunflower Project Electromagnetic Sensitivity Brochure
http://www.mcs-america.org/TheSunflowerProjectEMSBrochure.doc
Others may be found
at http://www.mcs-america.org/index_files/MCSBrochuresPostersSigns.htm.
There are various clothing garments, wall covers, and other devices which
may help counteract the exposure. In essence, a person can create a
Faraday cage within the confines of a room in their home.
A Faraday cage, sometimes called a Faraday
shield,
is an enclosure invented by Michael Faraday, which is made of mesh conducting
that blocks out external electrical fields. Various EMF shields can be
purchased from stores like this one (nfi):
In addition,
cleaning up your own home can help to reduce overall exposure. Here are
some general tips from EI Wellspring:
Introduction to
Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity
http://www.eiwellspring.org/IntroductionToEHS.pdf
How to Measure EMF
http://www.eiwellspring.org/HowToMeasureEMF.pdf
Electromagnetic Survey of a Home
http://www.eiwellspring.org/ElectromagneticSurveyOfAHome.pdf
Resources for Electrically Sensitive People
http://www.eiwellspring.org/ResourcesForEHSPeople.pdf
Resources for DC Living
http://www.eiwellspring.org/ResourcesForDCLiving.pdf
Using Power Strips to Lower EMF Exposures
http://www.eiwellspring.org/UsingPowerStrips.pdf
Choosing Household Wiring for Low EMF
http://www.eiwellspring.org/ChoosingHouseholdWiring.pdf
Solar Energy Can Be a Health Hazard
http://www.eiwellspring.org/SolarEMFHazard.pdf
Low-EMF Computer Set-Ups
http://www.asilo.com/aztap1
EMF from GFCI-Protected Outlets
http://www.eiwellspring.org/EMFFromGFCIProtectedOutlets.pdf
Cooking Without Getting Zapped
http://www.eiwellspring.org/CookingWithoutGettingZapped.pdf
Introduction to Low-EMF Cars
http://www.eiwellspring.org/IntroductionToLowEMFCars.pdf
Advanced Low-EMF Cars
http://www.eiwellspring.org/Advanced%20Low-EMF%20Cars.pdf
EMF Measurements of Cars and Trucks
http://www.eiwellspring.org/EMFMeasurementsOfCarsAndTrucks.pdf
How to Build Your Own Low-EMF Telephone
http://www.eiwellspring.org/HowToBuildYourOwnTelephone.pdf
Simple Telephone Filters
http://www.eiwellspring.org/SimpleTelephoneFilters.pdf
Can a Cell Phone Be
Used Safely with a Docking Station?
http://www.eiwellspring.org/SimpleTelephoneFilters.pdf
Chelation
Effective for Autism
Two new research studies investigating the
effects of chelation therapy on the health and behavior of children with autism
spectrum disorders have discovered that the children receiving chelation had
significant all-around improvements.
Autism is a developmental disability
characterized by social withdrawal, communication deficits, and repetitive
behaviors. Both genetic and environmental factors have been implicated as
causes of autism, though a high body burden of mercury and other toxic metals
from vaccinations and environmental exposures has been increasingly given more
attention.
Major sources of exposure to mercury include seafood, mercury dental
amalgams, and thimerosal in vaccines.
Heavy metal toxicity in autism may be due
to either a high exposure or a decreased ability to excrete heavy metals. Infants are notoriously more susceptible to
low excretion because they do not produce enough glutathione. Glutathione binds
to toxic metals so they may be eliminated via the liver excretion known as
bile.
Mercury is often
excreted from the body via hair. Adams
and colleagues cite, “children with autism had only 1/8 the normal amount of
mercury in their baby hair” and “a significant inverse correlation in the
severity of autism and the level of mercury in the hair, suggesting that the
children with the weakest ability to excrete mercury developed the most severe
symptoms” of autism.
Dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) is a chelation agent which binds to and
removes heavy metals from the body. It
preferentially binds to lead, but also increase the excretion of other toxic
metals, including mercury.
Adams
explains that “a decreased ability to excrete mercury should result in a higher
body burden, and that was demonstrated in a study which investigated the effect
of giving DMSA to 221 children with autism,” explains
In the new studies, the administration of
oral DMSA to autistic children led to a dramatic normalization of red blood
cell glutathione and greatly improved abnormal platelet counts. Children with
autism typically have very low or very high glutathione levels. After treatment
with DMSA, glutathione levels normalized within the acceptable clinical
range.
Overall, DMSA therapy seems to be reasonably safe, effective at removing
heavy metals and reducing autistic symptoms.
References
Adams JB, Baral M, Geis
E, Mitchell J, Ingram J, Hensley A, Zappia I, Newmark S, Gehn E, Rubin RA,
Mitchell K, Bradstreet J, El-Dahr J. Safety and
efficacy of oral DMSA therapy for children with autism spectrum disorders: part
A--medical results. BMC Clin Pharmacol. 2009 Oct 23;9:16.
