Chemerical is a film about a regular family as they learn about what’s lurking in their products, struggle to come to terms with the new info, and then learn how to make safer changes in their lives.
“Chemerical” explores the life cycle of everyday household cleaners and hygiene products to prove that, thanks to our clean obsession, we are drowning in sea of toxicity.
The film is at once humorous, as we watch the Goode family try to turn a new leaf by creating and living in a toxic free home, and informative, as director Andrew Nisker works with many experts to give audiences the tools and inspiration to live toxic free.
Andrew Nisker weaves visits to the Environmental Health Clinic in Toronto,
“Overall, 34.7 % of the population reported one or more types of adverse health effects from exposure to one or more types of fragranced products.”
“72.6 % were not aware that even so-called natural, green, and organic fragranced products typically emit hazardous air pollutants.”
“20.2 % of the population reported that if they enter a business, and smell air fresheners or some fragranced product, they want to leave as quickly as possible.”
“Significantly, 15.1 % of the general population reported that exposure to fragranced products in their work environment has caused them to become sick, lose workdays, or lose a job.”
…”Finally, for public officials, the problem of “secondhand scents,” or indirect exposure to fragranced products, has parallels to secondhand tobacco smoke. Prevention from fragrance product exposure will enable individuals to work in their workplaces, attend school, and function in society without suffering involuntary harm.” …
What is happening with salmon, has happened before. In fact, it’s very similar to what has happened regarding MCS/ES.
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Missing Fraser River Sockeye Photo via Leanne Hodges
In addition to the diseases being found in most farmed salmon now, there are many toxic chemicals used in farmed salmon feed and in the pesticides that are used to “treat” the viruses. You wouldn’t want to BE a farmed salmon, nor would you want to eat any, or feed them to your family or pets if you knew all this!
…”Staggering” levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been found in farmed salmon.” …
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“Farmed Salmon: Unhealthy and Unsustainable”
(2010) by Jean-Michel Cousteau, first son of Jacques Cousteau
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I just got the new IKEA catalogue, and they make a big deal out of using farmed salmon. You might want to let them know that serving harmful food to their customers is not a good business strategy.
Listeria monocytogenes bacteria detected in some ready-to-eat smoked salmon samples sparked a rash of recalls in recent months, with major fish producers such as Ocean Beauty, Marine Harvest and Pacific Seafood Group, plus retail giants including Whole Foods Market, Walmart and Ralph’s, getting caught in the recall net.
“Difficult to detect or cure, listeriosis may start with a fever or stiff neck and then progress to confusion and convulsions, encephalitis and meningitis. Nearly everyone who gets invasive listeriosis requires hospitalization and a weeks-long course of intravenous antibiotics. Odds are that the disease will kill one out of every five victims, giving it the highest mortality rate of foodborne pathogens.”
Human Rights and the Environment No More Toxic Chemical Trespass
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Forgive us our (chemical) trespasses
By Carolyn Raffensperger This is not a trespass in the property sense. It is a violation of our shared rights to a clean and healthy environment. Forgive us for destroying the Earth, our bodies, our communities, each other. http://www.sehn.org/blog/?p=176
I just listened to an eye-opening radio interview with the former President of Microsoft Canada. A couple of women with EHS were also interviewed.
Andy Oudman (1290 AM CJBK, London ON) and Pam Killeen interview Frank Clegg, former president of Microsoft Canada and head of Citizens 4 Safe Technology (www.c4st.org). They speak about the potential hazards associated with WiFi technology
Please listen to the program and take precautions for your own health:
Yes there are a few selfish people out there who abuse any privilege or opportunity they can, but they are in the minority. Most people who look “normal” and use accessible permits have a proven, legitimate, legal, medical, human right to do so.
Many thanks to Colin Woodard and The Portland Press Herald for this enlightening series:
By Colin Woodard
THE SERIES DAY TO DAY
SUNDAY: For two years, public servant Patricia Aho has overseen Maine’s environmental protection. But whom does she really serve? Our seven-month investigation points to her former corporate clients.
MONDAY: Led by a former chemical industry lobbyist, the Maine DEP has stalled efforts to regulate substances that are potentially harmful to children and to the development of unborn fetuses.
