Category Archives: Multiple Chemical Sensitivities

Air Quality and Accessibility in Health Care; Why Aren’t All Health Care Providers Fragrance-Free?

Posted on May 13, 2012 | 14 comments

Can you smoke in a hospital or doctor’s office? No. Why not? Because smoke adversely impacts air quality and our health (despite what the tobacco industry has tried to claim).


So why then are fragrance chemicals still allowed in these environments?

One would think that with so much information about how harmful most fragranced items are, and how easy it is to find fragrance free substitutes, that the health care profession would be the first to embrace fragrance-free, low to no VOC indoor environments for both themselves and all the sick and vulnerable people they serve. This includes children, people with asthma, autism, heart and respiratory diseases, migraines, chemical and environmental “sensitivities”, and others who are prone to having symptoms greatly exacerbated by fragrance chemicals and poor indoor air quality.

We know some fragrance ingredients cause cancer. We know some are endocrine disruptors. Some are even neuro-toxic.  Fragrance chemicals trigger asthma, allergies, migraines, and mild to life threatening symptoms in people. Some of the chemicals have been linked to early puberty in girls, reduced sperm counts in men, reproductive defects in the developing male fetus (when the mother is exposed during pregnancy),  and hormone disruption which leads to some cancers, thyroid disease, obesity, and diabetes. There is also evidence suggesting that exposure to one of the ingredients that make fragrances last longer and stick to everything may cause liver and kidney failure in young children. What more are we waiting for?

Graphics by Roslyn Rodgers, health effects text by Linda Sepp.

Continue reading →

14 Comments

Posted in Disability, Environment, Fragrance, Government, Health, Health Care, Multiple Chemical Sensitivities

Tagged , , , ,

Toronto: ME/CFS, Fm and MCS Awareness Day‏ May 12, 2012.

Posted on May 9, 2012 | 4 comments
City of Toronto Proclamation
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia and Multiple Chemical Sensitivities Awareness Day
May 12, 2012

WHEREAS the Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Association of Ontario is a non-profit organization that has served our community since 1991, to support individuals living with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia and Multiple Chemical Sensitivities.

Over 568,000 Ontarians are afflicted by these three chronic illnesses. Once diagnosed, one is often ill for years and as many as 70 per cent are disabled for life. These illnesses affect men, women and children of all backgrounds and presently the cause is unknown.

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), commonly known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS), is a neurological and autoimmune disease characterized by overwhelming fatigue, pain, headaches, cardiac symptoms, immune disorders, dizziness and balance problems.

Fibromyalgia (FM) is characterized by severe musculoskeletal pain and tenderness in many areas of the body, along with fatigue and sleep dysfunction, generalized or regional stiffness and in some cases neurological and cognitive symptoms. This pain can become strong enough to prevent people from working or engaging in physical activities for months and even years.

Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS), also called Environmental Sensitivities or Intolerance, is characterized by an unusually severe sensitivity or allergy-like reaction to many different kinds of pollutants such as chemicals, perfumes and other environmental triggers.

NOW THEREFORE, I, Mayor Rob Ford, on behalf of Toronto City Council, do hereby proclaim May 12, 2012 as “Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia and Multiple Chemical Sensitivities Awareness Day” in the City of Toronto.

Mayor Rob Ford

http://www.toronto.ca/proclamations/2012/chemicalsensitivities2012.htm

4 Comments

Posted in Disability, Government, Multiple Chemical Sensitivities

Tagged , , ,

Scared or sacred?

Posted on May 1, 2012 | 2 comments

When you encounter suffering, either your own or others’, do you close your heart in discomfort or fear and do whatever you can to distract yourself from feeling whatever comes up?

Or do you open your heart wide and approach whatever arises with compassion and kindness?

“Scared Sacred” is the 1st in a series of three films by Velcrow Ripper. It shows people who have been opening their hearts in the face of enormous suffering.

I am grateful to have run across this film now, available to view for free online via the National Film Board. (I hope the link embeds properly, I’ll also share the page link below in case it doesn’t)

Scared Sacred

In case the film did not embed above, you can find it here:

http://www.nfb.ca/film/scared_sacred

 

Some may wonder what MCS/ES has to do with the film, and although the connection isn’t direct, most of us who live with MCS/ES will relate. MCS/ES doesn’t exist in a vacuum… it’s all interconnected. All too often, we see and feel how people close their hearts and minds to us, choosing to use toxic and harmful products instead of changing to safer ones that would make our lives so much easier, and are also better for everyone’s health and the environment. I know of many people who are still struggling to access safe housing and health-care, all over the world, while being assaulted by toxic exposures from everyday products and materials, and by people who find it easier to ridicule than help, although fortunately, this is slowly changing as more and more people understand how their own health is also threatened by the harmful ingredients we are all exposed to.

