These days, there are some who will stop at nothing to protect and increase their profits, no matter what the consequences. I’m grateful to the others who are sharing some wisdom on what is going on and how to spot the red flags.
First off, in this TEDx talk, veteran investigative journalist Sharyl Attkisson shows how astroturf, or fake grassroots movements funded by political, corporate, or other special interests very effectively manipulate and distort media messages.
I’ve noticed so many of those tactics used. Have you?
Next, the new film Merchants of Doubt from Robert Kenner and Kim Roberts, inspired by the book of the same name by Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway, is “a satirically comedic, yet illuminating ride into the heart of conjuring American spin”.
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How do you decide who is trustworthy and who is not?
Multiple Chemical Sensitivity: A Life Altering Condition
Produced and Directed by Alison Johnson
1:09:28 minutes
Note from Alison Johnson:
“Since 1998, I have made three long documentaries and three short ones. During this fifteen-year period, I have gained a much deeper understanding of multiple chemical sensitivity and its great impact upon so many lives. This new composite film contains the best and most effective sections of my six earlier films. I have chosen carefully which experts and patients to use from my earlier films so that this new film will be an effective way of helping people to understand multiple chemical sensitivity. The film contains footage of interviews with four members of Congress as well as with many important physicians.”
If you haven’t seen the documentary Toxic Hot Seat yet, you (probably) don’t know what you’re missing! If you read the Chicago Tribune’s award winning series “Playing With Fire” a couple of years ago, then you do have an idea of what the film is about, but it is still very worth watching. We all need to understand the implications of what is discussed in this film. It affects each and every one of us.
‘Safer Chemicals Healthy Families‘ are streaming the film for free until December 7, 2014. Check out their website for all kinds of great info and actions you can take!
Sign up here to receive the link to watch the film.
Here are resources and an infographic on how to address flame retardants at home:
Did you know that there can be massive amounts of highly toxic pesticides used in the shipping containers, especially when products and materials are shipped over seas?
In a world where recycling is being encouraged, this presents some potentially serious problems that aren’t being widely discussed. Some things have simply not been designed to be reused, and recycling toxic materials just spreads the contamination further afield, causing low level poisoning and some kinds of chronic health problems.
The trend to build all kinds of indoor furniture and garden beds out of pallets is quite troubling. The pallets used in these containers would also have absorbed the pesticides and be unsafe for re-use. This article describes other issues with pallets.
Screen shot from google image search of reused pallets
Note potentially hazardous furniture for children and food use
Converting shipping containers into homes is another big trend (see below).
The following documentary depicts some serious problems related to clothing (as well as some other items that were shipped long distances) when saturated with health harming levels of pesticides. Manufacturing issues are also examined in this video.
The oil industry is not about peace. This film documents one of the greatest cases of Ecocide in our time, and the story behind it. Sadly, it’s not over yet.
Ecocide is the extensive damage to, destruction of or loss of ecosystem(s) of a given territory, whether by human agency or by other causes, to such an extent that peaceful enjoyment by the inhabitants of that territory has been or will be severely diminished.
Chemerical is a film about a regular family as they learn about what’s lurking in their products, struggle to come to terms with the new info, and then learn how to make safer changes in their lives.
“Chemerical” explores the life cycle of everyday household cleaners and hygiene products to prove that, thanks to our clean obsession, we are drowning in sea of toxicity.
The film is at once humorous, as we watch the Goode family try to turn a new leaf by creating and living in a toxic free home, and informative, as director Andrew Nisker works with many experts to give audiences the tools and inspiration to live toxic free.
Andrew Nisker weaves visits to the Environmental Health Clinic in Toronto,
What is happening with salmon, has happened before. In fact, it’s very similar to what has happened regarding MCS/ES.
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Missing Fraser River Sockeye Photo via Leanne Hodges
In addition to the diseases being found in most farmed salmon now, there are many toxic chemicals used in farmed salmon feed and in the pesticides that are used to “treat” the viruses. You wouldn’t want to BE a farmed salmon, nor would you want to eat any, or feed them to your family or pets if you knew all this!
…”Staggering” levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been found in farmed salmon.” …
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“Farmed Salmon: Unhealthy and Unsustainable”
(2010) by Jean-Michel Cousteau, first son of Jacques Cousteau
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I just got the new IKEA catalogue, and they make a big deal out of using farmed salmon. You might want to let them know that serving harmful food to their customers is not a good business strategy.