Adams JB, Baral M, Geis
E, Mitchell J, Ingram J, Hensley A, Zappia I, Newmark S, Gehn E, Rubin RA,
Mitchell K, Bradstreet J, El-Dahr J. Safety and
efficacy of oral DMSA therapy for children with autism spectrum disorders: part
B - behavioral results.
BMC Clin Pharmacol.
2009 Oct 23;9:17.
Q&A Scent Strip Advertisements
Q:
I’m having a problem with scented ads ruining my newspaper. The fragrance permeates
the whole paper and I have to throw it out.
What can I do?
A: Many publications are startled by the outcry from
subscribers when they include scent strips.
Supposedly, scent strips don’t have a smell until they are opened by the
reader. However, the strips are known
for leaking powerful fragrances even before they are activated.
More progressive catalogues,
newspapers, and magazines have a call list for subscribers who want to be
notified when there is going to be anything scented in the publication. Others have a separate scent free edition for
customers who wish to receive the ads without the fragrance.
If your publication does not
have a scent free list or notification service, request that they start
one. The more that publishers hear from their readers, the
more likely they are to offer scent free options. Or, better yet, they may
leave the scents out altogether.
Also, write a letter to the
advertiser who purchased the scented ad and let them know you are unhappy with
it. Many scent manufacturers will deny
their scents escape the sealed scent strips or that they can be unpleasant or
have negative health effects, but don’t let this stop you. It’s important that these companies hear from
masses of people, lest they continue to poison the country with their ads.
Some points to remember:
1.
Fragrances
are made from 3,000– 5, 000 unregulated chemicals, 80% of which have not been
tested for human safety.
2.
Fragrance
chemicals have been shown in studies to induce neurotoxicity. Neurotoxicity increases with repeatedly
exposed to fragrance products.
3. Most all fragrance chemicals contain many
of the same toxins as in cigarette smoke.
4. Fragrance chemicals are solvent-based and
contain formaldehyde, benzene, toluene and phthalates, the hormone-disrupting
chemicals that are implicated in birth defects.
5. Fragrances invade the airspace of others
without their permission.
If each of us were to spend a
few short minutes a day calling our elected representatives and the companies
making and using fragranced products, we would create a very loud voice towards
encouraging them to stop poisoning the planet and human life.
Resources and Support
MCS
MCSA
Public
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/mcsa-public/
Open to the general public open to discuss MCS,
support, ideas, information, announcements, news and activism. No
application is required.
MCS
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/mcs-america-members-support
This group also fulfills the function of discuss support, ideas, information, announcements, and/or share personal activism like the MCSA-Pubic group, only with a closed membership that requires a membership application. This group also has the added benefit of being a place where individuals and other organizations and activists can engage in collaborative efforts with MCS America and being recipient to all the news feeds (see MCSA Feeds below). Members of this group are considered associate members of MCS America. Members do not operate MCS America in any way, but rather collaborate with the organization and are privy to some internal operations, activities, and events.
MCSA
Feeds
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/mcsafeeds
The purpose of this public access group is to receive daily distribution of news and research studies on multiple chemical sensitivity, chemical injury, environmental concerns, and other related environmental illnesses and disorders. Anyone can join without an application. Only the moderator posts to this group. This is not a discussion group. This group distributes about 15 articles on average each day.
MCS
Salvage and Share
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/MCSA-safer-salvage-and-share
A public access group similar to Freecycle,
except it's a free recycling program for safer reusable's
geared towards individuals with MCS, CFS, FM, and other related disabilities
correlated with the environment. The purpose of this program is to find,
give, and recycle needed "safe" or "safer" items. All
items are exchanged for free. Shipping cost are arranged between donor and
recipient. Anyone can join without an application.
Multiple
Chemical Sensitivities and Toxic Injury
http://groups.google.com/group/mcs-ti
This
is a small non-Yahoo based group open to the general public to discuss MCS, support,
ideas, information, announcements, news and activism.
MCS
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/mcs-hawaii
Open to the general public residing in
MCS
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/MCS-Nebraska
Open to the general public residing in
or subscribe at:
MCS
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/mcs-michigan
Open to the general public residing in
Support Forums Outside the
MCS
4Mom
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/4MOM/
According to
Bay
Area MCS
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/bayareamcslist/
Classified
ads and notices for people with MCS (Multiple Chemical Sensitivity) in the San
Francisco Bay Area.
CFS
CFIDS ME
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/CFS_CFIDS_ME/
This
Group is to promote friendly discussion about places where people have gone and
feel more or less recovered from CFS/ME/CFIDS.
Chemical
Disability Australasian NETwork
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CDANET/
A
Discussion/Chat/Mutual help list run by and for the chemically disabled.
