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.” …
Here are 11 excellent reasons to stop using and allowing fragrances in your home, at work, in healthcare, in housing, at school, in transportation, in retail, and in other public places:
Posted in Accessibility, Air Quality, Environmental Health, Fragrance, Health, Human Rights, Pollution, Public Health
Tagged allergies, asthma, cancer, chemical sensitivity, environmental sensitivities, essential oils, fragrance-free, hazardous air pollutants, health care access for people with MCS/ES, MCS, mental health, petrochemicals, VOCs
I saw something that shocked me, and I don’t know how anyone involved with this could have thought it was a good idea.
This is what I saw
If you are a Canadian, you will probably understand.
.
It’s pretty much the same thing as this (slightly revised) image:
(pretend it’s done all the way)
What would you think if you saw that?
Shoppers Drug Mart is the antithesis of scent or fragrance free!
Posted in Accessibility, Disability, Environmental Health, Fragrance, Health Care, Human Rights
Tagged accessibility barriers, allergies, asthma, cancer, chemical sensitivity, Environmental Health Clinic, environmental sensitivities, fibromyalgia, fragrance-free, gaslighting, hazardous air pollutants, health care access for people with MCS/ES, IAQ, invisible disabilities, MCS, MCS/ES, multiple chemical sensitivities, petrochemicals, ShoppersDrug Mart, smoke-free, tobacco, toxic chemicals, VOCs, WHO
Many of you are familiar with Amelia Hill, either via my blog, her blog, from her facebook group, or from the several articles she has written or appeared in, where you can read about her most challenging circumstances and how she has worked so hard to not only survive them, but to overcome them and to help others who are hidden away going through similar challenges.
Amelia Hill
Amelia’s awesome mom Danija has contacted me to say that Amelia’s health has taken a real turn for the worse, and that she and her family have run out of funds to get her the very limited, specific foods and medical care Amelia urgently needs now.
A friend has started up a fundraiser where there are more details about what has happened and what is needed.
Please contribute if you can. ♥ Every little bit will help.
https://www.gofundme.com/amazingameliahill
If you can’t donate, then please keep Amelia in your hearts and prayers.
P.S. I will keep you updated in the comments when I have more news to share.
Guest post
In all of this I don’t have a permanent place to stay and paid rent to a landlord who won’t fix anything, my apartment insurance cut me off and won’t help with my possessions, my medicare health insurance is not covering the health aspect and my one doctor wants me to see a doctor out of province which is not covered, and my social assistance did not pay me my disability this month, and family does not understand any of this….At this point I have nothing to lose and everything to gain….I AM MOVING FORWARD!
~ Marie LeBlanc, Manitoba, Canada
Posted in Accessibility, Air Quality, Community, Disability, Ecocide, Environmental Health, Environmental Sensitivities, Health Care, Housing, Human Rights, Inspiration, Policy, Pollution
Tagged genocide, hazardous air pollutants, health care access for people with MCS/ES, homeless, Housing, IAQ, invisible disabilities, medically required housing, Mold, petrochemicals, positive thinking, systemic barriers, systemic discrimination, toxic trespass
The Government of the Province of Ontario, specifically the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) finally announced the establishment of a Task Force on Environmental Health.
Let’s hope this new project creates the long overdue and effective changes and access to basic services that are needed by people with environmentally linked, disabling, chronic health conditions like MCS/ES, unlike the 1985 project which created a 600+ page report with recommendations that were largely ignored (see links below), which allowed these and other problems to fester and increase in severity and magnitude.
The news release about the new task force follows:
Posted in Environmental Health, Environmental Sensitivities, Government, Health, Health Care, Human Rights, Policy
Tagged chemical sensitivity, fibromyalgia, health care access for people with MCS/ES, health effects, MCS, MCS/ES, multiple chemical sensitivities, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Ontario, petrochemicals, toxic
MCS/ES and EHS symptom lists resemble several other symptom lists.
There are many symptoms. Not all are immediate. Some can be delayed.
