Tag Archives: laundry products

Earth Day Human Canary Starter Pack

Posted on April 22, 2021 | 6 comments

Human Canaries are what’s left after the signs from wildlife and nature weren’t respected, but we’re not long for this earth either, unless there are some significant changes in people’s daily habits – yes, things everyone can start to do RIGHT NOW!

Let’s start with some hashtags:

#HumanCanaries #EnvironmentalSensitivities #EarthDay #EarthDay2021 #MotherEarth #ChemicalSensitivity #MCS #EHS #IAQ #EnvironmentalHealth #air #water #disabilities #ScentFree #FragranceFree #BeFragranceFree #NonToxic #StopTheKill
Then move on to some science and other research (with apologies for the formatting, I really hate wordpress now):

Continue reading →

6 Comments

Posted in Action, Environmental Health, Environmental Sensitivities, Human Rights, Policy, Public Health

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What Now?

Posted on March 13, 2021 | 20 comments

 

A brief account of a seriously “sensitive” to pollution person living in a society where fragranced and toxic products are more important than lives, where disabled lives are disposeable, where it’s now easy to be euthanized (even for for externally imposed and inflicted) suffering, but not to receive support to remove the causes of suffering, causes and conditions that have been made systemic for many people with disabilities.

I’m not a poet and I know it and I wrote it anyway…

What Now? Continue reading →

20 Comments

Posted in Accessibility, Air Quality, Community, Disability, Environmental Sensitivities, Food, Fragrance, Health, Healthy Environment, Housing, Human Rights, MCS/ES, Multiple Chemical Sensitivities, Pesticides, Policy, Pollution, Support

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Gain – Sinking Your Disabled Boat

Posted on April 29, 2019 | 6 comments

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:

Continue reading →

6 Comments

Posted in Accessibility, Air Quality, Disability, Environment, Environmental Health, Fragrance, Human Rights, Laundry, Pollution, Products

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Harm Reduction Policy for People With Autism

Posted on February 21, 2019 | 2 comments

Recent research that Anne Steinemann conducted in  three countries (United States, Australia, and the UK), found that 83.7% autistic adults reported adverse health effects from exposures to  fragranced products, effects such as:

migraine headaches (42.9%),
neurological problems (34.3%),
respiratory problems (44.7%), and
asthma attacks (35.9%)

In particular,
62.9% of autistic adults report health problems from air fresheners or deodorizers,
57.5% from the scent of laundry products coming from a dryer vent,
65.9% from being in a room cleaned with scented products, and
60.5% from being near someone wearing a fragranced product.

Health problems can be severe, with 74.1% of these effects considered potentially disabling under legislation in each country. Further, 59.4% of autistic adults have lost workdays or lost a job, in the past year, due to fragranced product exposure in the workplace.

Results show that vulnerable individuals, such as those with autism or autism spectrum disorders, can be profoundly, adversely, and disproportionately affected by exposure to fragranced consumer products.

Continue reading →

2 Comments

Posted in Accessibility, Autism, Child Health, Fragrance, Human Rights, Policy, Public Health

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When Toxics Drift

Posted on April 27, 2018 | 4 comments

Toxics Drift
smoke, asphalt, refineries, pesticides, gases, laundry fumes, etc

When pollutants drift, then people (and other living beings) get hurt, especially the many millions who are more ‘sensitive’ to pollution.

Smoke is one form of pollution that is visible, but other types may not be.

Here are a few images that show how different types of visible pollutants move through the air we all depend on to breathe, and how far they can travel:

Continue reading →

4 Comments

Posted in Air Quality, Environmental Health, Pollution, Public Health, Toxic Trespass

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What I Wear in Bad Air :: Lisa T

Posted on May 26, 2016 | 4 comments

2016 Lisa Mary T

This photo was taken of me at my parent’s home, to demonstrate how I attempted to protect myself to be able to visit them, 2000 miles away.

