Tag Archives: environmental sensitivities

“Artificial scents have no place in our hospitals”

Posted on October 5, 2015 | 24 comments

Canada’s top medical journal, the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ), says
“Artificial scents have no place in our hospitals“

Hospital NO Fragrance

“These patients may be involuntarily exposed to artificial scents from staff, other patients and visitors, resulting in worsening of their clinical condition. As patients,
family members and emergency physicians will attest, the attacks can be quite sudden and serious. There is little justification for continuing to tolerate artificial scents in our
hospitals.” …

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24 Comments

Posted in Accessibility, Air Quality, Disability, Environmental Health, Fragrance, Health, Health Care, Hospital Protocols, Policy, Precaution, Public Health

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Why We Need “Sensitive” Human Canaries

Posted on September 8, 2015 | 13 comments

“Sensitive” humans are not defective or here to inconvenience you.

maybe it is not me…

Some canary history:

“Carbon monoxide, a potentially deadly gas devoid of color, taste or smell, can form underground during a mine fire or after a mine explosion.

Today’s coal miners must rely on carbon monoxide detectors and monitors to recognize its presence underground. However, before the availability of modern detection devices, miners turned to Mother Nature for assistance.

Canaries — and sometimes mice — were used to alert miners to the presence of the poisonous gas. Following a mine fire or explosion, mine rescuers would descend into the mine carrying a canary in a small wooden or metal cage.

 

Any sign of distress from the canary was a clear signal that the conditions underground were unsafe, prompting a hasty return to the surface.

 

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13 Comments

Posted in Air Quality, Chemicals, Ecocide, Environmental Health, Human Rights, Pollution, Public Health, Toxic Trespass

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Who Wants to Help Me Get New Air Purifier Filters?

Posted on September 2, 2015 | 42 comments

I need several air purifiers to clean the air of pollutants from unavoidable everyday products and materials (like the mail, receipts, product labels, food packaging, replacement of any basic essentials, etc) and also the neighbourhood pollution (trains, planes, laundry products, pesticides, BBQs, fireplace smoke, etc) from my indoor air so that my brain and body can work more like they were intended to.

To cook, clean, and take care of my very basic needs, (nothing extra going on here, I am housebound) I am dependent on clean air to be able to function. My filters need to be changed annually or every other year (depending on what the air quality has been like) and mine were last changed in 2012, three years ago.

I have looked all over the place for funding to purchase new filters and there just isn’t anyone out there with a mandate to provide clean air to those who require it for medical reasons.

! ! !

IAQ help

Last summer was a disaster for me, this year was even worse. I’ve had a horrid three  months from area roadwork and pesticide use (there was massive spraying of Wild Parsnip around this part of Ontario during the summer, and the pesticide drift got to me really bad), and now other simpler exposures that hadn’t been bothering me as much as they used to, are again having more serious adverse effects on me because my indoor air is not being filtered anymore.

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42 Comments

Posted in Accessibility, Air Quality, Disability, Healthy Environment, Support

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Your Wireless Devices Have Secrets

Posted on August 9, 2015 | Leave a comment

If you own ANY wireless devices, you really want to know about these secrets.

Right to Know 2

The following video is a must see video. It’s very easy to understand. These are secrets you need to know about, as if your life depended on it, because it actually might.

Highlights from the Massachusetts Statehouse Briefing on Wireless and Public Health:

Continue reading →

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Posted in Child Health, Electromagnetic Protection, Policy, Public Health, Wireless

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When They Poisoned the Pests, I Didn’t Care

Posted on August 4, 2015 | 12 comments

waves 1c

 

 

 

 

When they poisoned the pests,

I didn’t care, because I wasn’t a pest…

When they poisoned the frogs,

I didn’t care, because I was not a frog…

When they poisoned the birds,

I didn’t care, because I wasn’t a bird…

When they poisoned the air,

I didn’t care, because it was on the other side of the planet…

When they poisoned the ocean,

I didn’t care, because I wasn’t a fish…

When they poisoned the lands,

I didn’t care, because it wasn’t near my land…

When they poisoned the people,

I didn’t care, because it wasn’t anyone in my family…

(besides, those people with MCS/ES were acting all crazy, wanting me to change my laundry products, stop using fragrances, and get rid of my wi-fi, among other things)

Continue reading →

12 Comments

Posted in Action, Chemicals, climate change, Ecocide, Environmental Health, Writing

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Webinar to Increase Smoke-Free Policies in Federally Assisted Housing (US)

Posted on August 3, 2015 | 2 comments

Smoke and chemicals (such as fragrances, air “fresheners”, laundry products, pesticides, and other VOCs) do not respect property lines as they travel throughout space, often making others quite sick, even disabling them in their own homes. This is especially a problem in multi-unit housing, and where housing units are built close together.