TUESDAY: So-called “product stewardship” regulations – even recycling efforts with industry and bipartisan support – find staunch resistance at the Maine DEP, where a former corporate lobbyist has taken the helm.
This is the most significant issue I have with MCS/ES, the ways my brain (and functioning) are affected from exposures to chemicals in everyday products.
I suspect (and I am not the only one) that some of the bigger problems we are seeing in society now, are due to widespread neuro-toxic chemicals (in addition to wireless radiation) affecting too many people’s ability to think clearly.
Philippe Grandjean:
Our intelligence depends on the integrity of the complete organ. Even subtle effects, such as memory deficits, attention problems, or motor dysfunction, can seriously impact on our health. Thus, the brain differs substantially from other important organs, such as the kidney or the liver, where we can lead successful lives without maximal function…
Our brain functions are valuable to ourselves and to society. Data on exposures to lead, mercury, and pesticides suggest that the losses to society amount to hundreds of billions of dollars every year. This calculation is based solely on losses of income and does not take into account less tangible damages associated with chemical brain drain
Many of us have no idea what “those people” are talking about when they mention endocrine disruptors. Sounds like something foreign and insignificant, or at least it did to me, until something caught my attention a few years ago.
It turns out that the endocrine system is a hugely busy and important system in our bodies, one well worth looking into and trying to understand. When we start to understand how important this system is, we might start to notice how we are (unwittingly) damaging ourselves, or rather, being damaged, because there are so many endocrine disrupting chemicals allowed into our daily lives now.
It is so much easier to stop causing harm (in whatever ways we are able) when we understand what the problems are, and so difficult, if not impossible, when we remain oblivious. In this case, sticking our heads in the sand will not only harm us, it has the potential to also harm our grandchildren and their grandchildren.
The Marketing of Febreze
(and Other Ways We’ve Been Had)
The commercials and advertisements we see are almost all carefully crafted by teams of “scientists”so that they have the greatest impact possible, resulting in people believing that we NEED to buy and use these products for our lives to be complete.
Here’s how Febreze was marketed and we the people have been manipulated into buying and using an unnecessary and toxic product.
Some excerpts from an article well worth reading:
Febreze
How Companies Learn Your Secrets
By CHARLES DUHIGG
… “When they got back to P.& G.’s headquarters, the researchers watched their videotapes again. Now they knew what to look for and saw their mistake in scene after scene. Cleaning has its own habit loops that already exist. In one video, when a woman walked into a dirty room (cue), she started sweeping and picking up toys (routine), then she examined the room and smiled when she was done (reward). In another, a woman scowled at her unmade bed (cue), proceeded to straighten the blankets and comforter (routine) and then sighed as she ran her hands over the freshly plumped pillows (reward). P.& G. had been trying to create a whole new habit with Febreze, but what they really needed to do was piggyback on habit loops that were already in place. The marketers needed to position Febreze as something that came at the end of the cleaning ritual, the reward, rather than as a whole new cleaning routine.
How to File an ADA Complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice
You can file an Americans with Disabilities Act complaint alleging disability discrimination against a State or local government or a public accommodation (private business including, for example, a restaurant, doctor’s office, retail store, hotel, etc.).
Report an Adverse Effect or Unsafe Product (U.S.)
Product Safety Commission – Through SaferProducts.gov, consumers, child service providers, health care professionals, government officials and public safety entities can submit reports of harm
CHE Toxicant and Disease Database
a searchable database that summarizes links between chemical contaminants and approximately 180 human diseases or conditions.
Sandra Steingraber
, an acclaimed ecologist and author, explores the links between human rights and the environment, with a focus on chemical contamination
Toxic Clout
explores how the industry’s actions create uncertainty and delay, threatening public health. The Center for Public Integrity
TOXNET
– Databases on toxicology, hazardous chemicals, environmental health, and toxic releases.
UCSF Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment
PRHE has developed a series of brochures that describe the common types and routes of exposure to toxic substances and provide evidence-based recommendations on ways to reduce those exposures
US Chemical Policy Reform
Physicians for Social Responsibility… statements from a number of organizations concerned about the new bill
Washington Toxics Coalition
We promote alternatives, advocate policies, empower communities and educate people to create a healthy environment.
