Why do people who lose their health from being polluted and poisoned for profit end up being forced into isolation and invisibility in order to try to remain alive?
Why?
Why do people who lose their health from being polluted and poisoned for profit end up being forced into isolation and invisibility in order to try to remain alive?
Why?
Posted in Accessibility, Air Quality, Disability, Environmental Health, Environmental Sensitivities, Pollution
Tagged allergies, asthma, cancer, chemical sensitivity, Chemicals, fibromyalgia, Fragrance, hazardous air pollutants, Human Rights, invisible disabilities, MCS, MCS/ES, petrochemicals, toxic trespass, VOCs
As more people become chemically “sensitive”, different types of human rights scenarios emerge. In their latest elearning module, the Ontario Human Rights Commission has included a case study with someone who “has been diagnosed with a chemical sensitivity disability”.
Some people think that our need for clean air interferes or competes with their imagined right to use toxic products, especially those with fragrances, but no, there is no inherent right to wear perfume or use other fragranced products!
Sometimes, though, someone may need to use a product for a disabling condition of their own. The problems arise if that product has fragrances (or some other problematic ingredients) added which cause disabling effects on another person, as the following case study from the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) shows.
Competing rights at the office
Continue reading
If you prefer getting your research information by watching and listening instead of reading, here are a couple of video presentations by the esteemed Dr Stephen J. Genuis, who is one of the leading experts on environmental health.
In these presentations he discusses the increases in chronic illness and mental health problems, chemical and other causes and effects, shortcomings in our health care systems, as well as some treatment options to improve health.
I’ve also linked to related research for those of you who like to read.
Posted in Disability, Education, Environmental Health, Health, Public Health, Research
Tagged allergies, autism, cancer, chronic illness, exposures, fibromyalgia, invisible disabilities, MCS, MCS/ES, mental health, multimorbidity, pain, petrochemicals, sensitivities, Stephen J. Genuis, toxic chemicals, video
The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) has created a video about MCS and job accommodation featuring Dr John Molot.
Video: Demystifying Multiple Chemical Sensitivity
Posted in Accessibility, Disability, Environmental Health, Environmental Sensitivities, Human Rights, Multiple Chemical Sensitivities
Tagged accommodation, Chemicals, hazardous air pollutants, IAQ, invisible disabilities, MCS, MCS/ES, petrochemicals, PSAC, sensitive to pollution, toxic trespass, video
♥Many thanks to the Courageous Canaries of MCS/ES (and mask)
Awareness Month 2016!
Your courage, kindness, and willingness to share your photos and stories in the “What I Wear in Bad Air” series generated a lot of discussion in various support groups, and will benefit so many others who can see some of the options that are available, as worn by their peers, and that it’s more than ok to be visible. Continue reading
Posted in Air Quality, Disability, Environmental Health, Environmental Sensitivities, Fashion, Fragrance, Human Rights
Tagged allergies, asthma, chemical sensitivity, Fragrance, hazardous air pollutants, invisible disabilities, masks, MCS, MCS/ES, multiple chemical sensitivities, petrochemicals, Products, toxic trespass, VOCs
Here’s a screenshot of where you all are from!
Most readers are from the US of A, followed by Canada, the UK, and Australia (which makes sense from a language perspective) and thousands more visitors are from 119 other countries!
The blog’s facebook page followers are said to be from 45 countries all around the world, and apparently communicate in 24 different languages!
Being “sensitive” to pollution is truly a global issue!
There is no away!
I wish there was no need for what I do here, that pollution wasn’t profitable, and that we could all access everything we need for health and well-being.
Living beings were not designed to withstand 24/7 exposures to toxic pollutants, toxic foods, and wireless radiation (like from wi-fi and smart meters).
Hopefully what I share with you all encourages you to eliminate toxic and harmful products and materials from your lives, and to speak up and out, so that we aren’t invisible to the world, because we are all over the world, we are all “sensitive” to pollution, and we are all in this together!
Posted in Disability, Environmental Health, Human Rights, Pollution
Tagged allergies, asthma, autism, cancer, Chemicals, environmental sensitivities, Fragrance, global, hazardous air pollutants, IAQ, MCS, MCS/ES, multiple chemical sensitivities, multiple chemical sensitivity, petrochemicals, sensitive to pollution, toxic trespass, wireless
“This is me in my mask. I keep it right next to me in case I have to put it on quickly. I used to only use it when I went to the grocery store, but I haven’t been inside a store since July 2015. I still end up needing it for when people come in my home or my neighbor’s laundry scent comes in.”
~ Debbie Clark Seely
For more info on masks, please see Continue reading
“For me, MCS means having to wear a mask when I go out”
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MCS Awareness Month Guest Post from Laura J Mac
Multiple Chemical Sensitivity or MCS (also known as Environmental Sensitivities) is a chronic and disabling condition characterized by symptoms from low-level exposures to common chemicals. To put it simply, really common chemical exposures are disabling to some people, even in very small amounts.
ES has been recognized as a disability in Ontario since 2000, and federally (in Canada) since 2007, yet most people, and in fact many medical professionals, have never heard of it.
May is MCS Awareness Month, though I promise you, we are aware of it all year!
Instead of asking others to imagine something so unimaginable, we asked 1500 people with MCS to share what life is like with MCS. These memes are some of the responses.*
Posted in Accessibility, Disability, Environment, Environmental Health, Human Rights, Pollution
Tagged awareness, Chemicals, EHS, environmental sensitivities, fibromyalgia, Fragrance, hazardous air pollutants, Housing, IAQ, invisible disabilities, May 12, MCS, MCS/ES, ME/CFS, multiple chemical sensitivity, petrochemicals
MCS/ES and EHS symptom lists resemble several other symptom lists.
There are many symptoms. Not all are immediate. Some can be delayed.
1999 Consensus Definition Criteria:
1. MCS is a chronic condition.
2. Symptoms recur reproducibly.
3. Symptoms recur in response to low levels of chemical exposure.
4. Symptoms occur when exposed to multiple unrelated chemicals.
5. Symptoms improve or resolve when trigger chemicals (incitants) are removed.
6. Multiple organ systems are affected.
Multiple Chemical Sensitivity: a 1999 Consensus.
Archives of Environmental Health. 54: No 3, May/June 1999; 147-149.
…
EHS symptom chart from WEEP
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MCS ES symptoms include:
Posted in Chemicals, Disability, Environmental Health, Environmental Sensitivities, Health, MCS/ES, Public Health
Tagged allergies, asthma, chronic, EHS, fibromyalgia, health care access for people with MCS/ES, health effects, invisible disabilities, MCS, multimorbidity, multiple chemical sensitivities, multiple chemical sensitivity, petrochemicals, sensitive to pollution, Stephen J. Genuis, Symptoms, TILT, wireless
“Instead of cancer, I got MCS, meaning I stop breathing on contact with your everyday chemicals (plus a multitude of other symptoms.) Hey, there’s another perk! You might finally have the excuse you need to buy an expensive gas mask that can also be used with costumes! After all, once you get MCS, you can’t leave the house without one, so you’ll always be dressed for an adventure! #GoNatural”
Ellie uses this mask:
Posted in Accessibility, Air Quality, Chemicals, Disability, Environmental Health, Health, Pollution, Products
Tagged environmental sensitivities, hazardous air pollutants, IAQ, indoor air quality, invisible disabilities, masks, MCS, MCS/ES, multiple chemical sensitivities, petrochemicals, toxic trespass