CMCS-EI
Christian MCS, CFS, FM, and EI Group
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/CMCS-EI/
We are
a Christian group who have invisible illnesses like MCS (multiple chemical
sensitivity) or Environmental Illnesses like Chronic Fatigue Syndrome ( CFS ),
Fibromyalgia ( FM ), GWS, Lupus, Anxiety, etc.
Creative
Canaries Community
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/CreativeCanariesCommunity
This group is an online meeting place for creative artists with Chemical Sensitivities. We offer connections between - and information for - artists whose (artistic) life is affected by Chemical Sensitivities and the consequences they have.
Detox
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/mcs-america-members-support
"Detox"
is a group to serve chemically injured, environmentally ill, multiple chemical
sensitivity, and related illness such as chronic fatigue, candidiasis,
hypoglycemia, lupus, and others.
Disinissues
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Disinissues/
The purpose of Disinissues is to share experience and advice about the processes of obtaining and maintaining Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and long-term disability insurance. The group is targeted mainly towards those with invisible disabilities, such as CFIDS and other conditions not on Social Security's Listing of Impairments.
EMF
Refugee
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/emfrefugee/
This
ML has been created with the intent of bringing refugees together in countries around
the world to form their own EMF-free communities in natural environments where
they can heal and create healing environments for the Earth and others.
Environmental
Illness 001
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/environmental_illness001/
This
group is dedicated to curing / resolving all issues related to Environmental
Illness, including but not limited to: Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS),
Multiple Food Allergy, Leaky Gut Syndrome, Candida, Epstein Barr Virus, Chronic
Fatigue, Fibromyalgia, Heavy Metal Poisoning, Porphyria, endocrine system
dysregulation, etc.
eSens - Electrical
Sensitivity
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/eSens/
Do you feel ill when you're near computers, cell phones, fluorescent lights, or
wireless internet? If so, you may have "electrical sensitivity".
Gasslist-L (Glutaraldehyde, Aldehyde,
and Solvent Sensitivity)
http://www.ncchem.com/snftaas/gasslist.htm
This
list has been established to serve persons interested in Glutaraldehyde,
Aldehyde, and Solvent Sensitivity, especially
darkroom personnel, radiographers, and diagnostic medical sonographers. The
purpose of the list is to promote internet-wide exchange of research and
information.
Green
Canary
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GreenCanary
This
list is dedicated to a life free from toxic chemicals, and the health problems
that they can cause. Here we can come together and share the information
and experiences that have taught each of us a piece of the knowledge necessary
to survive and thrive, eliminating unnecessary toxic chemicals from our lives,
and replacing them with the elements of health and the alternatives offered by
the natural world around us.
Immune
http://immuneweb.org/lists/immune.html
This
is the list for support and information about multiple chemical sensitivities,
chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, lupus, multiple sclerosis, porphyria, allergies,
asthma, and other immune-related ailments.
Immune
Parenting
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/immune-parenting/
This
list is for both men and women who have Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Chronic
Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, autoimmune disorders, or other immune system
medical issues--or their partners--who are parents, pregnant, trying to
conceive, or who are thinking about parenthood.
Live
Chat at the Health and
This chatroom is not
associated with any group. It is unmoderated and no password is required. Chat
Times: Saturday - 7 pm ET, 6 pm CT, 5 pm Mtn, 4 pm
Pac; Monday - 9 pm ET, 8 pm CT, 7 pm Mtn, 6 pm Pac;
Wednesday - 8 pm ET, 7 pm CT, 6 pm Mtn, 5 pm
MCS
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/MCS-Canada/
This group
was formed to assist patients and concerned parties from all nationalities
learn to cope with environmental injury, including disorders such as
MCS
Canadian Sources
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MCS-CanadianSources
MCS
Canadian Sources is a support, information and resource exchange for those
living and coping with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS), Environmental
Illness (EI), or Chemical Injury (CI).
MCS
Photography
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/MCSphotography/
MCS
Photography is a group for those with multiple chemical sensitivity who capture
and share the world and their life through photography.
MCS
Recycle
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MCSRecycle/
The
objective of this group is to be able to share with each other items that are
chemical free and have been used in a non-toxic environment. This group is
planet-wide.
MCS
Safe Shelter
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/mcssafeshelterusa/
Short-term
and long-term housing for people with MCS (Multiple Chemical Sensitivity).
Check our database for listings by state. (Please use the two-digit code.) Find
rentals, hotels, and housing to purchase.
MCS
Survivors
http://communityzero.com/mcsurvivors
For those who
experience environmental illness or multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS), here
is a place to gather, exchange ideas, links to helpful websites, even have live
chats. Enjoy!
MCS Toxic Injuries
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/MCS-Toxic-Injuries/
MCS-Toxic-Injuries
is a self-moderated, secular, apolitical newsgroup for toxically-injured
environmentally sensitive people to support one another and exchange coping
methods, treatments and experiences.