Some very difficult personal memories of events from the past few years have been surfacing lately too, fragmented memories that I don’t know how to process yet, and the brain injury is making more difficult… Some are of human kindness, some of indifference, and others are of cruelty…

I’ve also learned that my dear 101 year old grand-mother whom I haven’t been able to see in years, is preparing to leave her body soon. It fills me with sadness that I can’t be with her, although I am grateful that for months I was able to talk with her more or less weekly until her birthday in March, it’s not at all the same as being there for her in person.

These are some of the things that are challenging me these days, and I often want to retreat from the pain, but there’s no-where to go. I try to open my heart, but it’s not always easy, yet I know my only real option is to find the love within, and to open my heart to the suffering of others, and to practice tonglen (as seen in the film) when I’m able. I also know that if we want more kindness in the world, we have to be kind with ourselves too, and that we are all in this together. I’m very fortunate to have a supportive online community, so I don’t have to feel alone during these difficult times, and I hope for a kinder, more caring world for all.

I’d like to say more, or to have said it better, but my brain isn’t co-operating. The HRV broke down almost 2 months ago and  there’s been a dearth of fresh, unpolluted, smoke-, pesticide-, fragrance- and laundry chemical free outdoor air here so my brain isn’t functioning very well. I have a jumble of thoughts, all connected in my life, without the ability to put them together now, but I can appreciate a good film when I see it.

I hope you find Scared Sacred and Velcrow’s other work as inspiring as I do.

Here’s the website where you can read more about the film: http://www.scaredsacred.org/

 
Velcrow Ripper’s second film “Fierce Light” is here: http://www.fiercelight.org/

 
He is currently editing his 3rd film, “Occupy Love”     http://occupylove.org/


2 Comments

Posted in Disability, Environment, Health Care, Housing, Multiple Chemical Sensitivities, Support

The CDC and MCS

Posted on April 15, 2012 | 8 comments

There have been questions about whether or not the CDC (Center for Disease Control) recognizes MCS.

Their Indoor Environmental Quality Policy from 2009 explicitly states:

“Fragrance is not appropriate for a professional work environment, and the use of some products with fragrance may be detrimental to the health of workers with chemical sensitivities, allergies, asthma, and chronic headaches/migraines.” …

Potential hazards include chemicals, biological agents, fragrant products, and physical conditions that may cause irritation, illness, or exacerbate existing health conditions.

Here are a few more excerpts:

Continue reading →

8 Comments

Posted in Disability, Environment, Government, Multiple Chemical Sensitivities

Tagged , , ,

Toxic chemicals in everyday laundry products!?!

Posted on April 3, 2012 | 4 comments

During the last couple of years we’ve  seen a lot of research validating what Canaries (people with chemical sensitivities)  have been telling everyone for years: Everyday laundry products contain harmful toxic chemicals!

see: Toxic Chemicals in Fragranced Laundry Products and Health Effects

Below are links to articles and independently done (and funded) published research  that show SOME (not all) of the toxic chemicals in conventional, everyday laundry products. Chemicals  we  have 24/7 contact with, because not all of them get rinsed out of clothing and bedding… Chemicals  that get washed down our drains and  into waterways, and don’t get adequately filtered out of our drinking water… Chemicals that  if your municipality sells sewage sludge, then also get spread onto farmers fields as fertilizer (for food you buy and eat from  the supermarket)… Chemicals that get blown off laundry lines or pumped out of dryer vents (that were only designed to emit moisture) off your property and into the surrounding neighbourhood air for everyone else to breathe…

laundry products should not disable

Note that even the “natural” and fragrance-free products can contain toxic chemicals, because the industry is not regulated and they can say and do pretty much what they want.

Links updated October 24, 2015.

Continue reading →

4 Comments

Posted in Environment, Government, Health Care, Multiple Chemical Sensitivities, Products

Tagged , , , , , ,

Water filtration for washing machines?

Posted on March 27, 2012 | 6 comments

I’m hoping some day to get a washing machine, but the whole house water filtration that was installed here does not filter the water sufficiently to safely wash my clothes with. I would also have problems with the rubber residues from most hoses.

In Toronto we rigged up a Y hose with a shower filter to one of the intakes on the old machine, and controlled the water temperature manually from the taps instead of via machine, but the water pressure was nearly non-existent in that house.

I’ve been told that regular shower filters would crack from the water pressure in a place with normal water pressure if used on a washing machine.