1999 Consensus Definition Criteria:
1. MCS is a chronic condition.
2. Symptoms recur reproducibly.
3. Symptoms recur in response to low levels of chemical exposure.
4. Symptoms occur when exposed to multiple unrelated chemicals.
5. Symptoms improve or resolve when trigger chemicals (incitants) are removed.
6. Multiple organ systems are affected.
Multiple Chemical Sensitivity: a 1999 Consensus.
Archives of Environmental Health. 54: No 3, May/June 1999; 147-149.
…
EHS symptom chart from WEEP
⇔
MCS ES symptoms include:
Posted in Chemicals, Disability, Environmental Health, Environmental Sensitivities, Health, MCS/ES, Public Health
Tagged allergies, asthma, chronic, EHS, fibromyalgia, health care access for people with MCS/ES, health effects, invisible disabilities, MCS, multimorbidity, multiple chemical sensitivities, multiple chemical sensitivity, petrochemicals, sensitive to pollution, Stephen J. Genuis, Symptoms, TILT, wireless
Living with MCS/ES creates challenges that seem unimaginable to most people. Despite some progress (more awareness), due in large part to so many more people being affected, the barriers and obstacles to living in the world as it currently is, can be never-ending when there is industry generated denial that everyday chemicals (or wireless) exposures are hurting and disabling people.
“Remember, don’t talk or breathe when you take your masks off to eat”
It is exhausting to have to constantly ask for accommodations just to be able to exist in a world where safe solutions are often hard to find, or when they do exist, they are not affordable. It can be like living in a world that wishes we’d just go away and leave them all alone, yet… there is no safe place to go away to…
Is it any wonder then, that people develop mental health problems?
When health problems (mental or otherwise) related to circumstances and experiences arise, one is (usually) only truly helped by people who have an understanding of the issues related to the circumstances that are connected to the problems. When that understanding doesn’t exist, appearances can create erroneous assumptions that perpetuate the kinds of harms that caused the problems in the first place.
For people with MCS/ES, exposures can trigger temporary or long term brain and behavior issues that look like mental health problems to people who don’t know how toxic chemicals, molds, food sensitivities, or wireless exposures can affect our brains and bodies. And sometimes we are capable of doing some things, yet completely incapable of doing others, as exposures can affect different parts of our bodies and brains, and for varying amounts of time.
What people also don’t understand, is that when we are able to live free of those exposures, we can be free of the brain or behavior problems the exposures cause.
Finding ways to access goods and services without being subjected to disabling levels of exposures can take 10 to 100 times more effort than people normally have to extend for the same goods and services. Sometimes, despite our best efforts, we cannot safely access the goods and services everyone else takes for granted. These challenges can mean we may need to turn to others for help with survival and coping , yet not only is it difficult to receive practical support,
new research also proves that access to knowledgeable mental health care providers is rare for people with MCS/ES!
“When asked to evaluate their provider’s knowledge of MCS on a scale of “not knowledgeable”, “somewhat knowledgeable”, or “highly knowledgeable”,
Posted in Accessibility, Disability, Environmental Health, Health, Human Rights, Mental Health, Public Health, Support
Tagged autism, brain, environmental sensitivities, Gibson, health care access for people with MCS/ES, MCS, MCS/ES, mental health, Mold, multiple chemical sensitivities, neurotoxicity, Research
I’ve been observing advertising for fragranced products over the years and have found some of the ads to be quite telling.
For instance, every time I’ve seen an ad for this product, it looks like the people using it are inhaling drugs.
And this product too. All the ads show adults and/or children who look like they are getting stoned:
 | linda @ Seriously "S… on Healthy Housing for Ann… |
 | James and Jeanette M… on Healthy Housing for Ann… |
| linda @ Seriously "S… on My chemical-free clothing need… |
 | jonanonym on My chemical-free clothing need… |
| jonanonym on My chemical-free clothing need… |
| linda @ Seriously "S… on My chemical-free clothing need… |
Seriously "Sensitive" to Pollution 