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/MCSVillage/
The purpose
of this group is to discuss the feasibility of building a village(s)or
community in which MCS/EI patients can live safely, and to provide a forum in
which the legal, medical, geographic, architectural, social and funding issues
relating to building such a community(ies) or
village(s) may be discussed and resolved.
MCS
Writers Group
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/mcswritersgroup/
A
place for writers who have chemical sensitivities (or chemical injury) to share
their stories and articles, work on and develop public writing skills, exchange
editing skills and perspective, and develop ideas in order to bring awareness
and education to the published world about what it is like to live with
MCS/ES/CI/EI.
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/MO-MCS/
Midwest
Oasis MCS E-mail Support is the e-mail arm of the Midwest Oasis MCS Support Group.
Although people from all geographical areas are welcome to join, a partial
focus of this list will be discussion of regional issues affecting MCS
(Multiple Chemical Sensitivity) in
Multiple
Chemical Sensitivity (Chemical Sensitivity, Porphyrin & CO)
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/MultipleChemicalSensitivity/
Discussion
group where people afflicted with Chemical Sensitivity, Chronic Carbon Monoxide
Poisoning &/or Disorders of Porphyrin Metabolism can talk about their
illness, inquire with others on avoidance, methods of cleaning & products
one can use for necessary hygiene.
Old
Dominion MCS-FMS_CFIDS Support Group · A Virginia Fibro MCS CFIDS Group
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/OldDominionMCS-FMS_CFIDSsupportgroup/
Too
many people in
Planet
Thrive
A
dynamic online community for those activity seeking answers and support for a
variety of health concerns. A place where people around the world help
each other get well and stay well.
Sick
Buildings
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/sickbuildings/
Toxic
molds are running rampant in our homes, offices and schools. Exposure to
mycotoxins has been linked to the death of infants, as well as
immune-compromised adults. Despite increasing reports of mold-induced illness
and health problems associated with mold exposure, our public health agencies
offer little, if any support or funding for research into this growing problem.
Sprayno
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sprayno/
This
is a list to exchange information regarding environmental issues in the
northern suburbs and NY metro area focusing especially on encouraging activism
in this area and educating the public about toxic effects of
pesticide/herbicide usage.
Tenth
Paradigm Society
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/TenthParadigmSociety/
The
Tenth Paradigm Society mailing list is for the dissemination and discussion of
information concerning the NO/ONOO- cycle mechanism, a new paradigm of human
disease, proposed by Martin L. Pall, Ph.D. Dr. Pall adopted the term
"Multisystem Illness" to describe those diseases that fall under the
tenth paradigm. They include: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS/CFIDS/M.E.),
Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS), Fibromyalgia (FM/FMS), Post-Traumatic
Stress Disorder (PTSD), and Gulf War Syndrome (GWS).
The
Sanctuary
http://www.mcs-international.org/phpBB3/
MCS-International.Org's Holistic Support Forums For sufferers of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity and all other forms of Chemical Injury and Environmental Illness.
Toxics Discussion
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ToxicsDiscussion/
If you're keen on a toxics-safe future for the planet, then this is the
discussion group for you. Toxics are defined here as naturally occurring or
man-made chemicals (elements/compounds/mixtures) that have a toxic effect.
WSMCSN
(
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WSMCSN
WSMCSN
is a decentralized network of groups and individuals in
Additional
Forum Listing Webpage
http://ww.mcs-america.org/forums
Physician & Dentist Referral Lists
Physician Referral List by State
http://mcs-america.org/doctorlist.pdf
Proper medical care is most crucial to recovery for individuals with MCS. Some of the physicians on this list specialize in MCS, others in FM and CFS. It is recommended that patients and doctors consult with one another prior to beginning any treatment to ensure understanding of the patient’s needs and compatibility of patient and physician.
Dentist Referral List by State
http://mcs-america.org/dentistlist.pdf
Dental care is often challenging for individuals with MCS. Dental materials may cause reactions and should be tested for biocompatibility prior to use. A holistic dentist Is generally more familiar with the needs of individuals with MCS. Some of the dentists on this list are specifically familiar with MCS, others are not. It is recommended that patients and dentists consult with one another prior to beginning any treatment to ensure understanding of the patient’s needs and compatibility of patient and dentist.
