Tag Archives: Food

Diffusing Health Harm on Unsuspecting Shoppers and Outrageously False Product Claims

Here’s yet another example of a systemic issue regarding health harming accessibility barriers, happening in a province (and country) where we have Human Rights laws that recognize people with environmental ‘sensitivities’ as having a disability, and where everyone is encouraged to remove accessibility barriers instead of creating new ones.

Unsuspecting Oshawa Costco Canada shoppers are being subjected to this fragrance assault and/or accessibility barrier between November 26, 2019 and December 8, 2019.

Info which was found buried on Costco Canada’s website in the Special Events page, there may be other locations as well.
How many members see these announcements?

In December, it appears that those who shop at  Costco’s Ste Foy location will also be sprayed, without alternative accommodations made for member shoppers whose lives are harmed by this kind of thing (unless there’s a public outcry before it happens).

Not only is the store air thoroughly polluted by this kind of diffusion (as experienced by someone who reported it to their mother who has environmental sensitivities and is severely allergic to fragranced products) for the 2 week duration of this “special event”, but everything in their store(s), *including food*, will also have absorbed substantial residues of undisclosed (and not food-safe) fragrance substances, that may be difficult if not impossible to remove.

This ‘special event’ can cause significant harm to people with asthma, autism, chemical and environmental sensitivities, fragrance allergies, migraines, and mast cell activation syndrome (to name a few). Even 2nd and 3rd hand residues of this type can cause serious (and life-threatening) health problems and long lasting disabling effects, so a suggestion of having someone else do the shopping is not a reasonable or feasible accommodation.

See below for the product details and the store manager’s and assistant manager’s responses when called.

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MCSVille: A Canary Safe Sanctuary

Guest post by Laura Canary

Since I could not sleep, I thought I would bake a gingerbread house for our Christmas party. When I still could not sleep, I got carried away and baked enough to piece together this whole gingerbread village.

MCS ES gingerbread village kit 2(image for inspirational purposes only)

But, what to call it?
Canary City? Sansparfumville? Beneficidale? Healington? MCSville? Magic Canary Sanctuary?

Welcome to our Magic Canary Sanctuary, or MCSville!

See all the houses! They are all built MCS safe, to accommodate all Canaries in need.

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It’s Only A Little Fragrance

How many times have we heard it’s “only a little fragrance”?

Telling a person with MCS/ES that there is “only a little fragrance”

is like

telling someone with Celiac Disease that there’s “only a little gluten”

or

 telling someone with a peanut allergy that there’s “only a little peanut”

or

telling someone who uses a wheelchair that there are “only a few steps”.

It’s not ok.

telling 103It’s NOT ok.

Individual images follow: Continue reading

MCS is International

People all over the industrialized world have been developing Multiple Chemical Sensitivities and Environmental Sensitivities, or Environmental Illnesses. We are exposed to so many petrochemical pollutants, in our air, water, foods, clothes, furnishings, homes, and elsewhere in daily life, substances which are now known to cause many kinds of adverse health effects, and some of us just have the epigenetic disposition to feel the effects faster and more extremely than others who may develop cancer or some other condition many years later.

Amelia Hill (aka the Amazing Amelia Hill) lives in Australia and developed very severe, or extreme MCS after not being properly diagnosed for too many years. A lack of proper diagnosis and precautionary measures usually results in a debilitating worsening of the condition, which is best addressed with avoidance of the triggering substances, and building up health in very targeted ways. This is much more difficult to do the longer one isn’t able to take the steps to avoid exposures and rebuild life with safe alternatives.

Amelia’s life is probably unlike any you have ever heard of (even mine) although there are many similarities between the experiences those of us who have severe MCS/ES share. Amelia is known as “amazing” because of the ways she handles her life.

You will see why here.

Amelia 01

Amelia’s story has been featured as the cover story in what may be South Australia’s most popular newspaper weekend magazine: Continue reading

“Sensitivities” in the Canadian Family Physician journal

The June 2014 edition of the Canadian Family Physician journal contains a couple of excellent articles by Dr Stephen J. Genuis. Here’s the abstract and link to one of them:

Approach to patients with unexplained multimorbidity with sensitivities

Abstract:

Objective To explore the underlying causation of unexplained multimorbidity with sensitivities and to discuss the management of patients who present with this perplexing condition.

Sources of information Medical and scientific literature was used from MEDLINE (PubMed), several books, toxicology and allergy journals, conference proceedings, government publications, and environmental health periodicals.

Main message Multimorbidity with sensitivities has become an increasingly common and confusing primary care dilemma. Escalating numbers of debilitated individuals are now presenting to family physicians and specialists with multisystem health complaints, including sensitivities and fatigue, with no obvious causation, a paucity of laboratory findings, and a lack of straightforward solutions. In the recent scientific literature, there is discussion of sensitivity-related illness, an immune-mediated disorder that frequently manifests with multisystem symptoms, commonly including sensitivities and fatigue.

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Verified Fragrance-Free Supply Chains

Due to the increasing numbers of people with allergies and sensitivities to, and injuries from VOCs and other fragrance ingredients, there is a growing need for fully verified fragrance-free supply chains.

Many of us need products and foods handled in such a way from beginning to end, as to prevent first, second and third hand fragrance and other chemical contamination.

Organic food that has been handled by someone with scented hand lotion, or that has sat in a store full of fragrance molecules will absorb those chemicals, and potentially be as toxic as food that has pesticide residues (for people who must, for medical and health reasons, avoid petrochemical exposures). Clothing, bedding toilet paper and other materials also absorb fragrances, which can be hard (if not impossible) to remove.

This presents a business opportunity for entrepreneurs, to provide a service for people whose health depends on it, as well as for those who wish to prevent health problems.

verified fragrance-free zone NO FRAGRANCE Continue reading

There’s Petrochemicals in What?

We now breathe, drink, eat and wear petrochemicals every where, every moment, every day! There’s no getting away from them!

Where are they coming from?

“The petroleum industry includes the global processes of exploration, extraction, refining, transporting (often by oil tankers and pipelines), and marketing petroleum products… Petroleum (oil) is also the raw material for many chemical products, including pharmaceuticals, solvents, fertilizers, pesticides, and plastics.”

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petroleum_industry)

So many of the things we use (and consume) are being made from petrochemicals.

eau de petrochemical pollutants

Check out these two charts:

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True Cost Accounting For Food

I’m sharing a lot of videos about food lately, as what we put in our mouths, chew and swallow is something we have more control over than many other things in life. If a healthy life is the goal, then nourishing food is required, but not all food is created the same. Hopefully these videos inspire you to examine what you eat, where it comes from and how, and also help you choose foods that are the most nourishing for yourself, your family, and the earth that supports us.

Here is an excellent short video introducing true cost accounting for food

 

More from the THE LEXICON OF SUSTAINABILITY:

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Allergy or Sensitivity?

place setting

Foods, chemicals, and other substances can cause disturbing, disabling, or even        life threatening symptoms.

Something to consider when trying to determine if you have allergies or sensitivities to foods is whether or not they are organic, conventional, or GMOs. Also, as a couple of recent studies revealed, many foods are chemically contaminated with BPA and phthalates (and probably other chemicals that weren’t tested for), so if a person also has chemical “sensitivities”, getting to the bottom of what is causing any number of symptoms can be challenging, especially with the delayed symptoms that are becoming so common these days.

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Phthalates in Supermarket Foods

Finally.

Someone tested it.

And just like many of us who have MCS/ES have been saying for years:

Supermarket food is contaminated with fragrance and plastic chemicals.

supermarket food contaminated

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