MCSA NEWS
– Online Edition
June 2009, Volume
4, Issue 6
Entire PDF Edition: http://mcs-america.org/June2009.pdf (View, Download, and
Print)
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Governors and Mayors Warn of the Toxic Effects of Chemicals
Social Security
Disability A Chink in the Armor
The Prevalence of Fragrance
Sensitivity
Welcome to MCS Time to Look at Your Kitchen in a Different
Light
Bird, Bees, and
Electromagnetic Pollution
The Impact of a Sweet Fragrance
Q&A Public HVAC Scent Diffusers
$3.3 Million Awarded in
Mold Suit
Vaccinated Children
Three Times More Likely To Be Hospitalized
Irradiated Foods May
Cause Serious Brain Damage
Governors
and Mayors Warn of the Toxic Effects of Chemicals
In the
Toxic chemical injury is an increasing epidemic which leads to emergency
department visits, job loss, homelessness, school absenteeism, and serious
lifelong chronic illness in
Multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) affects men, women, and children irregardless
of gender, race and economic status. Children are especially vulnerable during
development and due to their smaller size.
In response to these alarming statistics, and in an effort to raise
public awareness of the risks faced everyday by Americans living with multiple
chemical sensitivity and toxic injury, May was Multiple Chemical Sensitivity
and Toxic Injury Awareness Month in
Thirty-six governors and mayors across
Events were held across the
Vast efforts have been made by politicians, individuals, and organizations
around the world to expand awareness.
Governors &
Mayors Speak Out
Many governors and mayors around the
country have proclaimed May as Toxic Injury, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, and
Electromagnetic Sensitivity Awareness month.
Jodi Rell, governor of Connecticut, recognized all
three and said, "Multiple Chemical Sensitivity is a preventable
disorder... a chronic condition for which there is no cure... recognized by the
Americans with Disabilities Act, Social Security Administration, World Health
Organization, United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, and
other state and national government agencies and commissions."
Rell, along with governors Christine O. Gregoire of Washington, Mayor Thomas P. Perciak
of Strongsville Ohio, and others say, "Reasonable accommodations,
information about, and recognition of MCS can enable people with MCS to enjoy
access to work, schooling, public facilities, and other settings where they can
continue to contribute their skills, ideas, creativity, abilities, and
knowledge."
Florida Governor Charlie Crist reminds us that we are
all at risk from common chemical exposures when he says, "The health of
the general population is at risk from chemical exposures that can lead to this
environmentally induced illness." Crist also
reminds us that MCS may be preventable through the reduction or avoidance of
chemicals in our air, food, water, and indoor/outdoor environments.
Rell also affirms, "The health of the general
population is at risk from electromagnetic exposures that can lead to this
illness induced by electromagnetic radiation."
The Environmental Working Group has conducted studies which confirm that dozens
of chemicals in products we use every day enter the blood of test subjects.
These chemicals include flame retardants from furniture and bedding; pesticides
from food crops, home use, and commercial applications; heavy metals from food
contamination, thermometers, switches, and coal fired power plants;
formaldehyde from clothing treatments and other sources; and an assorted
chemical cocktail of the nearly 5,000 chemicals which create fragrances that
are added to our personal care products, perfumes, soaps, air fresheners, and
other scented items.
Few of these chemicals are tested for human safety, despite widespread belief
to the contrary. None of them have been tested for synergistic effects in
combination.
Brewer states, "Toxic substances may cause multiple illnesses affecting
all parts of the body, including the respiratory, central nervous, and immune
systems."
Brian Schweitzer, governor of
Dave Freudenthal, governor of
Individual proclamations may be viewed at:
http://www.mcs-america.org/index_files/proclamations.htm.
Ohio Senators Dale Miller (D-Cleveland) and Kevin Coughlin (
http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/BillText128/128_SB_117_I_Y.pdf.
Thirty-six governors and 30 mayors also issued Environmental Education
Week proclamations stressing the value of and need for environmental education
in their states and cities. For more information, visit the Children's
Environmental Health Network: Environmental Education Week at http://www.eeweek.org/.
Personal Choices
The choices we make as consumers largely govern manufacturers revenues and,
hence, the products they choose to market. It is within the power of each of us
to select the safest products on the market and let sellers know we want safer
ones. To do this, we must educate ourselves at every opportunity and question
every claim.
An interesting paradigm exists around marketing. Much advertising is geared
toward convincing buyers that it is essential to have and use a product. In
reality, many of these ploys are gimmicks to sell unnecessary and often unsafe
products.
Clever twists on a scientific study in which it was declared that an office
keyboard had more germs on it than a public toilet put fear in millions of
people and sold huge amounts of disinfectant spray that made many people ill
through the unintentional poisoning office air. Secretaries and staff applied
copious amounts of disinfectant to prevent the spread of germs based on this
fictitious study claim.
Yet, when this study was examined more closely, it was found that the public
toilet in question was cleaned and sanitized daily by a janitor while the
keyboard had not been so much as wiped, let alone actually cleaned, in years.
The fact remains that if both were cleaned with simple soap and water on a
regular basis, the keyboard would have few germs and the toilet would look like
germ warfare in comparison. Studies have shown that soap and water works as
effectively as anti-bacterial products at reducing germs... without the toxic
effects.
Unfortunately, most consumers have been raised to believe what they are told.
We trust that we are given accurate information without bias and few think
about the biased financial interests of advertisers. This begins at a very
early age and advertising is often geared towards children and young adults at
a time when they are most impressionable. Few have the knowledge, skill, or
understanding to research the claims that advertisers make.
Spreading the Word
The Allergy and Environmental Sensitivity Support and Research
Association, Inc. held a Chemical Sensitivity 2009 Seminar in
The seminar flyer may be downloaded from:
http://www.mcs-america.org/AESSRAChemicalSensitivty09Seminar.pdf.
A press release can be found at:
http://www.mcs-america.org/ChemicalSensitivitySeminar2009PressRelease.pdf.
The Allergy and Environmental Sensitivity Support and Research
Association, Inc. also distributed a brochure called "Are You Sensitive to
Chemicals?" It may be found at:
http://www.mcs-america.org/areyousensitivetochemicals.pdf.
In
http://www.nettally.com/prusty/Formww.htm.
In
Eating Green with Jeff Heinen
http://www.cuyahogalibrary.org/EventDetail.aspx?EventInstanceID=32707
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 7:00 PM
The Environment and Your Health
http://www.cuyahogalibrary.org/EventDetail.aspx?EventInstanceID=32705
Wednesday, May 06, 2009 7:00 PM
The University of New Mexico Center for Development and Disability has issued
their Third Edition of Tips for First Responders.
According to publishers, "Tips for First Responders, a 14-page,
color-coded, laminated 4.5 x 5.5-inch field guide. For the third edition a tip
sheet has been added that offers information to first responders on how to
assist Childbearing Women and Newborns.
Tips also include persons with a wide range of disabilities, as well as
Seniors, People with Service Animals, People with Mobility Challenges, People
with Mental Illness, Blind or Visually Impaired People, Deaf or Hard of Hearing
People, People with Autism, People with Multiple Chemical Sensitivities and
People with Cognitive Disabilities.
The tip sheets provide information first responders can use during
emergencies as well as routine encounters. They are not meant to be
comprehensive, but contain specific information that you can read quickly
either before or while responding to an incident. Over 80,000 copies of the
tips have been ordered by first responders across the country.