Air Quality Reports
Air Now Air Quality Reports
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/whereyoulive.html
The National Association of Clean Air
Agencies 4 Cleaner Air
American Lung
Association: State of the Air
http://lungaction.org/reports/stateoftheair2007.htm
Current Local & National Allergy
Levels
http://pollen.com/Pollen.com.asp
Scorecard:
Pollution Index by Area
Toxmap Hazardous Waste
Site Locations
http://toxmap.nlm.nih.gov/toxmap/main/index.jsp
http://www.firedetect.noaa.gov/viewer.htm
Antenna Search (
http://mcs-america.org/index_files/www.AntennaSearch.com
EPA Safe Drinking Water Information by
State
http://www.epa.gov/safewater/dwinfo/
EPA Radon Zone Map
http://www.epa.gov/radon/zonemap.html
Brochures
Air Fresheners & Plug-Ins
http://mcs-america.org/airfresh.pdf
Chemical in Air Fresheners Reduces Lung Function
http://mcs-america.org/lung.pdf
Consequences of Childhood Chemical Injury Poster By Margaret S. O’Nan
http://mcs-america.org/onan.pdf
Electrosensitivity Brochure by Kato Yasuko
http://mcs-america.org/KatoYasukoElectrosensitivityBrochure.doc
Fabric Softener
http://mcs-america.org/fabricsoftener.pdf
Fragrances
http://mcs-america.org/fragrances.pdf
Grandma’s Cupboard: General
Cleaning Solutions
http://www.mcs-america.org/general.pdf
Grandma’s Cupboard: Kitchen
Cleaning
http://www.mcs-america.org/kitchen.pdf
Grandma’s Cupboard: Personal
Care
http://www.mcs-america.org/personal.pdf
Grandma’s Cupboard: Laundry
http://www.mcs-america.org/laundry.pdf
Household Mold brochure from
http://publications.msss.gouv.qc.ca/acrobat/f/documentation/2002/02-214-01A.pdf
ILRU: Understanding &
Accommodating People with MCS in Everyday Living
http://mcs-america.org/ilru.pdf
Indoor Air Chemistry
http://mcs-america.org/indoorair.pdf
Interior Design and MCS
http://mcs-america.org/interior.pdf
Jill Mellum: Breathe Easier, Hold the Fragrances Brochure
http://mcs-america.org/fragrancefacts.pdf
MCS Task Force of
http://mcs-america.org/newmexico.pdf
MCS Public Accommodations
http://www.nettally.com/prusty/PUBLIC%20ACCOMMODATIONS.pdf
MCS Statistics
http://www.mcs-america.org/MCSStatistics.pdf
No Scents Makes Sense Brochure
http://www.nb.lung.ca/pdf/NoScentsMakeSense.pdf
Theory on the Cause of MCS:
Peroxynitrite and Nitric Oxide
http://www.mcs-america.org/cause.pdf
Understanding Multiple Chemical Sensitivity
http://www.mcs-america.org/understanding.pdf
Use of Baking Soda as a Fungicide
http://mcs-america.org/fungicide.pdf
Vaccine Poster - Are We Poisoning Our Children?
http://www.generationrescue.org/pdf/080212.pdf
Visiting a Person with MCS
http://mcs-america.org/visiting.pdf
What you should know before visiting a person who has NRLA and/or MCS
http://mcs-america.org/VisitingNRLA-MCS.pdf
Signs
Acute Toxic Effects of Fragrances Business
Card
http://mcs-america.org/acutetoxiceffectsoffragrancescard.pdf
Chemical Awareness Ribbon
http://mcs-america.org/ribbon.gif
Electrosensitivity Sign - Please
Turn Off Your Cell Phone
http://mcs-america.org/KatoYasukoElectrosensitivtySignTurnOffYourCellPhone.pdf
Facemask on Tweety
http://mcs-america.org/tweety.jpg
Fragrance Free Sign: Brooks University
http://www.brocku.ca/oehs/graphics/Fragrance_Free_Sign.pdf
No Scents Makes Sense Sign
http://mcs-america.org/scentssign.pdf
No Latex Sign by Jane Sagmoe
http://mcs-america.org/nolatex.JPG
You Could Be Next Sign
http://mcs-america.org/nextsign.pdf
Want to Put Your Friends and Family in
Jail?
http://mcs-america.org/jail.pdf
Wood Smoke Trespass Flyer 8 1/2 x 11
http://mcs-america.org/woodsmokeflyer.pdf
Activist Materials
Fragrances on Mail and/or Catalogs
http://mcs-america.org/FragrancedMailCatalogBillsLetterforActivists.doc
Air Freshener Use
http://www.mcs-america.org/customairfreshenerletter.doc
Use of Fragrance,
http://mcs-america.org/UseofFragranceLetterforActivists.doc
Fabric Softener Emissions
http://www.mcs-america.org/LetterAboutFabricSoftener.doc
Letter to State Representatives to Ban
Woodsmoke
http://mcs-america.org/woodsmoke.doc
Letter to Doctors and Medical Boards
Supporting MCS as a biological Illness (fully cited and scientifically
supported)
Website:
http://mcs-america.org/MCSPositionStatement.htm
PDF:
http://mcs-america.org/MCSPositionStatement.pdf
*This work is copyrighted. Permission granted for personal use in
activism provided that original copyright and authorship are maintained. For permission to reprint, mail admin@mcs-america.org.