Does anyone know if there are any water filters that are designed to be safely attached to washing machines?

6 Comments

Posted in Multiple Chemical Sensitivities, Products, Uncategorized

Tagged ,

HRVs are great! Unless…

Posted on March 27, 2012 | 4 comments


I love having a heat recovery ventilation system (HRV).  It’s a system that expels stale (or toxic air) and brings in some kind of filtered fresh air from outside.

It’s great, unless it’s not working or is sucking in toxic chemicals from the outdoor air.

Someone recently asked me how I was able to keep so many of my things, including some that might still be off-gassing toxic chemicals, and the HRV is the answer. Without the HRV I would have to give up even more of my possessions than I already did.

The one here has broken down a number of times since I arrived, leaving me without fresher indoor air  for days, or even weeks at a time, which is a problem because my brain becomes sluggish when I don’t have decent air to breathe…

The unit here is 17+ years old, and the company doesn’t offer activated carbon filled filters for the model that was installed. Activated carbon filters would be helpful, even necessary for people with MCS to have, since the carbon in those filters helps remove things like the toxic VOCs from laundry products, woodsmoke, BBQ fuels, etc (name your outdoor poisons). Instead, I have had to turn the unit off whenever those fumes are being sucked inside, and turn it back on when it’s safe to do so again, when the air outside is no longer saturated, usually when the wind has changed directions, or late at night after people stop doing laundry and shut down their  fireplaces.  That might be why this unit has been breaking down, in addition to its age, it might not have been designed to be shut off and on so frequently.

I did find a place (NEEDS) that sells custom made filters for furnaces and they could make some for the HRV, but they would cost around $50 each + shipping, and would need to be replaced every 3 months. The current filters, which are provided, cost about $10 each. They won’t provide the carbon ones, and I can’t afford them on my own.

If I could find a fragrance free medical professional who would make a house-call, they could fill out forms and ODSP might fund them, since I heard they do fund furnace filters, but I haven’t been able to find any healthcare professional willing to do so despite the Accessibility Standards… but that’s a blog post for another day…

In the meantime, I’ll leave you with some links below, in case you want to explore HRV’s and filters

How to Get the Ventilation That You Need in Your House

http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/co/maho/yohoyohe/inaiqu/inaiqu_009.cfm

Heat Recovery Ventilator
Natural Resources Canada’s Office of Energy Efficiency

http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/publications/residential/hrv/7884

Types of filters available by one brand (there are others, this was just the 1st that came up in my search for carbon filters)

http://www.venmar.ca/en/filtrationpage.aspx

Custom made filters with activated carbon

http://www.needs.com/prod_detail_list/eea_Furnace_Filters/a

4 Comments

Posted in Housing, Multiple Chemical Sensitivities, Products

Tagged , ,

Members of EU Parliament recommend recognizing and protecting people with MCS and EHS

Posted on March 17, 2012 | 8 comments

Written declaration on the recognition of multiple chemical sensitivity and electrohypersensitivity in the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD)

The European Parliament,

– having regard to its resolution of 4 September 2008 on the mid-term review of the European Environment and Health Action Plan 2004-2010, particularly recital J thereof,

– having regard to Decision 1350/2007/EC establishing a second programme of Community action in the field of health (2008-2013), and the White Paper ‘Together for Health’ (COM(2007)0630),

– having regard to its resolution of 2April 2009 on health concerns associated with electromagnetic fields,

– having regard to Rule 123 of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas health inequalities between different European countries should be eradicated;

B. whereas multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) patients are vulnerable to environmental pollution and electrohypersensitivity (EHS) patients to electromagnetic radiation, both involving serious risks in several areas over which they have no influence, such as the air they breathe and exposure to EM radiation;

1. Recommends that Member States which have not yet done so include MCS and EHS in their own ICDs and in their ILO-based Lists of Occupational Diseases; suggests that the WHO Assembly include MCS and EHS in its upcoming ICD-11;

2. Urges Member State governments to apply existing rules regarding EM radiation and exposure to harmful substances and to apply the precautionary principle strictly, with effective health and environmental measures, in order to immediately protect those affected, whose number is growing exponentially;

3. Suggests harmonising the rules on physical agents and harmful substances in the Member States, on the basis of the strictest existing criteria, and also placing controls on imported products;

4. Instructs its President to forward this declaration, together with the names of the signatories, to the Council, the Commission and the parliaments of the Member States.