Partners in developing the Tip Sheets include the Bureau of Health
Emergency Management, New Mexico Department of Health; the New Mexico
Governor's Commission on Disability; the American Association on Health and
Disability; and the Disability and Health Branch of the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention."
The PDF Version of the Tips for First Responders may be viewed at
http://cdd.unm.edu/products/tips3rdedition.pdf.
The Tips for First Responders order form for printed copies may be downloaded
from
http://cdd.unm.edu/products/TIPSheetOrderForm.pdf.
Most people spend approximately 60% of
their time indoors according to the Allergy and Environmental Sensitivity
Support and Research Association Inc. (AESSRA) on a recent radio show,
"Trends and Products: our worsening indoor air". "As we move to
conserve energy in our houses we often need to close off the house -- but this
means less air flow and more potential for a poor quality of indoor air, "
according to the AESSRA. For more information and to listen to the show, see
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/bydesign/stories/2009/2562183.htm.
Statistics
MCS America reminds us of several important statistics related to MCS in
their press release
http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/100998.
MCS is a Major Public Health Concern
- At least 45 million people in the
- About
3 million Americans are diagnosed with MCS.
- MCS affects people of all ages,
economic status, race, and both genders.
- Chemicals that people with MCS
react to are toxic and affect everyone to some extent.
Medical Findings
- Brain
scans show reduced blood flow to the brain when people with MCS are under
chemical exposure.
- Physical
variances identified in MCS include brain inflammation, oxidative stress, excitotoxicity, cardiac and airway disease, and
auto-immune disorders.
- Mast cell activation and
disorders of porphyrin metabolism have been linked to MCS.
- Genetic variations relating to
detoxification processes have been linked to MCS.
The Cost of Environmental Illnesses
- Annual
expenditures for healthcare and lost productivity due to MCS are estimated
at $71.8 billion dollars per year.
Environmental Factors
- Indoor and outdoor environmental exposures can
trigger reactions: perfumes and fragrances, cleaning solutions, scented
laundry products, pesticides, herbicides, paint and building materials,
gasoline and petroleum based products, artificial flavors, colors, and
preservatives.
MCS Can be Controlled
- MCS can be controlled with a plan
that includes avoidance and control of environmental triggers; many people
with MCS can lead normal, healthy, and active lives.
Social Security A Chink in the Armor
You might want to think about the legal
system and society in general as wearing a suit of armor, like the Knights of Olde, when it comes to MCS/EI claims. If the MCS people are right, much of Western
Civilization as we know it is called into question, as it has been based to a
large extent on the use of ever increasing amounts of chemicals. They can’t allow that to happen. There’s too much money involved.
The medical profession,
unfortunately, has played a large role in this due to their reliance on
pharmaceuticals. The legal system long
ago embraced the MD’s as the only valid source of information on health issues,
to the extent that the word “medicine”, which simply means the use of drugs in
the treatment of health conditions, has become synonymous with “health care”
and with science itself.
Up until very recently, the
Social Security Administration rules did not even allow any evidence to be
considered as coming from an ‘expert’ unless it came from an MD, DO, or PhD in
psychology. If your chiropractor
submitted a report, it was treated as a ‘lay observation’ and was accorded the
same weight as a letter from you next door neighbor (Joe the Plumber).
In the previous articles I have
talked about how difficult it is to obtain any benefits or compensation from:
(1) disability insurance plans; (2) workers compensation claims; (3)
litigation; and (4) the
So, what else is there? Is
there a ‘chink in the armor” someplace?
Maybe.
Sometimes.
I handled my first Social Security
Disability case in the late 1970's. At
that time no one had really heard of it ,and you could count the lawyers
representing people in that field even in a major metropolitan area on the
fingers of one hand.
Over the ensuing years I took
in more and more such cases until, by the late 1980's, it was the bulk of my
practice. After developing fibromyalgia myself in the mid 80's, I started
handling a disproportionate amount of those cases compared to my expanding
field of colleagues. Even so, I had never
encountered a client with chemical sensitivities and had never heard of it
until I met ‘
‘
I happened to also be the precinct captain for our local reform oriented city
councilman and in that capacity had been to every home in the precinct.
Shortly before ‘Doris’ and her husband had moved in, I had stopped by a two
flat building where I was greeted by the young owner who was in the middle of
renovating it before he rented it out. This seemed like a positive
development. What I did not know was that he was using Urea Formaldehyde
foam insulation in all of the exterior walls.
Everything was normal after ‘Doris’ and her husband moved in and remained that
way for the two years that we knew them. Then ‘
Then I got a call from ‘
When we got to their apartment it had been stripped bare. Her husband had
been an art critic and his entire art collection had been removed from the
walls which were now covered in tin foil. ‘
To make a long story short, I won the appeal only by having her go to see a
psychologist and we were granted a new hearing. In the meantime, ‘Doris’
and her family had moved into her parent’s home in a nearby city. When I
went to meet her before the hearing I had to stand outside on a stepladder and
talk to her through a plate glass window. Her house had been completely
stripped down and she and her husband slept on bedsprings. She could not
read or watch TV or listen to the radio.
Her husband had to shower in the basement when he came home from work and put
on fresh clothes before coming upstairs. One day when he had stopped in a
bookstore on the way home, she noticed it even though he had taken a shower and
changed clothes. I began to think from that there might be something
going on here.
We did the hearing with her husband being the only witness and won based on the
psychological evidence. This, however, caused her to lose the disability
insurance benefits due to their exclusion for mental impairments. I tried
to explain to her that this would have happened anyway but she wouldn’t listen,
and I didn’t hear from her again for 20 years. By the time she called, I
was able to tell her that I had MCS myself and had closed my office and gone on
disability.
Over the intervening years I had a few more such cases. They were
all pretty much approved based on mental impairment issues, even though the
clients seemed more or less normal. I ran into one of them again years
later after we had moved out to the far suburbs and I had developed the MCS
problem myself. She was at our 200 member church , and neither of us had
recognized each other until I got up one Sunday and told the congregation about
my problem, and she introduced herself afterward.
Next article: Light at the end of the tunnel?
SAMe Wonder Nutrient
Overview
Pronounced as if it were
spelled ‘Sammy,’ SAMe stands for S-Adenosyl-L-methionine, a nutrient
Depression
Migraine
Fibromyalgia
Age-related brain disorders
Certain learning and memory disorders
Cirrhosis and other liver damage
Liver damage from chemical injury
Digestive Disorders
SAMe has many important functions in our bodies,
functions that are not met as well when we have a chronic illness or as we
age. Some of the more important functions are: mood elevation, blood
detoxification, and cartilage formation. SAMe
is found in every living organism. In the human body, it is directly
involved in more than 40 biochemical reactions and indirectly involved in many
others. SAMe is one of the most important
‘methyl donors’ in the body.
Our
bodies produce SAMe by combining the essential amino
acid methionine and ATP (created in our cells by the
combining of glucose and oxygen), the body’s primary energy molecule. Methionine comes from the following food sources: beans,
eggs, fish, garlic, lentils, meat, onions, soybeans, seeds, and yogurt.
But, methionine alone is not sufficient to make SAMe; ATP is required.
Unfortunately,
our diets are not good sources of SAMe. When
meats or other sources of dietary SAMe are cooked,
stored, or processed, what little SAMe is in them
breaks down into other compounds. While methionine is
needed to make SAMe, although one might think it
would help, supplementing with methionine does not
enhance the body’s production of SAMe. However,
through research, a stable form of SAMe is now
available on the market in supplement form.