Request for Accommodations Under the
Americans with Disabilities Act
http://www.mcs-america.org/RequestforAccomodation.doc
Public Service Announcements
Public Service Announcement #1
Air fresheners have been pulled off thousands of shelves nation-wide!
http://www.mcs-america.org/AirFreshenerPSA1.pdf
Public Service Announcement #2
When you use fragranced products, did you know you are
wearing toxic chemicals!?
http://www.mcs-america.org/WhenYouUseFragrancedProductsPSA2.pdf
Public Service Announcement #3
Secondhand Fragrances are Like Secondhand Smoke!
http://www.mcs-america.org/SecondHandFragrancesPSA3.pdf
Public Service Announcement #4
Scented laundry detergents and fabric softeners pollute indoor and outdoor air!
http://www.mcs-america.org/ScentedLaundryDetergentsPSA4.pdf
Public Service Announcement #4 (SPANISH)
Scented laundry detergents and fabric softeners pollute indoor and outdoor air!
http://mcs-america.org/mcsamerica/ScentedLaundryDetergentsPSA4Spanish.pdf
Public Service Announcement #5
Wood Smoke... The Other Secondhand Smoke!
http://www.mcs-america.org/WoodSmokePSA5BurningIssues.pdf
Public Service Announcement #6
Fragrances undermine public health!
http://www.mcs-america.org/FragrancesPSA6.pdf
Public Service Announcement #7
Fragranced Laundry Products Pollute Our
Air
http://mcs-america.org/PSA7FragrancedLaundry.pdf
Clothing & Novelties for
Activism
MCS
http://www.mcs-america.org/MCSstore..htm
Zona’s T-Shirts and Stuff Zone
http://members.shaw.ca/zonaszone/shop/tshirts.html
Virtual & Work-at-Home
Jobs
Agent, Staffing at Home
http://www.staffingathome.com/
Agent,
West at Home
Agent, Working Solutions
http://www.workingsol.com/home.htm
Blogger, PayPerPost.com
http://payperpost.com/blogger_signup.html
http://www.accoladesupport.com/
Caller Employee, Customer Loyalty Concepts
http://www.customloyal.com/Employment.aspx
Chef Instructor, Chefs Line
Customer Care, VIP Desk
http://www.vipdesk.com/info/default.asp
Customer Service, Alpine Access
http://www.alpineaccess.com/external/index.html
Editor,
EditFast.com
Expert,
JustAnswer Corp
Freelancer, Team Double-Click
http://www.teamdoubleclick.com/freelance.html
Guide, About .com
Guide, ChaCha
Home Agent, Convergys
http://www.convergysworkathome.com/
Telemarketing, Intrep Sales
Partners
Online Juror, eJury.com
Online Juror,
OnlineVerdict.com
Online Juror, Trial
Practice Inc.
Third Party Verifier, BSG Payments LLC
Virtual Assistant, Virtual
Office Temps
http://virtualassistantjobs.com/
Virtual Services, Arise
Virtual Solutions
http://www.arise.com/Content/default.asp
Writer, Associated Content
http://www.associatedcontent.com/
Writer, CyberEdit
Inc.
Writer, MyEssays.com
http://www.myessays.com/sell.php
National
Telecommuting Institute, Inc.
Environmentally Safer
Housing
Allergy And Environmental Health
Association Of
http://www.aeha-quebec.ca/bb_housingproject.htm
Barrhaven Non-Profit Housing Inc.
Environmental Sensitivity Units
Steepleview Crossing,
(613) 823-6230 Fax: (613)
825-7724
http://ehaontario.ca/barrhaven-housing.htm
Canada-wide
Housing Connection
1-613-278-0463
http://ehaontario.ca/interview.htm
Ecology House,
(415) 456-4453
Escalante House
Phone/Fax: (435) 826-4778
toripat@color-country.net
Green Homes for
Safe Haven Community Housing
http://www.geocities.com/safehavencommunity/#ntact
The Pandora Initiative (
Quail Haven - MCS Housing
Just North of Tuscon, AZ
Call Diane Ensign for details:
May through January call: (406) 586-3658 (
January through May call: (520) 825-7276 (
http://madelinx.tripod.com/
Seagoville Ecology Housing
(972) 287-2059 Fax: (972)
287-7682
http://www.ehcd.com/resources/ecologyhousing.html
The
954-428-5438
http://www.thenaturalplace.com/default.htm
Safer Building &
Regulations
American Lung Association: Resources & Referrals for and from the
Master Home Environmentalist program.