Food
Buy Non-GMO
Buying non-GMO not only impacts your own and your family’s health concerns, it also influences the buying decisions of food manufacturers, distributors, and retailers.
Cultivating Food Co-ops
– resources and tools to meet the needs of those involved in sustainable food and farming co-operatives
Dr Vandana Shiva and Navdanya
are actively involved in the rejuvenation of indigenous knowledge and culture. It has created awareness on the hazards of genetic engineering, defended people’s knowledge from biopiracy and food rights in the face of globalisation and climate chan
Dr. Anne C. Steinemann
Resources: Fragrance-Free Policies, CDC Indoor Environmental Quality Policy, Leaders for Healthier Air, Air Freshener Fact Sheet, Green Clean Fact Sheet , Toxic Chemicals in Air Fresheners, Toxic Chemicals in Fragranced Laundry Products
Center for a New American Dream
We seek to cultivate a new American dream—one that emphasizes community, ecological sustainability, and a celebration of non-material values.
Sandrup Jongkhar Inititiative, Bhutan
establishing food security and self-sufficiency, protecting and enhancing the natural environment, strengthening communities, stemming the rural-urban migration tide, and fostering a cooperative, productive, entrepreneurial and self-reliant spirit
Accommodation and Compliance: Electrical Sensitivity
The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) is the leading source of free, expert, and confidential guidance on workplace accommodations and disability employment issues.
How to File an ADA Complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice
You can file an Americans with Disabilities Act complaint alleging disability discrimination against a State or local government or a public accommodation (private business including, for example, a restaurant, doctor’s office, retail store, hotel, etc.).
Chemical Sensitivity Foundation
The primary goal of the Chemical Sensitivity Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation, is to raise public awareness about multiple chemical sensitivity.
EI Wellspring
Practical Tips for Coping with Chemical and Electrical Hypersensitivity
Environmental Health Center-Dallas
The mission of the Environmental Health Center – Dallas is to provide superior medical care and education with a special emphasis on the effects of environmental factors on health and disease.
Quinte Healthcare Corporation
Accessibility – Environmental Sensitivities (previously known as Multiple Chemical Sensitivities)
Scent Reduction at Southlake Hospital
FAQ – an introduction (note, reduction is not the same as elimination, and they don’t mention scented laundry products, which can be worse than perfumes)
Miscellaneous
Amelia Hill
from Australia, her MCS story and resources
Marie LeBlanc
Canadian disability artist Marie LeBlanc advocates for those living with environmental sensitivities/multiple chemical sensitivity through her art.
Paradigm Change
While we are interested in all kinds of toxins (including heavy metals, pesticides, herbicides, fire retardants and other chemicals), a particular focus is on the biotoxins made by molds, cyanobacteria and other microorganisms.
Safe Canary Nest
Excellent compilation of resources for canaries
ThinkBeforeYouStink
An educational resource for reducing your chemical and fragrance footprint, improving your health, and making your home or business safe and accessible for all.
Orion Magazine
to inform, inspire, and engage individuals and grassroots organizations in becoming a significant cultural force for healing nature and community.
The Story of Stuff Project
Short, easily shareable online movies that explore some of the key features of our relationship with Stuff
News
Environmental Health News
a foundation-funded news organization that advances the public’s understanding of environmental health issues by reporting and publishing news stories and providing daily access to news from other media around the world.
O Ecotextiles
Excellent info on chemicals in textiles and furnishings
Report an Adverse Effect or Unsafe Product (U.S.)
Product Safety Commission – Through SaferProducts.gov, consumers, child service providers, health care professionals, government officials and public safety entities can submit reports of harm
Accommodation and Compliance: Electrical Sensitivity
The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) is the leading source of free, expert, and confidential guidance on workplace accommodations and disability employment issues.
Bio Initiative
—A rationale for a biologically-based public exposure standard for electromagnetic fields
EI Wellspring
Practical Tips for Coping with Chemical and Electrical Hypersensitivity
The BabySafe Wireless Project
a joint initiative of two environmental health non-profit organizations providing info like What You Should Know About Wireless Radiation and Your Baby
The Switch2Safe project
exists to inform the public of the dangers of e-pollution and to advise on ways to lower it in the home, at work and other public places
Seriously "Sensitive" to Pollution 