As with any supplement,
there are several brands of SAMe, so when purchasing SAMe, remember the following criteria. Products need
to list both the amount of the elemental SAMe and the
amount of the salt from which the elemental SAMe is
derived. SAMe, being highly unstable, can be
compromised by moisture and heat. Therefore, tablets need to be sealed in
double-sided aluminum packages. Make sure you get only enteric-coated SAMe. It is six times more bioavailable
as non-enteric coated tablets, kinder to the stomach, and remains more stable
in the body. SAMe is pretty pricey, but do not
allow price to influence your buying decision. The best product will
yield quick and definite results while poor substitutes will only prove
frustrating to your efforts to be healthier.
SAMe does not mix well with some prescription
medications, like antidepressants such as Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) and MAO Inhibitors, so talk with a doctor before
using SAMe if you are on any of these
medications. Do not use SAMe if you have been
diagnosed as having Bipolar Affective Disorder (also known as Manic Depressive
Disorder). People with Parkinson’s need to consult their doctors before
supplementing with SAMe.
One
of the very best versions of SAMe on the market today
is made by Jarrow Formulas. It is available
from Nature’s Country Store at
SAMe is a Methyl Donor
Like a good Samaritan, SAMe is one of several methyl donors in the body.
Methyl donors are important. They help us maintain good health, and they help
us defend against a wide range of diseases. Improving the body’s
methylation (a fancy term meaning methyl donating) helps reduce the production
of homocysteine (a toxic amino acid known for
damaging) the heart and blood vessels). Methyl donors also help us
protect ourselves against cancer, damage to our joints, and diseases of the
brain, nervous system, and liver. Additionally, methyl donors act to
reduce the effects of aging, and they are important in the body’s production of
sulfur-containing antioxidants.
So,
what does a methyl donor do? On a most basic level in our bodies, methyl donors
protect our DNA by attaching groups of methyl to our DNA to protect it from
having the genes responsible for many diseases activated. Methylation (the
attaching of these methyl groups) is active in every cell in our bodies and is
important in many body functions such as muscle-building protein production,
liver function, fat metabolism, and the production of neurotransmitters.
Our bodies are constantly transforming one substance into another
substance. Methylation is one of the ways these transformations happen.
Methylation is
supported by the following nutrients: folic acid, trimethylglycine,
and Vitamins B6 and B12. But, methylation can be hindered by things that place
undue stress on the liver such as environmental toxins, smoking, excess alcohol
consumption, and high fat or low antioxidant diets.
SAMe and Depression
Depression can have physical
and/or emotional causes. Depression can be caused by:
a chronic illness such as
thyroid insufficiency,
diets low in vitamins and
minerals and high in sugars, refined carbohydrates, and junk foods,
excessive intake of coffee
(about five cups per day)
excessive consumption of
alcohol, especially before bedtime, which interferes with the body’s production
of melatonin (necessary for restful sleep), and
issues such as the loss of a loved one or a job, accidents, aging and other life events that cause sadness.
Depending on the dosage and the method of
delivery (oral or injection), supplementation with SAMe
has been found to begin to reverse biochemical depression (depression with
physical causes) in as little as a week’s time, with no side effects.
Supplementing with SAMe has been most successful when
combined with improvement in diet and cessation of the following: smoking,
alcohol consumption before bedtime, and excessive coffee intake.
SAMe and Migraines
While scientists do not yet
fully understand the mechanism by which this happens, supplementation with SAMe is an effective pain-reliever for migraine
headaches. The pain relief appears over a period of weeks and sometimes
months and remains as long as SAMe supplementation is
used. It has been theorized that SAMe’s impact
on the liver might be the basis for this migraine pain relief since in many
people migraines are triggered by food allergies and/or tyramines
found in such foods as chocolate and cheeses.
SAMe and Arthritis
A disorder that afflicts
roughly 12% of the American population, osteoarthritis causes joint pain.
In clinical trials SAMe has provided relief
equivalent to supplementation with glucosamine.
Rheumatoid
arthritis, which appears to be an autoimmune disease, involves inflammation of
not only the joints, but the connective tissues throughout the body.
Affecting about 3% of the population, rheumatoid arthritis causes the body to
mistakenly attack its own tissues, resulting in painful, swollen joints and
chronic, system-wide inflammation.
SAMe has been shown in animal trials to increase
cartilage formation. Additionally, SAMe offers
mild, yet beneficial pain reduction in both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid
arthritis. SAMe also enhances the function of
glucosamine and chondrointin. Benefits of SAMe supplementation appear in as little as two
weeks. Recommended supplementation is that one begin with 400 mg. three
times a day. This dosage may eventually be reduced to a maintenance
dosage of 200 mg. twice a day.
Cartilage
formation is dependent on adequate supplies of Vitamin C and the mineral Manganese,
so both need to accompany SAMe supplementation for
maximum benefit in osteoarthritis. Boron is also recommended. All
of these SAMe-supporting nutrients are available in
http://www.naturescountrystore.com/xcart/home.php
SAMe and Chemical Sensitivity, Weight Loss,
and Liver Health
Chemical sensitivity stems from
liver impairment in which the liver cannot effectively detoxify foreign
chemicals. Foreign chemicals include man-made chemicals as well as
natural chemicals. The liver’s health (or lack of health) affects every
other part of the human body. SAMe is a key
element in the liver’s production of lipotrophic
complexes, which are used in processing fats and in eliminating toxins.
Symptoms that are often linked to poor liver function include: fatigue,
digestive problems (indigestion, esophageal reflux, and poor metabolism that
results in vitamin, amino acid and mineral deficiencies), and elevated
responses to environmental toxins.
One of the most important things that the
liver does is to secrete bile into the gall bladder. Bile goes from there
into the small intestine, where it breaks down fat globules into smaller
substances that can either be used or are transported out of the body via its
elimination system. Without an effective and fully functioning process
for fat removal, fat gets deposited in various areas of the body. An
under functioning liver can be a reason for unexplained weight gain. It
can also cause fatty deposits to be lodged in the liver, further impairing its
function.
The
liver is responsible for transforming proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins
and minerals into substances that are usable by the body. While
detoxification to some extent is carried out by every cell in the body, the
liver also has the job of detoxifying and/or inactivating the many of the
substances produced by the body or encountered in the environment. These
include:
- ammonia that is caused by the
metabolism of proteins
- the toxic
aftereffects of the production by the body of hormones such as estrogen,
testosterone, and progesterone that are known to impair liver function
- supplemental
hormones (both natural and synthetic) and oral contraceptives
- the toxins
produced by bacteria, fungi and viruses that are in the body
- natural toxins
such as the aflatoxins found in most all peanut
products
- synthetic environmental
toxins such as pesticides, synthetic fragrances, and the estrogenic
compounds found in many halogenated products such as plastics.
In fact, anything foreign to
our bodies that enters our bodies must be detoxified and rendered harmless by
our liver. What a major task that is! SAMe
assists the liver with doing these jobs by intervening in the detoxification
process. SAMe donates its methyl group to be
fused to these toxins so they can safely be eliminated. SAMe also encourages the production of bile, which is the
major transport system for getting rid of toxins from the body. A number
of clinical trials have shown that SAMe is successful
in protecting the liver and maintaining good liver function when excess
estrogen is present in the body. Based on these trials, SAMe is probably also effective at protecting the body when
it is confronted with the endocrine disruptors found in some pesticides and
halogenated products such as plastics. In animal trials, SAME has also
been found to protect against the deleterious effects of
alcoholism.