http://tinyurl.com/5vvk9e
Architectural House Plans Healthy Homes
Construction Guidelines
Information: http://tinyurl.com/6dteuz
Booklet:
http://www.architecturalhouseplans.com/products/
Assessment of the
Indoor Air Quality of a Suite for an Environmentally Hypersensitive Occupant
http://mcs-america.org/IAQforanEIOccupant.pdf
Considerations For
Safer Construction And Renovation By
http://www.environmentalhealth.ca/w9394safer.html
Dr. Grace Ziem’s Environmental Control
Plan for MCS Patients
http://www.mcsrr.org/resources/articles/S3.html
The
The Effect of Housing on Individuals with
Multiple Chemical Sensitivities
Building for Health Materials Center
http://www.buildingforhealth.com/
Environmental Home Center
http://tinyurl.com/5ssv8a
Heal Your
The Healthy Housing
Coalition: Basic Needs for Rental
Housing for Chemically Sensitive Persons
http://www.herc.org/hhc/Basicrentalneeds.html
Healthy Housing Practical Tips
IEQ Indoor
Environmental Quality
http://ieq.nibs.org/ieq_project.pdf
International Institute for Building
Biology and Ecology
http://www.buildingbiology.net/
LEED®
http://www.cagbc.org/leed/systems/index.htm
The Medical Perspective on Environmental
Sensitivities: Building codes,
regulations and guidelines
Moving House - Things To Look For If You
Suffer From MCS
http://www.drmyhill.co.uk/article.cfm?id=147
Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS): The
Controversy and Relation to Interior Design
http://www.idec.org/publication/JIDarticleMCS.pdf
Optimum Environments for Optimum Health
&Creativity: Designing and Building a Healthy Home or Office, William J. Rea,
M.D.
http://www.ehcd.com/books/home_building_designing.html
Recommended Architectural Features for
Multi-Family Housing to Better Accommodate Chemical and Electrical Sensitivities,
Susan Molloy, M.A,
http://www.ctaz.com/~bhima/recommcshous.htm
Research House for the Environmentally
Hypersensitive
Safer Construction Tips for the
Environmentally Sensitive
Understanding & Accommodating People
with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity in Independent Living, Chapter 4, The
Housing Challenge in MCS
http://www.ilru.org/html/publications/bookshelf/MCS.html#chapter4
http://www.hud.gov/offices/lead/2008NHHC.cfm
Builders and Building
Material Suppliers
http://www.greenbuildingstore.co.uk/naturalpaints.php
Healthy Buildings, Inc (Air Quality
Testing)
http://www.healthybuilding.com/html/about_us.html
Resources for the Chemically Injured:
Building Materials
http://www.lassentech.com/eibuld.html
Tad Taylor’s Healthy Homes, LLC
Other Housing Resources
Extreme Home Makeover
http://abc.go.com/primetime/xtremehome/index?pn=apply
Residential Rehabilitation Assistance
Program for Persons with Disabilities (Canada).
http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/co/prfinas/prfinas_003.cfm
Disclaimer
This date
is for informational purposes and is not intended to replace the examination,
diagnosis and treatment of a licensed physician and no such claims are
inferred. MCS
Community News
Subscribe to News
& Media Articles
To receive free daily news and research feeds about MCS & the environment
as they happen,
send an e-mail to:
mcsafeeds-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Hidden threat: Elevated pollution levels
near regional airports
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118112423.htm
Pesticides in Dust from Homes in an Agricultural Area
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es9020958
Ultrafine Particles in Indoor Air of a School:
Possible Role of Secondary Organic Aerosols
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es902471a
The Link Between Cell Phones and Cancer
http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/link-between-cell-phones-and-cancer
Walking hazard: Cell-phone use -- but not music -- reduces pedestrian safety
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/uoia-whc111609.php
Nanoparticles used in common household items caused genetic damage in mice
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/uoc--nui111609.php
For Some Smokers, Even Home Is Off Limits
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/16/nyregion/16smoke.html?_r=1
H1N1 Linked To Vitamin D Deficiency
http://thebulletin.us/articles/2009/11/15/top_stories/doc4b004bbeeeca0983629489.txt
China Investigates Deaths After Swine Flu Shot
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1939575,00.html
South Korean Teenager Jumps From Apartment
Window After Taking Tamiflu
http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsworld.php?id=455167
Is Grandma's China Toxic?:
Dinnerware tips
http://www.journal-news.net/page/content.detail/id/527952.html?nav=5004
Featured
Research Studies
Detection of organophosphate flame retardants in furniture foam and
Stapleton HM, Klosterhaus S, Eagle S, Fuh J,
Meeker JD, Blum A, Webster TF.
Environ Sci Technol. 2009 Oct 1;43(19):7490-5.
Restrictions on the use of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have
resulted in the increased use of alternate flame retardant chemicals to meet
flammability standards. However, it has been difficult to determine which
chemical formulations are currently being used in high volumes to meet
flammability standards since the use of flame retardant formulations in
consumer products is not transparent (i.e., not provided to customers).
To investigate chemicals being used as replacements
for PentaBDE in polyurethane foam, we analyzed foam
samples from 26 different pieces of furniture purchased in the
Fifteen of the foam samples contained the flame retardanttris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TDCPP; 1-5%
by weight), four samples contained tris(1-chloro-2-propyl)
phosphate (TCPP; 0.5 -22% by weight), one sample contained brominated
chemicals found in a new flame retardant mixture called Firemaster
550 (4.2% by weight), and one foam sample collected from a futon likely
purchased prior to 2004 contained PentaBDE (0.5% by
weight).