Listeria monocytogenes bacteria detected in some ready-to-eat smoked salmon samples sparked a rash of recalls in recent months, with major fish producers such as Ocean Beauty, Marine Harvest and Pacific Seafood Group, plus retail giants including Whole Foods Market, Walmart and Ralph’s, getting caught in the recall net.
“Difficult to detect or cure, listeriosis may start with a fever or stiff neck and then progress to confusion and convulsions, encephalitis and meningitis. Nearly everyone who gets invasive listeriosis requires hospitalization and a weeks-long course of intravenous antibiotics. Odds are that the disease will kill one out of every five victims, giving it the highest mortality rate of foodborne pathogens.”
I am really looking forward to seeing this important film. So many of us are in need of safe, non-toxic housing in areas with clean, non-toxic outdoor air. When we are unable to function “as designed” in “normal” or moldy housing or when neighbors do things like use pesticides, conventional laundry products, smoke and burn things, or when there are wireless devices nearby, because of the disabling effects these harmful and toxic pollutants have on us, then safe housing can make such a great difference, allowing us to be more fully human again…
From Dual Power Productions: “Homesick was originally filmed in 1995. Director Susan Abod was so sick that she couldn’t finish the film. In 2011, we came on board to help. We’re excited to bring Homesick to you on September 15, a film that is even more relevant now than when it started in ’95.”
“Homesick”
“Imagine your house is making you dangerously sick. Common products like paint, carpeting, new building materials and insecticides are now your worst enemies. Your bones ache, you’re feverish, you suffer from extreme headaches, disabling fatigue, mental confusion, asthma and nausea. The longer you stay in your house, the sicker you get but you can’t imagine how or where you’re going to find a safe home. You are one of the millions suffering from the silent epidemic of Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS).
In Homesick, Susan Abod hits the road to learn whether other people with MCS are finding safe housing. On her journey to the Southwestern United States, Susan meets people from all walks of life. Their living quarters range from a house on stilts to tents and a teepee.
Join Susan as she explores a little known world and discovers how people are coping with this growing epidemic.”
People with visible and invisible disabilities are often not only discriminatedagainst, but far too often abused. Some of the abuse is from ignorance. Other times it is systemic and sometimes it is political.
ME/CFS, FM, and MCS/ES are often overlapping conditions. Canadian diagnosis stats with more details are here or a simple chart is at the bottom of the page here.
There are 3 dedicated clinics in Canada for diagnosing these conditions (and more, such as EHS). One is in Toronto (with a perpetual long wait list) and a new one just opened in BC with Dr Bested as the clinic director and was immediately overwhelmed with people seeking appointments. There is also one in N.S.
Some provinces have a diagnostic code for ME/CFS now, and for FM, but not for MCS/ES. The CDC has also recognized it. In the US, people can look for doctors on the AAEM website. (there may be others, I am not as familiar with the US resources).
People in the UK and elsewhere are still trying to get proper recognition and protocols in place so that patients there are also not subjected to more abuse on top of these already devastating conditions.
Watch the trailer of the film here, then you can link to the full length film from the Voices from the Shadows website. Continue reading →
When your civil rights are violated you don’t need a good hug – you need a good lawyer.
Because most voters with disabilities cannot pay for a good lawyer they have no way to protect their civil rights, which are frequently violated by government, unions and businesses.
You don’t have a civil right if you don’t have a remedy to enforce it.
How to File an ADA Complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice
You can file an Americans with Disabilities Act complaint alleging disability discrimination against a State or local government or a public accommodation (private business including, for example, a restaurant, doctor’s office, retail store, hotel, etc.).
Report an Adverse Effect or Unsafe Product (U.S.)
Product Safety Commission – Through SaferProducts.gov, consumers, child service providers, health care professionals, government officials and public safety entities can submit reports of harm
CHE Toxicant and Disease Database
a searchable database that summarizes links between chemical contaminants and approximately 180 human diseases or conditions.
Sandra Steingraber
, an acclaimed ecologist and author, explores the links between human rights and the environment, with a focus on chemical contamination
Toxic Clout
explores how the industry’s actions create uncertainty and delay, threatening public health. The Center for Public Integrity
TOXNET
– Databases on toxicology, hazardous chemicals, environmental health, and toxic releases.