- Toxic hepatitis is an
inflammation of the liver caused by chemicals such as drugs, industrial
solvents, and pollutants. Toxins can occasionally cause chronic
liver disease and even cirrhosis. Toxins that can damage the liver have
been divided into two groups:
- Predictable
toxins, those that are known to cause toxic hepatitis and liver damage
with sufficient exposure to one or more of these chemicals, examples being
cleaning solvents, carbon tetrachloride, and the pain reliever acetaminophen.
- Unpredictable toxins, which are
toxins that damage the liver in a small proportion of individuals exposed
to the chemical.
Unpredictable injury produced by most
toxins is very poorly understood, but recent research suggests that a toxic response
to a drug or foreign chemical probably depends on the kind, status, and amount
of specific enzymes a person has for metabolizing the toxin. Some forms
of chemical liver injury will occur within hours of exposure to a chemical
while other liver injury can take from days to weeks of the exposure to many
months of regular ingestion of a drug before liver injury becomes apparent.
Each toxin the liver encounters that overwhelms it detoxification process
causes specific changes in the liver. These changes range from impairment
of liver function to death of parts of the liver.
What starts out as toxic
hepatitis or liver inflammation may quickly progress to cirrhosis. During
cirrhosis, the liver ceases to perform much of its detoxification duties.
It produces interlacing strands of fibrous tissues that constrict and bind the
liver, thus reducing its functional capacity. Even in the most extreme
cases of cirrhosis, SAMe has been shown to help the
liver function better. Thus, it is reasonable to assume that SAMe can also help persons with chemical sensitivity in
reducing their sensitivity to chemicals by assisting the liver with its
detoxification processes.
SAMe is a key ingredient in liver health as
well as in restoring liver health.
Article
written by:
Suzanne
Fisher
Nature’s
Country Store
(804) 769-8012
Reference
SAMe: The Ultimate Methyl Donor
by
published
by Jarrow Formulas, Inc.
Copyrighted ©
Suzanne Fisher
*Reprinted with
Permission
Editors Note:
This article is
for informational purposes only. This is
not to be considered medical advice.
Please consult with a qualified health care practitioner. MCS
The
Prevalence of Fragrance Sensitivity
Once thought to be pleasant and socially acceptable,
fragrances are quickly becoming the next cigarette smoke, gradually being
banned in schools, the workplace, medical facilities, some churches, and other
public access areas.
Fragrances are now recognized as
containing many of the same carcinogens as cigarette smoke. Even the most expensive fragrances are no
better than cheap cologne. Both are
loaded with as many as 3,000 – 5,000 synthetic chemicals of which 80% have not
been tested for human safety according to the Massachusetts Nurses Association.
Scientists have found that 30.5% of the
general population experience scented products on others irritating. Despite commercials which lead us to believe
that wearing scent is appealing to the opposite sex, doing so may actually
drive others away.
Fragrances are not limited to perfume and
cologne. Nearly all shampoo,
conditioner, soap, lotion, hair products, after shave, and even make-up contain
scent. Most people are wearing a myriad
of conflicting fragrances which may not be harmonious in combination.
Air fresheners are somewhat of a misnomer.
Essentially, they fragrance the air and are used in places like public
restrooms in failed attempts to cover-up what amounts to lack of regular
cleaning.
Scientists have found that 19% of people
experience adverse health effects from air fresheners. This is not a simple dislike of the smell,
but an actual physical illness which results from breathing the toxic chemicals
which make up the air freshener scent.
The study also found that 10.9% of people experience
irritation from scented laundry products which vent outside while residential
dryers are in operation. Scientific
investigations have discovered a myriad of chemicals in these laundry products
which are known neurotoxicants, carcinogens, and some of which are so toxic
that they are listed on an Environmental Protection Agency “no safe exposure
limit” list.
Irritations reported include headaches,
breathing difficulties, and other health problems such as neurological
symptoms.
Caress and Steinemann, researchers at the
Investigations show that fragrances are
not required to be tested for human safety and that some of the chemicals used
in them act synergistically to magnify the health effects that would be
experienced by each chemical alone.
Worse, manufacturers are not required by
law to list ingredients in fragrance.
Hence, anything at all may be in a fragrance, safe or not.
Fragrances are a totally unnecessary addition
to products, including our dress and appearance, and should be saved for
special occasions. Indeed, manufacturers
often add fragrance to their products to increase brand loyalty the expense of
health.
References
Caress SM, Steinemann
AC. Prevalence of fragrance sensitivity
in the American population. J Environ Health. 2009 Mar;71(7):46-50.
Steinemann AC. Fragranced consumer products and undisclosed
ingredients. Environ
Impact Asses Rev
(2008), doi:10.1016/j.eiar.2008.05.002.
Welcome to MCS Time to Look at Your Kitchen in a Different
Light
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.
Kitchen
This is the first area that I look at in a
house, as it’s oftentimes the simplest place to find some problems.
Open up your cupboard doors underneath
your kitchen sink. Pull all of the junk that resides in there out, as we’ll
cover that later. Next with a good flashlight stick your head in and look up.
Check for water leaks around your sink and for mould growth from never
inspected potentially wet spaces. For most people the rim of the sink and an
improperly secured tap set can lead to a lot of undiscovered water in this area
as most homes have laminate counters, which are particle board materials glued together
with a formaldehyde based binder. So without knowing you can have mould growing
in your kitchen and releasing formaldehyde at the same time. So it’s important
to have a look.
Now lets look at the stuff you have on the
floor beside you… cleaners typically, and lots of them. Let’s group them all
together. Maybe you haven’t seen some of these cleaners in the last couple of
years as they’ve been buried in the back behind the pipes and piles of plastic
bags.
Many of them are older and inexpensive are
made from petroleum based products. Do you notice those skull and crossbones,
those toxic symbols, or the corrosive image? Well funny enough, those mean that
they can hurt you. Have you actually ever thought about that?
It’s amazing that we simply take them for
granted, but these chemicals are very, very bad for us to be using and exposed
to. The cheap containers are not airtight either. So they are, in fact, off gassing under the
sink as well, which means that the chemical exposures are multiplied as the
synergistic combinations are occurring here.
Cleaning products have one of the largest
impacts on air quality within a home. Chemicals are typically petroleum-based
and are highly volatile, meaning they are unstable and disperse through the air
quickly. These toxic ingredients are known carcinogens (cancer causing
chemicals), reproductive disruptors, neurological agents (impacting brain
functions), endocrine disruptors (the endocrine system regulates hormone
production), and hormone mimickers (petroleum based estrogen mimickers are
common ingredients in many cleaners and plastics).
These cleaning products are oftentimes not even making spaces cleaner, but in fact more toxic for you and your family. These harsh chemicals are not necessary to create a safe and clean home. Natural based cleaners available at health food stores are great alternatives that will meet all of your cleaning needs and you can simply replace existing products with these. Alternatively, you can clean your home with homemade recipes that use time tested ingredients like baking soda and vinegar. I have dozens of recipes on my website if you wish to pursue this. www.yourhealthyhouse.ca
The chemical cleaning products should be
collected and taken to hazardous waste so that they can be properly disposed of
in a safe manner.
Once the cleaners are out of the way, then
you can look at the rest of the space. How about where your plumbing goes? Does
it go down (we’re looking at the copper pipes bringing water in, and the
plastic waste pipe as well) or through the wall? If it goes out the wall, and it’s an exterior
wall, then that’s a point of air and moisture vapor leaking. It’s also a
fabulous pest intrusion point as you still have the compost and garbage under
the sink, which they can now smell better, since you’ve removed the chemicals.