Due to the high frequency of detection of the
chlorinated phosphate compounds in furniture foam,we
analyzed extracts from 50 house dust samples collected between 2002 and 2007 in
the Boston, MA area for TDCPP, TCPP, and another high volume use
organophosphate-based flame retardant used in foam, triphenylphosphate
(TPP). Detection frequencies for TDCPP and TPP in the dust samples were >
96% and were log normally distributed, similar to observations for PBDEs. TCPP was positively detected in dust in only 24% of
the samples, but detection was significantly limited by a coelution
problem. The geometric mean concentrations for TCPP, TDCPP, and TPP in house
dust were 570, 1890, and 7360 ng/g, respectively, and
maximum values detected in dust were 5490, 56,080 and 1,798,000 ng/g, respectively.
These data suggest that levels of these
organophosphate flame retardants are comparable, or in some cases greater than,
levels of PBDEs in house dust. The high prevalence of
these chemicals in foam and the high concentrations measured in dust (as high
as 1.8 mg/g) warrant further studies to evaluate potential health effects from
dust exposure, particularly for children.
PMID: 19848166 [PubMed -
indexed for MEDLINE]
Regulatory T cells
(Tregs) monitoring in environmental diseases.
Mićović V, Vojniković
B, Bulog A, Coklo M, Malatestinić D, Mrakovcić-Sutić
I.
Coll Antropol. 2009 Sep;33(3):743-6.
Department of Public
Health,
The prevalence of
environmental diseases is increasing worldwide and these diseases are an
onerous burden both to the individual and to the public health. Urban air
pollution is a grave problem in majority of metropolises, which contain high
levels of traffic congestion generating great amounts of genotoxic
substances. The contribution of such environmental exposure to increase
prevalence of many allergic, environmental diseases and multiple chemical
sensitivity or other related syndromes, as a result of an abnormal immune
response based on environmental damage of lymphocyte subsets, is marked.
Benzene is one of the most important air pollutants that are emitted by oil
industry, since they are involved in almost every refinery process. Volatile
organic compounds (VOCs) are a major group of air
pollutants and play a crucial role in ecological damages, disturbing the
ecosystem and human health. The variability of pollutants is an important
factor in determining human exposure to these chemicals. The immune system
possess a capacity to distinguish between innocuous and harmful foreign
antigens and controls this action by mechanisms of central and peripheral
tolerance, where crucial role play regulatory T cells
(Tregs). We analyzed the characteristics of human Tregs of inhabitants living near gasoline industry which
have assessed moderate spyrometric tests and compared
them with those situated in rural areas. Our data demonstrate that the chronic
inhalation exposure increases the percentage of Tregs
cells, but contrary those of inhabitants with decreased spirometry
values have shown diminished number of Tregs, which
may contribute to the new therapeutic approach of environmental diseases.
PMID: 19860098 [PubMed - in process]
5-Hydroxytryptamine Receptor Stimulation of Mitochondrial Biogenesis.
Rasbach K, Funk JA, Jayavelu T, Green
PT, Schnellmann RG.
J Pharmacol
Exp Ther. 2009 Oct
29. [Epub ahead of print]
Mitochondrial dysfunction is both a cause and target of reactive oxygen species
during ischemia-reperfusion, drug and toxicant injury. Following injury renal
proximal tubular cells (RPTC) recover mitochondrial function by increasing the
expression of the master regulator of mitochondrial biogenesis, PGC-1alpha. The goal of this study was to determine whether
5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) receptor agonists increase mitochondrial biogenesis
and accelerate the recovery of mitochondrial function. RT-PCR analysis
confirmed the presence of 5-HT2A, 5-HT2B and 5-HT2C receptor mRNA in RPTC. The
5-HT2 receptor agonist 1-(2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodophenyl)-2-aminopropane
hydrochloride (DOI) (3-10 muM) increased PGC-1alpha
levels, expression of mitochondrial proteins ATP synthase
beta and NDUFB8, MitoTracker Red staining intensity,
cellular respiration and ATP levels through a 5-HT receptor and PGC-1alpha
dependent pathway. Similar effects were observed with the 5-HT2 agonist m-chlorophenylpiperazine (mCCP) and
were blocked by the 5-HT2 antagonist 8-[3-(4-fluorophenoxy) propyl]-1-phenyl-1,3,8-triazaspiro[4, 5]decan-4-one (AMI-193). Additionally,
DOI accelerated the recovery of mitochondrial function following
oxidant-induced injury in RPTC. This is the first report to demonstrate 5-HT
receptor mediated mitochondrial biogenesis and we suggest that 5-HT-agonists
may be effective in the treatment of mitochondrial and cell injury.
PMID: 19875674 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
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