MCS/ES Accommodation Resources

Posted on December 27, 2014 | 12 comments

When people develop MCS/ES, it can be extremely challenging maintaining access to jobs, housing, or other services due to the prevalence of indoor air pollution and pollutants, fragrance chemicals being a huge factor. When MCS/ES becomes disabling, it becomes a human rights issue requiring accommodation under the law in many places around the world.

Here then are some accessibility tools:

In the presentation from ADA Audio Conferencing – A program of the ADA National Network

One important point made was this:

MCS ES fragrance free policy∴

For people with EHS, a wireless-free policy is required, as well as other accommodations mentioned in the presentation.

Here are a few of the slides from Accommodating Persons with Environmental Sensitivities: Challenges and Solutions (which is available to download from the link below):

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Posted in Accessibility, Air Quality, Disability, Environmental Sensitivities, Human Rights, MCS/ES, Multiple Chemical Sensitivities

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If Chemicals Behave Like Drugs, Why Aren’t They Regulated Like Drugs?

Posted on December 25, 2014 | 5 comments

 Good question!

Penelope Jagessar Chaffer TEDxBrussels 1∴

It’s a question I have asked many, many times, especially when dealing with fragrance chemicals and scent marketing.

Penelope Jagessar Chaffer wasn’t referring specifically to fragrance chemicals when she asked that question, but one set of the chemicals that she discusses in the following TEDX talk are often found in fragrances, laundry, and personal care products (but are never on the labels), and they have been implicated in many different adverse health effects, including the deformities of the penis that she elaborates on in this new video:

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Posted in Chemicals, Child Health, Environmental Health, Policy, Pollution

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A (Virtual) Gift Bag for You

Posted on December 23, 2014 | 11 comments

I recently received a virtual gift from a friend and wanted to make my own version to share with you, because I know how difficult life can get, especially when we are isolated and facing challenges most people cannot relate with.

Here then is the gift bag I created for you!

For YOU

♥

Even though I am totally housebound, with no family at home, with little to no ability to visit with them or friends, either here or anywhere, due to my severe MCS/ES, I found this article from Toni Bernhard to have some lovely, helpful coping ideas. I’m sharing it with you  in case you find yourself alone, or having to bow out of gatherings, if you find yourself in need of more tools to try out, whether or not it’s the holiday season:

How to Ease the Pain of Isolation During the Holidays
Three simple practices can help you feel less alone during the holidays.

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Posted in Accessibility, Friendship, Healthy Environment, Mental Health

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Fragrance Emitting Devices

Posted on December 22, 2014 | 11 comments

What happens when you walk through a place that has fragrance chemicals in the air?

fragrance chemicals in the airThe chemicals attach to hair, skin, and clothing just like smoke does!

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2nd hand smoke and fragrance∴

Some people can pass out after being forced to breathe fragrance chemicals.

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Posted in Air Quality, Brain, Environmental Health, Fragrance, Pollution, Toxic Trespass

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Are Everyday Products Safe?

Posted on December 20, 2014 | Leave a comment

Sadly, too many of us have found out, with a loss of health or life, that they aren’t.

Here’s another short film about the problems with chemicals in everyday products and materials

UNSAFE: The truth behind everyday chemicals

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Want to know where petrochemicals are hiding?

2012 petrochemical chart headerThere’s more:

petrochemical chart_2012 PDF download

 Please keep on informing yourself, then share what you learn with those around you.

In this day and age, we can’t depend on regulations and public policy to protect us.

It’s up to us to learn, and then demand better from manufacturers and regulators.

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Posted in Chemicals, Environmental Health, Health, Pollution, Toxic Trespass

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Be Fragrance-Free, Especially for the Children

Posted on December 19, 2014 | 4 comments

It’s also good for you and good for me.

Being fragrance-free is especially good for children and fetuses, who are vulnerable to suffering developmental harms from chemical pollutants.

Very few fragrances these days are made from flowers and plants. Most are synthetic, petroleum based concoctions, including ingredients known to cause health harm, and  many more that have never been tested for health effects.

Fragrance is ubiquitous in indoor air, more prevalent than smoke ever was, and like smoke, fragrance also does not respect arbitrary boundaries. Remember smoking sections and how well those worked? Fragrance-free “areas” are just as ineffective. The volatile ingredients move throughout the air, everywhere and anywhere. They also cause second and third hand chemical contamination and health problems, just like smoke. This means that airborne fragrances settle into anything in the spaces they are found, and the residues from those items, your hands, hair,  or clothing, can also rub off on anything they come in contact with.