PDF

8 Comments

Posted in Disability, Environment, Government, Multiple Chemical Sensitivities

Tagged ,

Video: Multiple Chemical Sensitivity: How Chemical Exposures May Be Affecting Your Health

Posted on March 14, 2012 | 2 comments

An older but still relevant documentary about MCS, featuring patients, parents, doctors and more…
“Interviews with leading physicians and people whose lives have been changed by chemical sensitivity.”
Produced and directed by Alison Johnson, with cinematography and editing by Richard Startzman. Visit http://www.alisonjohnsonmcs.com for more information and to order this film or Alison Johnson’s book Casualties of Progress: Personal Histories from the Chemically Sensitive, which contains the the stories of the people appearing in this film.

2 Comments

Posted in Disability, Environment, Government, Health Care, Housing, Multiple Chemical Sensitivities

Tagged , , ,

An open letter to MP Gerard Kennedy, MPP Cheri DiNovo, and City Councillor Bill Saundercook

Posted on February 23, 2010 | 13 comments

February 23, 2010.

Dear Minister of Parliament Gerard Kennedy, Minister of Provincial Parliament Cheri DiNovo, and City Councillor Bill Saundercook,

I have resided in this ward for about 20 years now. I raised two children who attended schools here, and although they had to leave home, they still live in the ward, as do both of my parents (although not together).

It was while living here that I was chemically injured, not once, but several times. Not from industrial accidents, but from legal and toxic consumer products and roadwork.

I have done everything in my power to protect and regain my health, but all my efforts have been in vain as it’s the activities of others that have injured me. I have no power or ability to prevent those activities, despite doing everything I possibly can.

I have also contacted all of your offices for help, not once, but numerous times over the past several years, and often from what very nearly became my deathbed. Despite my pleas, I remain without any means to ensure I live instead of dying a completely preventable death.

My time is now running out. The Landlord Tenant Board (LTB) decided last year that I have until April 4, 2010, to vacate my home of 18 years.

I have been trying to find appropriate, medically required housing since 2005. I have had a large number of people helping me look, including people from Toronto’s Shelter Support and Housing Administration (SSHA) and the not-for-profit organization Center for Equality Rights in Accomodation (CERA). In five years, we have not found a single, suitable, affordable place that would allow me to survive.

Due to the deteriorating circumstances here, my health has continued to decline, and still there has been no effort to make medically required, non-toxic housing available and accessible for people like myself, who are disabled by Environmental Sensitivities, Multiple Chemical Sensitivities, and Electro-Hyper Sensitivities (ES/MCS/EHS). Safe housing is our number one medical need, a place we can avoid the triggers and substances that disable us, in order to heal.

All levels of government are responsible for allowing this travesty to occur. There is no regulation of toxic chemicals and harmful substances in everyday consumer goods and housing, no accessible or appropriate healthcare for people injured and disabled by them, and no appropriate assistance or access to services that everyone else takes for granted. This is discriminatory and possibly even Criminally Negligent (bodily harm, death that might have been prevented, acceleration of death, administering noxious things).

I ask you all now to change the trajectory, to intervene on my behalf, to show that you have hearts, and that you care about the people you represent: First, to make sure I am not made homeless in April; and then to ensure that I have a safe place to move to from here, where I can recover my health and abilities, so that I can again become active in society, able to share the gifts I have been given and have developed.

I have assembled a team of people willing to help accomplish this, but we need your help to make it happen.

I await your responses at your earliest convenience.

Regards,

Linda Sepp

Toronto, Ont
https://seriouslysensitivetopollution.wordpress.com/
Facebook page

~~~

A note to my blog readers:

If you can take a moment to email or call and ask these representatives in government to intervene on my behalf, here is their contact info:

Gerard Kennedy
Member of Parliament
KenneG1@parl.gc.ca
gerard@gerardkennedy.ca
Telephone: (613) 992-2936
Fax: (613) 995-1629
Constituency office Telephone: (416) 769-5072

Cheri DiNovo
Member of Provincial Parliament
Queen’s Park
dinovoc-qp@ndp.on.ca
Tel 416-325-0244
Fax 416-325-0305
Constituency office: dinovoc-co@ndp.on.ca
Tel 416-763-5630
Fax 416-763-5640

Bill Saundercook
Toronto City Councillor
City Hall
councillor_saundercook@toronto.ca
Phone: 416-392-4072
Fax: 416-696-3667

Bea Mozdzanowski
Constituency Assistant
416-338-5165
bmozdza@toronto.ca

~~~

The health and ability for those with environmental sensitivities rests with the choices and actions of others.

~~~

13 Comments

Posted in Disability, Government, Housing, Multiple Chemical Sensitivities

Tagged ,