UCSF Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment
PRHE has developed a series of brochures that describe the common types and routes of exposure to toxic substances and provide evidence-based recommendations on ways to reduce those exposures
US Chemical Policy Reform
Physicians for Social Responsibility… statements from a number of organizations concerned about the new bill
Washington Toxics Coalition
We promote alternatives, advocate policies, empower communities and educate people to create a healthy environment.
Food
Buy Non-GMO
Buying non-GMO not only impacts your own and your family’s health concerns, it also influences the buying decisions of food manufacturers, distributors, and retailers.
Cultivating Food Co-ops
– resources and tools to meet the needs of those involved in sustainable food and farming co-operatives
Dr Vandana Shiva and Navdanya
are actively involved in the rejuvenation of indigenous knowledge and culture. It has created awareness on the hazards of genetic engineering, defended people’s knowledge from biopiracy and food rights in the face of globalisation and climate chan
Dr. Anne C. Steinemann
Resources: Fragrance-Free Policies, CDC Indoor Environmental Quality Policy, Leaders for Healthier Air, Air Freshener Fact Sheet, Green Clean Fact Sheet , Toxic Chemicals in Air Fresheners, Toxic Chemicals in Fragranced Laundry Products
Center for a New American Dream
We seek to cultivate a new American dream—one that emphasizes community, ecological sustainability, and a celebration of non-material values.
Sandrup Jongkhar Inititiative, Bhutan
establishing food security and self-sufficiency, protecting and enhancing the natural environment, strengthening communities, stemming the rural-urban migration tide, and fostering a cooperative, productive, entrepreneurial and self-reliant spirit
Accommodation and Compliance: Electrical Sensitivity
The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) is the leading source of free, expert, and confidential guidance on workplace accommodations and disability employment issues.
How to File an ADA Complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice
You can file an Americans with Disabilities Act complaint alleging disability discrimination against a State or local government or a public accommodation (private business including, for example, a restaurant, doctor’s office, retail store, hotel, etc.).
Chemical Sensitivity Foundation
The primary goal of the Chemical Sensitivity Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation, is to raise public awareness about multiple chemical sensitivity.
EI Wellspring
Practical Tips for Coping with Chemical and Electrical Hypersensitivity
Environmental Health Center-Dallas
The mission of the Environmental Health Center – Dallas is to provide superior medical care and education with a special emphasis on the effects of environmental factors on health and disease.
Scent Reduction at Southlake Hospital
FAQ – an introduction (note, reduction is not the same as elimination, and they don’t mention scented laundry products, which can be worse than perfumes)
Miscellaneous
Amelia Hill
from Australia, her MCS story and resources
Marie LeBlanc
Canadian disability artist Marie LeBlanc advocates for those living with environmental sensitivities/multiple chemical sensitivity through her art.
Paradigm Change
While we are interested in all kinds of toxins (including heavy metals, pesticides, herbicides, fire retardants and other chemicals), a particular focus is on the biotoxins made by molds, cyanobacteria and other microorganisms.
Safe Canary Nest
Excellent compilation of resources for canaries
ThinkBeforeYouStink
An educational resource for reducing your chemical and fragrance footprint, improving your health, and making your home or business safe and accessible for all.
Orion Magazine
to inform, inspire, and engage individuals and grassroots organizations in becoming a significant cultural force for healing nature and community.
The Story of Stuff Project
Short, easily shareable online movies that explore some of the key features of our relationship with Stuff
News
Environmental Health News
a foundation-funded news organization that advances the public’s understanding of environmental health issues by reporting and publishing news stories and providing daily access to news from other media around the world.
O Ecotextiles
Excellent info on chemicals in textiles and furnishings
Report an Adverse Effect or Unsafe Product (U.S.)
Product Safety Commission – Through SaferProducts.gov, consumers, child service providers, health care professionals, government officials and public safety entities can submit reports of harm
Accommodation and Compliance: Electrical Sensitivity
The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) is the leading source of free, expert, and confidential guidance on workplace accommodations and disability employment issues.
Bio Initiative
—A rationale for a biologically-based public exposure standard for electromagnetic fields
EI Wellspring
Practical Tips for Coping with Chemical and Electrical Hypersensitivity
The BabySafe Wireless Project
a joint initiative of two environmental health non-profit organizations providing info like What You Should Know About Wireless Radiation and Your Baby
The Switch2Safe project
exists to inform the public of the dangers of e-pollution and to advise on ways to lower it in the home, at work and other public places
Seriously "Sensitive" to Pollution 