Breathing is not optional.

No-one should have to breathe toxic chemicals 24/7, especially children.

choose to be fragrance-free 3∴

or a stronger message

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Posted in Air Quality, Environmental Health, Fragrance, Health, Pollution

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It’s Not You. It’s The Wireless.

Posted on December 15, 2014 | 2 comments

Just like toxic chemicals aren’t adequately regulated to protect public health, neither are the levels of microwave radiation that we are all subjected to on a 24/7 basis, whether or not we want to be. And none of us have been asked if we consent to any this.

They (we?) are still raising awareness about smoking, breast cancer, asbestos, lead, and many other things they/we already know enough about to take action and stop the causes of adverse health effects from multiplying. Sadly, these days the toxic economy is more important than public health. So, we have to learn how to protect ourselves as best we can while working to change the system to one that values health and life more than money.

Here then are some photo memes and resources to raise awareness about the dangers of wireless (seeing as raising awareness is all we can do some days).

It s not you It s the wireless 3

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Posted in Accessibility, Brain, Child Health, Disability, Precaution, Wireless

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It’s Not Personal, It’s The Chemicals #2

Posted on December 11, 2014 | 7 comments

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The images in the 1st It’s Not Personal, It’s The Chemicals  were so popular, I decided to make more while my brain was functioning in this mode. Here are a couple that were very well received on facebook, plus a few new ones featuring children and office workers, as they too are being impacted by what we choose to use and put in the air.

It s not you 16

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It s not you children

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Continue reading →

7 Comments

Posted in Accessibility, Brain, Disability, Fragrance, Indoor Air Quality, Public Health

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Being a Caring “Consumer”, Giver, and Receiver of Gifts

Posted on December 9, 2014 | 6 comments

‘Tis the season when we are encouraged or expected to participate in mad shopping frenzies, buying products that are mostly toxic and usually generate vast quantities of waste to boot. On some level, I believe most people know that this isn’t working out so well for anyone, but it’s hard to know why it’s so hard for people to show love in ways that don’t involve disposable packaging and toxic materials that are advertised as being cool or trendy. Or maybe it’s the advertising that has something to do with it?

Thankfully, we do have available a plethora of alternative ways to show our love to friends and families, and the trendiness factor is growing. There are ways that are kinder, gentler, more personal, and usually much more appreciated ♥

more love

I’d like to share some ideas and resources that I have found helpful. Some are newer while others have been around for years but are still very relevant now, if not more so.

I hope you find something that not only inspires you, but also makes your life easier and allows you to become more attuned to your own gifts and needs, as well as those of others.

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Continue reading →

6 Comments

Posted in Environment, Environmental Health, Gifts, Imagination, Products, Responsibility

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How Acceptable Are Your Levels?

Posted on December 8, 2014 | Leave a comment

 Do you know that you have hundreds of toxic chemicals in your body right now?

Do you know that our bodies weren’t designed to deal with 24/7 exposure to the kinds of substances we are breathing, ingesting, and absorbing all the time now?

If you have MCS/ES, then yes, you know. If you are involved with the environmental health movement, then yes, you know. If you watched the interview with Bruce Lourie that I shared earlier this year, about his book ToxIn ToxOut, then yes, you know. If you or someone you know has a health condition that has been linked to chemical exposures and pollution, then maybe you know… Otherwise, probably not…

How many of you have any idea what kinds of chemicals are in your body now, and what kinds of health effects they might be having on you, or on your eggs and sperm?

Have you agreed to be a chemical experiment (and are any of you being paid for it, or receiving funding to deal with the adverse effects that might happen or are happening)?

If you are like most of us, then you are completely unaware of what we are all being exposed to and the effects these exposures are having on our health. We still believe that products have to be safe if they are being sold to us. It’s hard to believe otherwise.

Like so many others, we don’t question this belief until something goes wrong in our own lives. Ed Brown was no exception. But after his wife suffered a couple of miscarriages, he got to asking

WHY?

And he made a film about his quest for answers:

Unacceptable Levels

Continue reading →

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Posted in Chemicals, Child Health, Environmental Health, Pollution, Precaution, Pregnancy, Public Health, Toxic Trespass

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