Having an invisible disability isn’t easy.
How many of us have experienced this?
“You don’t look like you’re sick or disabled”
Says here that every human has a heart
even when we can’t see any evidence of that
…
Does anyone ever say:
“You don’t look hungry“?
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.
Posted in Air Quality, Environmental Health, Environmental Sensitivities, Fragrance, Human Rights, Indoor Air Quality, Pollution, Products
Tagged accessibility barriers, allergies, asthma, autism, cancer, chemical sensitivity, contaminated food, Food, hazardous air pollutants, health, Human Rights, invisible disabilities, MCS, MCS/ES, multiple chemical sensitivities, perfume, shopping, toxic trespass, VOCs
It’s not often that we hear people discussing chemical and environmental “sensitivities” and other environmentally linked chronic health problems and disabling conditions, or how they relate in the bigger picture.
Two such discussions have taken place in August of 2019, and you can watch the videos below.
Posted in Accessibility, Community, Disability, Environment, Environmental Health, Human Rights, Pollution, Products
Tagged allergies, art, chemical sensitivity, creativity, EHS, environmental sensitivities, fragrance-free, health, Housing, IAQ, invisible disabilities, medical, Mold, multiple chemical sensitivities, pesticides, petrochemicals, toxic chemicals, video
Do you (or will you) need safe housing?
Until the end of November 2019, Health Risk Navigation Inc. (HRNI) is conducting a much needed (yet simple) survey of the housing needs of the chemically injured in order to have quantitative data to show housing providers, communities, policy, and decision makers, funders, and other relevant parties.
This kind of data doesn’t exist currently, so even though safe housing is our core need, there are no official documents that anyone can easily point to.
More details are available on their FAQ page:
https://www.hrni.ca/Housing-Survey-FAQ.php
Some of you may have already done the 1st edition of this survey in June of 2019, when it originally came out. Thank you! Even though the survey now has a different format, those responses are not lost.
You don’t have to do the revised one, but it would be helpful if you could spend the 10-15 minutes to do so… just mention that you completed the original on the last page where people are asked to share any additional comments.
The questions of the initial survey and the current survey are identical, except that the current survey now has four new questions at the beginning that seek consent of the respondents to save and share info (largely due to EU privacy laws).
Every question also gives an explanation as to why the data is requested. Additionally, every question (except the consent questions) now gives us the choice to answer “Prefer Not To Say”.
Posted in Accessibility, Community, Environmental Health, Environmental Sensitivities, Housing, Medically Required Housing, Research
Tagged accessibility, allergies, Chemical Injury, chemical sensitivity, environmental illness, fragrance-free, health, IAQ, invisible disabilities, MCS, multiple chemical sensitivities, pesticide poisoning, safe housing, survey, TILT, toxic trespass
Great news!
Pamela Reed Gibson’s groundbreaking and information filled book “Multiple Chemical Sensitivity: A Survival Guide” (2nd Edition) is now available to read online, or as a download, for FREE!
It’s still very relevant and extremely useful even though it came out in 2006.
There are also a lot of other excellent resources, including research papers, available on the new website: Continue reading
I ran across a sign that the lung association had created, and while I am glad they are doing something , I found the message and visual required some tweaking.
Of course, the lung association didn’t come up with the term “sensitive”, it’s what is used in human rights laws, but it seems to have created an impression in the public’s mind that chemical and environmental sensitivities are trivial, and not disabling or even life threatening like they can be.
It also needs to be said that signs without enforcement are endangering lives and perpetuating harm, systemic accessibility barriers, discrimination, and forced isolated segregation for those who are disabled by any or repeated exposures.
To download printable posters, see below.
Posted in Accessibility, Air Quality, Environmental Health, Environmental Sensitivities, Human Rights, Images, Policy
Tagged accessibility, allergies, asthma, autism, chemical sensitivity, Fragrance, fragrance-free, fragrance-free policy, fragrance-free signs, health, IAQ, invisible disabilities, MCS, migraines, multiple chemical sensitivities, scent free, signs
Have you seen the new “the more the better” Gain detergent ad?