Seal up that wall opening with spray foam, or caulking or drywall compound or
something that will act as both an air barrier, and ideally some insulation
behind it to act as a thermal barrier too. Do you have the old 1980’s grey
plastic pipes as well? Those were pretty common as they were cheap to install.
The problem with some of those older plastic pipes is they work harden over
time, which means wherever there were strains on the pipe, like at a bend, then
that would be the first point of failure, and failure means water in a place
you’ve already admitted you don’t look at. So have a good look and consider
replacing this stuff with flexible stainless when you can afford it.
Do you have a microwave? Can you wiggle
the front door of it? Is it really old, or did you spend less than $40 on it?
Then it’s most likely leaking microwave frequencies. Remember microwaves are
really good at cooking meat fast. Is yours at head or heart height? Right. Do
the little ones watch the popcorn cooking? So what do we do? Well I recommend
that you stop using it and send it to the metal scrap. If you are not willing
to make that change, then get it up high and out of the way. Don’t stand around
when you are using it, and definitely don’t put plastic containers ever in it.
Remember the plastic you have that is stained with spaghetti? Well the
molecules move both ways, so you are eating plastic, and we all know plastic
isn’t good for you. (If you don’t know, keep reading.) Finally, replace it with
a convection toaster oven and you can carry on most tasks with the same energy
efficiency and with a safer technology.
Consider plastics as solidified gasoline, because chemically they are
pretty close to that. Now consider how you use plastics in your life, such as
summer cutlery, storage containers, heating up in the microwave, baby and pet
chew toys, baby bottles and sippies, etc. The softer
the plastic, the closer it is to gasoline. Add in things like BPA (Bisphenol-A)
and we now have an estrogen mimicker in the mix. So, consider BPA free as a
minimum and switch to stainless, glass, wood, ceramic or anything else that is
more inert, stable, and safer than plastic for all of your uses both in and
beyond the kitchen.
Leaded crystal contains lead. Sounds
funny, but we don’t really think about that very much and it’s true. The
quickest way to pull lead out of crystal is in an alcohol solution.
So if you have some of grandma’s family crystal
in the house, consider how you use it. Don’t use it every day. And more
importantly, don’t use leaded crystal decanters because you are soaking in it,
and it creates the hangover that might not ever go away. If you do have leaded
crystal, use it for those really special occasions and enjoy their handcrafted
beautiful workmanship just for the special toast and then switch back to the
regular newer lead free crystal.
If you were to light a wood fire right on
your kitchen counter (hypothetically please) what would be the second thing
(first being to put it out of course) you would do? You would open a window
wouldn’t you? Vent it out right? So how
about your gas stove? Natural gas stoves are a standard item in many higher end
kitchens as they offer infinite cooking temperatures. Professionals and homeowners love the dynamic
they can create when working with gas. Having an exhaust fan that actually
exhausts outside and not just back inside (or not having one at all) is really
important. These combustion products must leave the house as they do with all
other gas appliances used in a home. We even have the audacity to stand
directly over the stove to inhale all of these fumes. Most people with MCS
cannot tolerate a gas appliance, and certainly cannot without a good quality
exhaust fan. Consider how you feel around your gas stove when using it and
consider the options of proper ventilation or removal of the stove. It’s also a
good idea to have the gas lines checked for leaks once in a while .
Water quality is the final issue in a
kitchen. City water is treated water, and depending on how close or far you
live from the treatment plant determines how much chemical exposure you have.
The farthest home they deliver water to is guaranteed the safe drinking water,
so the closer you are, the higher the exposure to the chemicals. Chlorines and florines are common and they both react with concrete,
which is one type of water pipe used. Heavy plastic, clay, and even lead pipes
were common in various locations and time periods. Having your city water
tested isn’t a bad idea, as it lets you know what’s in it. You may have some
lead in your water from your own copper solder from years gone by, or from the
pipes outside of your house and your control. One full spectrum test of the top
stuff in your water is a good idea, once, and then you know.
For those on wells you should have you
water tested every 3 months. A good way to remember this is to have your water
tested every time you get your oil changed on your car. A bare minimum is in
spring (highest water level) and the fall (lowest level) so that you are
capturing the two most extreme conditions of the ground water. Inspect your
well regularly and have a professional look at it to ensure it’s not
contaminated. If you have a dug well, versus a newer well, you could have more
issues with contamination. Many jurisdictions are becoming stricter and
stricter with the guidelines required to operate these wells, for public health
safety. Be sure to talk to your public health inspectors for the most up to
date information.
Filtering water is a large and contentious
issue for many reasons and dedicating more time to that shall happen in another
article.
Considering the time spent in the kitchen, the health opportunities that it
can generate for you, and making it as healthy as possible is a really good
idea. A safer space to work will be a better space to create healthy and
nourishing meals for your body to help you become stronger and healthier.
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, Ontario.
705-652-5159
Birds, Bees, and Electromagnetic
Pollution
Many of our birds are disappearing
mysteriously from the urban environment and our bees are now under serious
threat. There is increasing evidence that at least some of this is due to
electromagnetic pollution such as that from cell towers, cell phones, DECT
cordless phones, and Wifi. It appears capable of
interfering with their navigation systems and also their circadian rhythms,
which in turn reduces their resistance to disease. The most probable
reason is that these animals use a group of magnetically-sensitive substances
called cryptochromes
for magnetic and solar navigation and also to control the activity of their
immune systems.
Birds are very sensitive to
electromagnetic fields and some may find the electromagnetically polluted urban
environment no longer tolerable. Migratory birds may also lose their sense of
direction and never reach their intended destination, perhaps just falling into
the sea on the way. Bees are even more under threat and are extremely important
to us. Without bee pollination, there would be very few brightly colored or scented flowers in the countryside or in our
gardens and many of our crops would be devastated. We would be left just with
crops that are wind pollinated (mostly cereals) that do not on their own
provide a healthy balanced diet, nor do they act as host to the friendly
nitrogen fixing bacteria that are essential to the sustainable fertility of our
soil. This may be a very heavy price to pay for our unrestricted use of cell
phones and other forms of wireless communication.
What are cryptochromes?
The cryptochromes
are a group of pigments found in virtually all animals, plants, and many
bacteria. They consist of a flavin (a derivative of vitamin B2),
folic acid, and protein. Like all pigments, they get their colour by absorbing
light at specific wavelengths. The cryptochromes
absorb blue-green and ultra-violet light and use its energy to drive photochemical
reactions where light energy is converted to chemical energy. The
earliest cryptochromes used this energy to repair
damaged DNA. However, more modern ones have evolved in both animals and plants
where they measure light to reset their biological clocks.
In some animals, they also sense the
direction of the Earth’s magnetic field. Unfortunately, cryptochromes
are very badly affected by weak oscillating electromagnetic fields that are
orders of magnitude weaker than the Earth’s steady magnetic field. This can disrupt both solar and magnetic
navigation, which may account for colony collapse disorder in bees, the loss of
some migratory birds and butterflies and a weakening of the immune system in
many more organisms.
How cryptochrome
measures light
The energy of light is
used to transfer an electron from one part of the cryptochrome
molecule to another to form a pair of what chemists call free
radicals. The electron finds its way back of its own accord to restore
the status quo, but this takes longer
and results in an accumulation of cryptochrome in the
free radical form. It soon reaches equilibrium when the rate of free radical
formation equals its rate of destruction, at which point the proportion in the
free radical form is a measure of the current brightness of the light.
