When you need a product that says it’s fragrance-free
and the product’s web page states:
“It’s 100% dye-free, perfume-free and dermatologist-tested. Take laundry day to the next level. … With Persil® Sensitive Skin you can achieve a deep clean without scents and perfumes that can aggravate skin sensitivities.”
Guess what? You still need to read the ingredient list, because some manufacturers think it’s ok to do this:
Posted in Accessibility, Air Quality, Fragrance, Human Rights, Laundry, Products
Tagged allergies, asthma, autism, chemical sensitivity, environmental sensitivities, false advertising, fragrance sensitivity, fragrance-free, IAQ, invisible disabilities, MCS, MCS/ES, multiple chemical sensitivities, toxic trespass
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
Cats are adversely affected by toxic chemicals too
… “Higher TDCIPP exposures were associated with air freshener use, houses built since 2005 and cats that prefer to nap on upholstered furniture.” …
The same things cause disabling adverse effects in people with MCS/ES.
Learn more:
So many accessibility guidelines completely skip the fact that these necessary and super easy to implement accessibility measures make it possible for perhaps 1/3 of the population to use (or use without harm) a public (or other) washroom, and especially help provide access for those who have disabling chemical and or environmental “sensitivities” (a term that trivializes the condition and effects).
Fragranced products not only create accessibility barriers for people with chemical and environmental “sensitivities”, fragrance sensitivity, autism, sensory sensitivities, migraines, asthma, MCAS/MCAD, and others, but fragrance ingredients have been linked to a number of other short and serious long term health effects in the general population.
It has come to our attention that too many places that hang up a scent or fragrance-free sign in the front office, have air effers and scented soaps in the washrooms. That’s not how this is done.
How to Basics:
Accessible washrooms for people with environmental sensitivities
Image is of a public washroom with sinks on the left side, a cleaning cart in the middle, and garbage cans holding open the stall doors on the right. There are purple bars across the image with the following lines of accessibility tips text:
Posted in Accessibility, Air Quality, Disability, Environmental Health, Policy
Tagged allergies, asthma, autism, chemical sensitivity, environmental sensitivities, event planning, fragrance sensitivity, fragrance-free, how to, Human Rights, IAQ, invisible disabilities, MCAD, MCAS, MCS, multiple chemical sensitivities, pesticides, scent free, tips
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, health, IAQ, invisible disabilities, MCS, migraines, multiple chemical sensitivities, scent free, signs
 | linda @ Seriously "S… on Persil: Just STOP! |
 | Lesley Wilkins on Persil: Just STOP! |
| linda @ Seriously "S… on Persil: Just STOP! |
 | Daniel Houlton on Persil: Just STOP! |
| linda @ Seriously "S… on Persil: Just STOP! |
 | Sherrie Pace-Truitt on Persil: Just STOP! |