This is also a very serious accessibility issue for people with MCS/ES, as there are few affordable housing options available, and most of these put people at risk of further  harm due to indoor air pollution issues, despite HUD and other federal agencies in the US and Canada recognizing MCS/ES as a disability that needs to be accommodated.

The following webinar is about addressing smoke, but the issues are applicable to other forms of indoor air pollutants as well. It should also be available as a podcast later.

For those of you who are interested and able,  the webinar is being offered on Wed, Aug 5, 2015 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM EDT by the Asthma Community Network

Breathing Easy at Home: Partnering to Increase Smoke-Free Policies in Federally Assisted Housing

live smoke free webinarMore info: Continue reading →

2 Comments

Posted in Accessibility, Air Quality, Environmental Health, Housing, Indoor Air Quality, Pollution

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The Effort and “Inconvenience” of Single-Handedly Trying to Remove Systemic Barriers to Access

Posted on June 29, 2015 | 8 comments

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When she needed accommodation, you won’t believe the rigmarole that ensued.

(unless you have MCS/ES)

equal opportunity 1

“They should not have to make significantly more effort to access or obtain service. They should also not have to accept lesser quality or more inconvenience.”

.

Someone with MCS (who wishes to remain anonymous) was asked about how her efforts to receive appropriate, safe, accommodation were going, so she could see a health care provider. She is one of a growing number of people who become disabled from exposures to toxic chemicals found in many everyday products and materials, especially in fragrances.

This is pretty much how the story goes:

She contacted a health care provider by phone and talked to a receptionist.

She asked her if they had a scent-free policy and was told they didn’t.

Continue reading →

8 Comments

Posted in Accessibility, Chemicals, Disability, Environmental Health, Fragrance, Human Rights, Indoor Air Quality, MCS/ES, Policy, Precaution

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Optional “Inconvenience”

Posted on June 28, 2015 | 7 comments

Guest post and images by Laura J Mac

What always strikes me during conversations about how to persuade service providers to accommodate our disability is how much extra work we have to do just to participate in simple survival stuff. I mean, “simply” tracking down professionals who are willing to accommodate is a chore and a half. The luxury of “having a good relationship” with a service provider falls way down on the list because it’s usually one or the other.

Laura J Mac 1

Nobody would think twice about someone who uses a mobility device asking if there are ramps and elevators but it seems that our need for fragrance-free and reduced chemical exposure is perceived as a “preference” rather than a medical necessity. That perception leads to the idea that accommodation of our disability is an “option” (and generally it’s an “option” that service providers aren’t willing to make available.) It’s not that we don’t “like” fragrance, these chemical exposures cause neurological and physiological problems that interfere with our ability to function on a daily basis.

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7 Comments

Posted in Accessibility, Disability, Environmental Health, Fragrance, Health Care, Human Rights, Indoor Air Quality, Mental Health, Policy, Public Health

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Report: RF EMR and the Health of Canadians

Posted on June 18, 2015 | 1 comment
The_Canadian_Flag
… “Numerous concerns relating to radiofrequency (RF) exposure were raised by witnesses during Committee meetings on Safety Code 6 as well as in the briefs that were submitted. …
∴
Witnesses also spoke to possible links between RF exposure and cancer, reproductive issues and autism.These concerns tied in to other testimony that expressed unease about RF exposure in schools as a result of the use of Wi-Fi; the need for RF exposure limits and guidelines to protect vulnerable populations such as pregnant women, infants and children, and others who may be more susceptible to the effects of RF exposure; and electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS).
∴
While witness testimony and briefs often emphasized the need for Health Canada to take a precautionary approach to RF exposure by reducing the limits established by Safety Code 6 (and sometimes provided examples of limits and other measures taken to protect populations from RF exposure in other jurisdictions), they also referred to steps that individuals can take to reduce their own RF exposure. Finally, some witnesses stated that industry should play a role in reducing RF exposure.” …
∴
∴
RADIOFREQUENCY ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION AND THE HEALTH OF CANADIANS
 ∴
Report of the Standing Committee on Health
∴
This much awaited report contains 12 major recommendations by effectively echoing the expert evidence heard by eight MPs during the recent hearings this Committee.
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The List of Recommendations:

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1 Comment

Posted in Accessibility, Disability, EHS, Electromagnetic Protection, Environmental Health, Environmental Sensitivities, Human Rights, Policy, Public Health, Wireless

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Scientists Call for Immediate Precaution With Wireless Technology

Posted on June 15, 2015 | 4 comments

On Monday May 11th, 190 scientists from 39 nations submitted an appeal to the United Nations, UN member states and the World Health Organization (WHO) requesting they adopt more protective exposure guidelines for electromagnetic fields (EMF) and wireless technology in the face of increasing evidence of risk. These exposures are a rapidly growing form of environmental pollution worldwide. Continue reading →

4 Comments

Posted in Environmental Health, Human Rights, Policy, Precaution, Public Health, Wireless

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