How cryptochrome senses magnetic fields
This depends on the fact
that free radicals are affected by magnetic fields. Steady magnetic fields delay
the return of the displaced electron so that there is an even greater
accumulation of cryptochrome in the free radical
form. This can be sensed by the cell in
the same way as it senses the effect of light. The direction of the field can
be found by having an array of cryptochrome molecules
oriented in different directions, as they would be in the compound eye of an
insect or in the retina of a vertebrate’s eye. Most of the cryptochrome
is found in the eyes, but it is quite distinct from the regular visual pigments
(rhodopsins) that are used in normal vision. However,
their combined effect gives the animal the potential to “see” the direction of
the magnetic field, possibly as an extra colour superimposed on its field of
vision.
Oscillating magnetic fields
severely disrupt cryptochrome function.
Ritz and co-workers (Nature Vol. 429 13th
May 2004 pp 177-180) showed that, provided they were given light of the
wavelengths absorbed by cryptochrome , robins could
orient themselves for navigation in the Earth’s magnetic field. However, this
was severely disrupted by the application of extremely weak alternating
electromagnetic fields. Frequencies between 0.1-10MHz at field strengths as
little as 0.085 microtesla (about 500 times weaker
than the Earth’s field) made the birds completely unable to respond to the
Earth’s field! The irregular
pulsations of information-carrying digital transmissions give a broad spectrum
of frequency components within this range. These will occur in most mobile
telecommunications, including cell phones, DECT cordless phones and Wifi. It is therefore reasonable to conclude that the use
of these devices may be a major factor in some animals losing their ability to
navigate using the Earth’s magnetic field.
Cryptochrome and solar navigation
Many animals, including birds and
bees, can also navigate by using the position of the sun. But in order to do
this, they must have an internal clock to compensate for its changing position
throughout the day. The mechanism of this clock has been extensively studied in
mutants of the fruit fly Drosophila. It uses cryptochrome
to sense the light-dark transitions at dawn and dusk to reset its clock and
also to keep it running at the correct speed. Unfortunately, the use of cryptochrome also makes the clock sensitive to magnetic
fields.
Yoshii et
al. found that a 300 microtesla steady
field could alter the speed of the clock or even stop it altogether. (http://tinyurl.com/cx7xaa)
They didn’t test weak alternating fields, but given the findings of Ritz et
al. and the fact the sensing of light and magnetic fields by cryptochrome uses the same basic mechanism, it is likely
that these too would disrupt the clock’s normal functions. The consequence of
this would be that electromagnetic fields of this sort would render the animal
unable to compensate accurately for the changing position of the sun. This
means that both solar and magnetic navigation would fail together and, if there
were no landmarks to guide it, the animal would be completely lost. This could
explain colony collapse disorder when bees do not return to the hive, why it is
so prevalent in the featureless almond plantations of the
Circadian rhythms are affected too
Circadian rhythms are
natural metabolic rhythms that occur in virtually all higher organisms. They
too are driven by the biological clock so that the organism can anticipate
the coming of dawn and dusk and modify its metabolism to be ready for the new
conditions. Many metabolic functions are controlled in this way. These include
the rhythmic production of melatonin (a sleep hormone) and the diversion of
metabolic resources from physical activity during the day, to repair and the
immune system at night.
Consequences of losing
the circadian rhythm
If the rhythm were to be
lost or become weaker due to a failure of the clock as a result of
electromagnetic exposure, it would have serious consequences. In humans it
would result in tiredness during the day, poor sleep at night, and a reduced
nightly production of the sleep hormone melatonin. All of these effects have
been reported in people exposed to the radiation from cell towers and other
sources of continuous weak electromagnetic radiation such DECT phone base
stations and Wifi routers.
Also, any weakening of
the amplitude of these rhythms means that at no time will any
process controlled by them ever function at maximum power. In particular, the immune system may never be
able to summon up the overwhelming power that is sometimes needed to overcome
pathogens or to destroy developing cancer cells before they get out of control.
This could in part explain the increased risk of cancer often found in
epidemiological studies of people living near mobile phone base stations. It
may also be a contributory factor in the continuing reduction in the health of
our bee population and its apparently reduced ability to resist pathogens.
Andrew Goldsworthy BSc
PhD
May 2009
*Reprinted with Permission
Andrew Goldsworthy was born in 1939.
After a conventional Grammar School education he obtained a First Class Honours
Degree in Botany followed by a PhD for research into plant physiology and
biochemistry at the
which corresponds to:
http://www.hese-project.org/hese-uk/en/niemr/resonance1.php.
The Impact of a Sweet Fragrance
Chemicals are pervasive in society. Irregardless of immediate need, pesticides are
frequently used in indoor environments, while herbicides are used in outdoor
settings.
Nearly all people pack some sort of
fragrance on their body, whether it be perfume, remnants of an earlier hair
wash with scented shampoo, body lotion, or the ‘long lasting freshness’ that
comes in the form of synthetic fragrances laundered into their clothing. But is it good for us?
A growing number of people are becoming
ill from the chemicals which make up these scents. Scientists say that 30.5% of the general
population experience scented products on others as physically irritating.
Irritation ranges from headache and sore
throat to seizures and respiratory distress.
Fragrances are loaded with as many as 3,000 – 5,000 synthetic chemicals
of which 80% have not been tested for human safety according to the
Massachusetts Nurses Association.
It is now apparent that these chemicals
have a large impact on human health.
While everyone is affected to some degree, those with asthma, allergies,
respiratory disease, heart disease, and multiple chemical sensitivity are at
higher risk.
Researchers now realize that fragrances
are negatively impacting productivity and physical functioning in a large
number of people..
According to new research conducted in
Avoiding these common airborne chemicals
is the only way to avoid loss of functional capacity and this implies creating
chemical free homes, workplaces, schools, churches, and other public
places.
Yet, fragrances so pervasive in the
community. Like cigarette smoke, some
people have become addicted to the effects of these drug-like compounds known
to affect brain function.
A cigarette fix, a fragrance fix, and a
chocolate fix have much in common biologically.
All three are addictive and affect brain chemistry. The difference is that a person can choose
whether to eat chocolate or smoke a cigarette.
However a person cannot choose to not inhale fragrance fumes and still
be present in the community at large.
As second-hand smoke is being addressed by
state mandates, second-hand fragrance fumes are not far behind.
The science is there. Lourdes Salvador of MCS America says, “The
question is when will the public accept the science proving the harm being done
to human health in the name of vanity and do something about it?”
References
1. Caress SM, Steinemann AC. Prevalence of fragrance sensitivity in the
American population. J Environ Health. 2009 Mar;71(7):46-50.
2. Skovbjerg
S, Brorson S, Rasmussen A, Johansen JD, Elberling J. Impact
of self-reported multiple chemical sensitivity on everyday life: A qualitative
study. Scand J Public Health. 2009 May 1.
Q&A Public HVAC Scent Diffusers
Q:
The store I shop in recently began adding scent in the HVAC system and
the air in the store is filled with it.
It’s very unpleasant and I often can’t breathe in the store. I may have to stop shopping there. I was thinking of writing a letter. What can I do to remedy this?
A: First, the adding of synthetic chemicals to the air is a health
issue. Studies have shown that there are
numerous toxic and carcinogenic chemicals in the form of volatile organic
compounds in fragrances. Scientists say
that 30.5% of the general population experience scented products on others
irritating. That’s a lot of customers to
loose and does not even consider the millions of people who already have
asthma, allergies, respiratory disease, and chemical sensitivities.