When the delivery woman tries her best not to puke from the Gain fumes,
the Gain user shrugs and the voice-over says:
“Hey, you can’t float everyone’s boat. Love it or hate it, it’s intense.”
!!!
In other words, Gain implies they’re fine with sinking us
(More on what we all think about that later)
The ad starts off with a scene that already promotes an IAQ nightmare:
Posted in Accessibility, Air Quality, Disability, Environment, Environmental Health, Fragrance, Human Rights, Laundry, Pollution, Products
Tagged accessibility barriers, advertising, allergies, asthma, autism, bullying, cancer, chemical sensitivity, chemicals in clothing, child health, environmental sensitivities, false advertising, hazardous air pollutants, health, IAQ, invisible disabilities, laundry products, MCS, saatchi, scented candles, toxic trespass, VOCs
Two new petitions have been brought to my attention. Both of them are on change.org.
Please sign and share if you are able:
Make all health care facilities and services “fragrance free.”
…”Please ask the secretary of HHS to provide leadership on addressing this issue and require all health care facilities and service providers to be scent free.”…
and
Stop the Human Rights Violations of Disabled British Columbians.
…”Health supporting housing is needed for low income British Columbians living with MCS. Currently there is no safe, affordable housing in BC for people with this chronic illness. In fact, the housing that is available is making people with MCS more ill by exposing them to off gassing building materials, strong chemicals used in building maintenance, laundry venting, cigarette smoke, and toxicant containing household and body products used by fellow renters.” …
It seems like the best way to clear up some confusion about being fragrance-free, is to provide a checklist of products and places where fragrances that can make you not be fragrance-free are found, so that you don’t inadvertently bring fragrances with you when going somewhere with a strict fragrance-free policy.
The checklist addresses some common misconceptions about what being fragrance-free really means.
Being fragrance-free is about more than not using perfume or cologne.
It’s also not about skipping deodorant, as some people seem to think.
Posted in Accessibility, Air Quality, Environmental Health, Fragrance, Health Promotion, Human Rights, Policy, Products
Tagged allergies, asthma, autism, cancer, checklist, chemical sensitivity, Chemicals, environmental sensitivities, fragrance-free, hazardous air pollutants, health, IAQ, MCS, MCS/ES, migraines, toxic trespass, VOCs
Did you know?
If you use conventional laundry products, you might not knowingly be feeling the effects now, but you more than likely have some neighbours who do!
Dryer vents are undisclosed, unregulated chemical distribution devices.
When you choose your laundry products,
you choose what your neighbours have to breathe!
Please think about your neighbours and choose non-toxic & fragrance-free products, so that your neighbours do not become ill or disabled
and can enjoy their homes and properties too!
A growing number of people (millions, not handfuls) cannot enjoy walking about their neighbourhoods, sitting or working in their own outdoor spaces, or even open the windows of their homes due to the harmful pollutants released from dryer vents that were designed to emit moisture, not drifting toxic chemicals.
Laundry products should not be disabling people or cause short term adverse health effects like asthma, headaches, migraines, confusion, vomiting, dizziness, etc., or longer term effects like reproductive and neurodevelopmental problems!
EWG has a website where you can check the ratings for the products you use. It’s a great place to start learning which products to avoid, and which are safer options.
Posted in Air Quality, Chemicals, Community, Environmental Health, Housing, Laundry, Pollution, Public Health
Tagged allergies, asthma, cancer, chemical sensitivity, Fragrance, fragrance-free, free and gentle, GAIN, hazardous air pollutants, health, IAQ, invisible disabilities, MCS, MCS/ES, petrochemicals, Tide, toxic trespass, ultra pure, VOCs
Seriously "Sensitive" to Pollution 