When I can’t avoid exposures, I wear a mask to try to keep as functional as possible. Exposures affect my brain, my breathing, and I get more exhausted, etc. Even without the mask, I have challenges with my brain, breathing, energy, etc. Wearing the mask weakens me but not as much as a direct exposure would.

I am sensitive to chemicals in perfume, cologne, aftershave, hair care products, hand sanitizer, sunblock, air “freshener”, chlorine, white board and markers, building materials, cleaning products, laundry soap, dryer sheets, paints, pesticides, gasoline fumes, gas appliances, some plants, new asphalt, etc.

Continue reading →

4 Comments

Posted in Air Quality, Chemicals, Environmental Health, Pollution, Products

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What I Wear In Bad Air :: E.P.

Posted on May 18, 2016 | 1 comment

 

2016 E.P.

“I wear this whenever I leave the house, like when taking my child to the park, or walking by people and homes. I had to wear it indoors as well when I lived in an apartment building, because I get sick from exposure to wafting perfume, and dryer vent laundry scents in the air. Even outside it is impossible to avoid these scents blowing in the air and from people walking by.”

~ E.P.

For more info on masks see:

Continue reading →

1 Comment

Posted in Accessibility, Air Quality, Chemicals, Environmental Health, Environmental Sensitivities, Health, Housing, Pollution

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But I Don’t Smell Anything!

Posted on May 3, 2015 | 29 comments

Guest Post by Leah Spitzer

I have Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) – a “multi-system illnesses as a result of contact with, or proximity to, a variety of airborne agents and other substances. (Environmental Protection Agency).” In other words, I react to fragrances, building products and more. It is not a histamine reaction, but rather, a systemic reaction to the chemicals in fragrance and other products.

As someone with MCS, I’m also known as a “canary” with deference to the Canaries in the Coal Mine. As a canary, I often encounter looks of disbelief when I mention I can smell someone’s laundry detergent, or fragrance. I can smell it on them, their dog, their cat, their clothes, or even the package they are bringing me. I smell it in their home and in their car.

Often times, if it’s just a passing moment, I try to step back, or just tough it out, but sometimes I have to speak out. When I do, the most common response, after the surprised look, are:

“I didn’t put any perfume on this morning”
or
“I don’t smell anything”

I don't smell anything

Why the disparity in perception? There are several reasons that I have observed:

Continue reading →

29 Comments

Posted in Air Quality, Environmental Health, Environmental Sensitivities, Fragrance, Multiple Chemical Sensitivities

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Your Fragrance Is Less Regulated Than Fragrance For Pesticides!

Posted on February 10, 2015 | 5 comments

No joke!

The world is an exceedingly strange place when products that are designed to kill unwanted and uncared for “pests” have fragrance chemicals added to change the way they smell, and those fragrance chemicals are better regulated than the ones in products we living (wanted and cared for?) humans are sold, for intimate use, on a daily basis.

∴

-cide
1.indicating a person or thing that kills: insecticide
2.indicating a killing; murder: homicide

∴

fragrance regulations

How is it that the fragrances added to pesticides are more regulated than the fragrances we are exposed to 24/7 now, from laundry, personal care, cleaning products,  scented candles and air “fresheners” (among others, as everything is fragranced these days)?

Continue reading →

5 Comments

Posted in Air Quality, Ecocide, Environmental Health, Fragrance, Pesticides

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It’s Not Personal, It’s The Chemicals

Posted on December 5, 2014 | 32 comments

offended

Have you ever noticed how some people get offended when we are disabled by, or get sick from something in the products they’ve used?

What’s up with that?

???

What about those who feign disbelief that we could be harmed by something they are using? Or that they could be using something that is harmful?

disbelief

While I am not up to delving into the psychological and emotional intricacies of those responses here, or how industry pays big money to create them, I did come up with a few simple images with variations of the following text:

It’s not you! It’s not personal! It’s the chemicals!

Fragrances, personal care, and laundry products
contain toxic chemicals that make it impossible
for some people to be around those who use them.

Continue reading →

32 Comments

Posted in Chemicals, Disability, Fragrance, Health, Human Rights, Public Health

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