The reason these scent diffusers are often installed is because scent
marketers spend millions to sell their products by convincing store management
through biased studies that adding scent to the HVAC system will keep customers
in their stores longer, hence they have time to buy more.
Like the scent manufacturers, approaching the issue from the financial bottom
line is important. Manufacturers have convinced the store management that
their sales will go up if they use these scents. Customers need to tell them otherwise.
The best solution is to shop elsewhere,
send someone in to shop for you, or request accommodations where the employees
shop for you and bring your purchases to the curb to collect payment. Let
the store know why you are requesting accommodations and encourage them to
remove the scent diffuser so you can once again enter to browse to select
point-of-purchase items you would not buy otherwise.
Studies have shown that people with
multiple chemical sensitivity may be functionally impaired by fragrances and
other chemicals. Functional impairment
qualifies as a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Key points to address in your letter:
- 30.5% of the
general population experience scented products as irritating.
- The addition of
scent has ruined your shopping experience.
- You want
accommodations to obtain goods from the store.
- Employees would be
more productive and customer base would increase.
- Request the
installation of an air filter on the HVAC instead to "improve air
quality and shopping experience".
Good luck!
Q&A Low Dose Antigens
Q:
My doctor wants me to start on Low Dose Antigens (LDA). Traditional
allergy shots made my multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) worse. Will LDA help
me?
A: The real question is what you would be taking LDA for. Remember,
LDA is an "allergy" treatment geared at changing immunity, not an MCS
treatment. MCS is not an allergy and does not produce increased levels of
IgE (immunoglobulin E) like an allergy does.
Allergies are an overreaction of the immune system to otherwise “benign”
substances, such as pollen, dander, and dust.
They are characterized by the formation of rapid-acting antibodies known
as IgE (immunoglobulin E). Symptoms are typically itchy, watery eyes,
sneezing, rash, and congestion. Serious allergic reactions may result in
anaphylaxis (closing of the airway).
MCS is analogous to poisoning by low levels of “toxic” substances, such as
solvents, petrochemicals, and volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) found in
fragrances, air fresheners, cleaning chemicals, and pesticides.
Unlike allergies, MCS is not characterized by the formation of IgE, but rather
by cellular inflammation and toxic hepatitis (impaired detoxification) which
may lead to an elevated body burden of toxic chemicals.
Symptoms of MCS are typically neurological and include headache, fatigue,
dizziness, nausea, disorientation, memory problems, slowed reaction time,
peripheral neuropathy, sensory neuropathy, organic brain syndrome, and
personality/mood changes. Other symptoms may include respiratory
difficulty, rash, burning sensations in the nose and mouth, and
gastrointestinal disorders. Serious MCS reactions may result in impaired
speech, seizures, stroke, and paralysis.
Many people have allergies alone or
MCS alone. A percentage of individuals suffer from both allergies and
MCS. When allergies and MCS co-occur, it can often be difficult to
separate the two as each may exacerbate (worsen) the other. Therefore,
those suffering from documented allergies in addition to MCS may find that
reducing allergic reactions through LDA is helpful to overall improvement.
It is important to note that LDA treatments have not shown any effectiveness in
MCS alone, but rather they work to reduce “allergic” reactions (IgE). A
simple allergy test for IgE can help to differentiate whether symptoms are
produced by allergy (IgE response).
LDA’s actually give you a small dose of that
which you react to.
If you have tested positive for true
allergies, LDA will likely be helpful for your allergies (not the MCS).
If you have MCS (toxicity) only, adding a
small dose of that which your body is already toxic with stands to only
increase your toxicity and is likely to make your symptoms worse.
If you have both, LDA may be helpful for
your allergies (not your MCS) IF you don't have toxicity with the same
substance to which you are also allergic and being treated (as taking low doses
of the antigen would act to increase your toxicity).
Reducing your allergies may improve your
overall health and have a positive impact on your MCS, though it would not cure
your MCS.
If you decide to try LDA, ask for the preservative/additive free LDA
shots. Research has shown the preservative-containing versions are rarely
effective in individuals with MCS because of the toxic reaction the chemical
preservative causes.
Disclaimer:
This should not be considered medical advice. Please consult with a qualified physician
trained in environmental medicine.
$3.3 Million Awarded in Mold Suit
An
The property was contaminated
by numerous toxic molds from leaking pipes which the management failed to
repair.
Minium’s health gradually deteriorated to a
significant impairment diagnosed as toxic mold exposure.
When Minium
learned about the mold infestation of mold from a neighbor, she moved into a
hotel and was not able to recover any of her belongings.
Now permanently and totally disabled, Minium
has suffered hair loss, cognitive impairment, and neurological problems related
to her short-term memory and daily function.
Pillar Communities LLC was
aware of the leaks and intentionally undertook remediation without notifying
tenants of the danger the mold possessed.
The verdict was unanimous.
In another toxic mold case, New
Haverford Partnership v. Stroot, $1.04 million was
awarded to two tenants when the landlord failed to address leaks and mold
problems in their apartments. Both
tenants suffered health problems.
An
In moist conditions, mold often
grows rapidly and may not be noticed initially. Mold can grow on most anything,
but likes dark places that are often hidden from view.
Though some people are allergic to mold,
mold can also cause toxicity which may lead to disability and permanent
neurological damage.
Vaccinated Children Three Times More
Likely to be Hospitalized
The CDC's Advisory Committee on
Immunization Practices (ACIP) and the
However, new research has shown that
children who get the flu vaccine are three times more likely to be hospitalized
for the flu. And children with asthma
are even more likely to be hospitalized if they are vaccinated.
This has called into question the efficacy
of inactivated flu virus vaccination.
Dr. Avni Joshi of the Mayo Clinic says, "While
these findings do raise questions about the efficacy of the vaccine, they do
not in fact implicate it as a cause of hospitalizations.”
Yet, there is no evidence whatsoever that
proves it's not the flu shot causing the hospitalizations. If the
statistics were reversed, headlines would be claiming the flu shot prevents
hospitalizations.
Many parents are convinced that this is just another way to placate the
public and protect those with financial interest in promoting vaccines by
denying responsibility for the damage these vaccines do.
In the
“If it was only a question of the efficacy
of the vaccination, wouldn't both the vaccinated and unvaccatinated
have similar hospitalization rates for flu?” says Lourdes Salvador of MCS
America, “That's not the case here. Only
the vaccinated have higher hospitalization rates. This hospitalization is clearly correlated to
the receipt of the flu vaccine and requires further investigation to protect
the health and lives of the nation’s children.”
Some schools of thought believe that
vaccinations actually hamper inherent immune function. This may be the case in the higher
hospitalization rates of vaccinated children and children with asthma.
“Not to be misunderstood,” emphasizes
Most states allow vaccination exemptions for school attendance. Exemptions may be available for religious
beliefs, philosophical beliefs, and other reasons.
Reference
American Thoracic Society (2009, May 20). Children Who Get Flu Vaccine Have Three Times Risk Of Hospitalization For Flu, Study Suggests. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 20, 2009.
Irradiated
Foods May Cause Serious Brain Damage
A possible contributor to neurodevelopmental problems and neurological
disorders has been uncovered in irradiated food.
Findings in a recent scientific study show
that irradiated foods may cause severe neurological damage in cats, including
paralysis, visual problems, and movement disorders.
Cats fed a diet of irradiated foods
suffered from degradation of myelin, a protective insulator of nerve fibers in
the central nervous system ane neurons in the brain.
Loss of the myelin sheet leads to diseases
such as multiple sclerosis and impairs the central nervous system. This may result in movement disorders,
cognitive problems, pain, and loss of feeling.
Some of the damage in the cats was
reversible when they were taken off the irradiated food diet, showing promise
for people with MS leading a more normal life with dietary intervention. However, the newly developed myelin was not
as thick as the original myelin.
Unfortunately, irradiated foods are
increasing and are not required by law to be labeled. Many so-called fresh fruits, vegetables, and
meats are approved for irradiation with a dose of radiation by the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) under the claim of preventing bacteria growth and
preserving freshness.
Scientists were quick to dismiss the
potential for similar demyelinating in humans.
"We think it is extremely unlikely that [irradiated food] could
become a human health problem," Ian Duncan., a professor at the UW-Madison
School of Veterinary Medicine, explained.
Others cite the rise in autism, multiple sclerosis, and other neurological
disorders along with many studies which show food irradiation produces known toxic
and carcinogenic chemicals linked to cancer and birth defects.
Reference
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
Operator of Kiddie Kollege
has disappeared
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/homepage/20090517_Operator_of_Kiddie_Kollege_has_disappeared.html?cmpid=16339736
Chemical Fallout | A Watchdog Report
FDA relied heavily on BPA lobby
http://www.jsonline.com/watchdog/watchdogreports/45228647.html
Campaigners' sheep dip concerns
http://www.thisiswesternmorningnews.co.uk/news/Study-strengthens-case-sheep-dip-campaign/article-997897-detail/article.html
Chemical industry to work for more safety
http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-GreenBusiness/idUSTRE54E5C820090515?sp=true
Get the lead out ... of your lipstick
http://www.calgaryherald.com/Life/lead+your+lipstick/1601476/story.html
Toxic contamination starts at home: Study
http://www.calgaryherald.com/Health/Toxic+contamination+starts+home+Study/980710/story.html
Radiation Review: Some People May be 'Allergic' to Cell Phones, Computers
http://www.physorg.com/news161605664.html
Pool cleaner ingredient dangerous to children
http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2008/s2573098.htm
Science update: More proof that BPA leaches from
bottle to body
http://www.enviroblog.org/2009/05/bpa-the-baby-bottle-to-human-body-connection.html
Chicago Bans Bottles With BPA Plastic
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/14/us/14plastic.html?_r=1&hp
Featured Research
Studies
Med Hypotheses. 2009 Feb;72(2):135-9. Epub 2008 Nov 11.
A role for the body burden of aluminium in
vaccine-associated macrophagic myofasciitis
and chronic fatigue syndrome.
Exley C, Swarbrick L, Gherardi RK, Authier FJ.
Birchall Centre for Inorganic Chemistry and Materials
Science, Keele University, Staffordshire ST5 5BG, UK.
c.exley@chem.keele.ac.uk
Macrophagic myofasciitis
and chronic fatigue syndrome are severely disabling conditions which may be
caused by adverse reactions to aluminium-containing adjuvants in vaccines. While a little is known of disease aetiology both conditions are characterised
by an aberrant immune response, have a number of prominent symptoms in common
and are coincident in many individuals. Herein, we have described a case of
vaccine-associated chronic fatigue syndrome and macrophagic
myofasciitis in an individual demonstrating aluminium overload. This is the first report linking the
latter with either of these two conditions and the possibility is considered
that the coincident aluminium overload contributed
significantly to the severity of these conditions in this individual. This case
has highlighted potential dangers associated with aluminium-containing
adjuvants and we have elucidated a possible mechanism
whereby vaccination involving aluminium-containing adjuvants could trigger the cascade of immunological events
which are associated with autoimmune conditions including chronic fatigue
syndrome and macrophagic myofasciitis.
PMID: 19004564 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Environ Health Perspect. 2006 Aug;114(8):1221-6.
Mycotoxin adducts on human serum albumin:
biomarkers of exposure to Stachybotrys chartarum.
Yike I, Distler AM, Ziady AG, Dearborn
DG.
Department of
Pediatrics and Mary Ann Swetland Center for Environmental
Health, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106-4948, USA.
OBJECTIVE:
Despite the growing body of evidence showing adverse health effects from
inhalation exposure to the trichothecene-producing
mold Stachybotrys chartarum,
controversy remains. Currently, there are no reliable assays suitable for
clinical diagnosis of exposure. We hypothesized that satratoxin
G (SG) -albumin adducts may serve as biomarkers of exposure to this fungus.
DESIGN: We
studied the formation of adducts of SG with serum albumin in vitro using
Western blots and mass spectrometry (MS) and searched for similar adducts
formed in vivo using human and animal serum.
RESULTS: Samples
of purified human serum albumin that had been incubated with increasing
concentrations of SG showed concentration-dependent albumin bands in Western
blots developed with anti-SG antibodies. MS analysis found that as many as 10
toxin molecules can be bound in vitro to one albumin molecule. The sequencing
of albumin-adduct tryptic peptides and the analysis
of pronase/aminopeptidase digests demonstrated that lysyl, cysteinyl, and histidyl residues are involved in the formation of these
adducts. Serum samples from three patients with documented exposure to S. chartarum similarly revealed lysine-, cysteine-, and histidine-SG adducts after exhaustive digestion, affinity
column enrichment, and MS analysis. These adducts were also found in the sera
from rats exposed to the spores of S. chartarum in
contrast to control human subjects and control animals.
CONCLUSIONS:
These data document the occurrence of SG-albumin adducts in both in vitro
experiments and in vivo human and animal exposures to S. chartarum.
Relevance to clinical practice: SG-amino acid adducts may serve as reliable
dosimeter biomarkers for detection of exposure to S. chartarum.
PMID: 16882529 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
J Occup Environ Hyg. 2009
Apr;6(4):239-47.
Volatile organic compounds and formaldehyde as explaining factors for
sensory irritation in office environments.
Salonen H, Pasanen AL, Lappalainen S, Riuttala H, Tuomi T, Pasanen P, Back B, Reijula K.
Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki, Finland.
heidi.salonen@ttl.fi
This study's database comprised results of
volatile organic compound (VOC) measurements from 176 office buildings. In 23
of the 176 buildings, formaldehyde measurements were also conducted. It was suspected
that the buildings had indoor air problems, but a walk-through inspection did
not reveal any clear, abnormal contaminant sources. The 50 most abundant VOCs and their concentrations in 520 air samples were
analyzed. The irritation potency was estimated for 33 out of the 50 common VOCs and their mixtures, as well as for formaldehyde. This
information was used to calculate the recommended indoor air levels (RILs) for the VOCs. The RILs were considerably higher than the measured mean indoor
air concentrations in the buildings. However, the RIL for formaldehyde was
exceeded in most of the 23 buildings studied. According to the evaluation of
irritation potency, formaldehyde was a more likely cause of sensory irritation
than the mixture of common nonreactive VOCs at the concentrations that occurred in the buildings
without abnormal indoor sources. Furthermore, environmental symptoms of office
workers were characterized in 20 office buildings (including the database of
176 office buildings) with the aid of an indoor air questionnaire. The most
frequent symptoms related to the indoor environment were involved the upper
respiratory tract. However, no relationship could be shown between the reported
symptoms and the occurrence of VOC and formaldehyde concentrations in these
buildings. Generally, the study results indicated that formaldehyde was the
more likely agent causing sensory irritation than the mixture of the common nonreactive VOCs at the
concentrations occurring in the buildings without abnormal indoor sources.
PMID: 19184725 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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