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
The Province of Ontario’s Ministry of Health and Long Term Care’s long awaited Environmental Health Task Force Interim Report has finally been released!
“We found that, throughout the health care system and in society at large, there is:
•a lack of recognition of the seriousness and severity of these conditions
•a profound shortage of knowledgeable care providers
•a dearth of clinical tools to support and guide care
•a discouraging shortage of services and supports for people living with these conditions
•an absence of support for family caregivers.
The lack of knowledge and appropriate accessible care has devastating effects on Ontarians struggling with ME/CFS, FM and ES/MCS.
…
For those living with ME/CFS, FM and ES/MCS, the lack of recognition of these serious and debilitating conditions is as harmful as the lack of treatments. …
We urge the Minister to act now to raise awareness of these conditions and address the barriers that keep people with ME/CFS, FM and ES/MCS from getting the care and services they need.”
…
From the press release:
Posted in Accessibility, Action, Environmental Health, Health Care, Human Rights, Policy
Tagged AODA, environmental sensitivities, ES/MCS, fibromyalgia, FM, hospitals, invisible disabilities, MCS, MCS/ES, ME/CFS, mental health, multiple chemical sensitivities, multiple chemical sensitivity, OHIP, Ontario
My article “Invisible Barriers, Invisible Disabilities, Invisible People” is now available to read in the
Special Issue on Ecopsychology and Environmental Sensitivities:
Chemical, Electrical, and Beyond
All the articles in the entire special issue will be available for free until Sept. 5 2017, which is unprecedented access!
Please check them out and share as widely as possible!
Table of Contents:
Posted in Disability, Environmental Health, Environmental Sensitivities, Human Rights, Public Health
Tagged chemical sensitivity, ecopsychology, EHS, environment, fibromyalgia, Gibson, health, invisible disabilities, MCS, MCS/ES, multiple chemical sensitivities, Ontario, petrochemicals, Research, systemic discrimination, toxic chemicals, toxic trespass
The canaries are still waiting!
“We issued a report (in 1985) that identified existing, publicly funded means of diagnosis, and accepted various methods of patient management, including avoidance of offending agents.
We did not feel that more research was needed before these and other measures were introduced to protect patients from being caused harm through inappropriate labelling or the denial of reasonable accommodation.”
Excerpted from this letter by Judge George M. Thomson, B.A., LL.B., LL.M., who chaired the extensive report by the Ad Hoc Committee on Environmental Hypersensitivity Disorders for the Province of Ontario in 1985:
Posted in Environmental Health, Environmental Sensitivities, Human Rights, Pollution, Public Health
Tagged canaries, chemical sensitivity, Fragrance, fragrance-free, hazardous air pollutants, health, invisible disabilities, MCS, MCS/ES, multiple chemical sensitivities, petrochemicals, toxic trespass
WHO Says We Need Fresh Air?!
Guest Post from Marie LeBlanc
Bringing awareness to chemical sensitivity
Marie LeBlanc at the Centennial Concert Hall in Winnipeg. May 12th 2017.
I am an artist in Winnipeg who lives with multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) and environmental illness caused by mold exposure. My art has been in relation to multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS)/Environmental Illness (EI) and toxic environments.
“WHO says we need fresh air?!” is a series of quotes from sufferers of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Environmental Illness, Mold Exposure, Electrohypersensitivity Syndrome, Lyme Disease and other conditions related to Chronic/Complex Immunological Neurological Diseases.
The art installation was on display during the evening of Fri. May 12, on Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS)/Environmental Sensitivities Awareness Day, outside the Centennial Concert Hall (with a few quotes displayed on the indoor screens), and is dedicated to my friend Eliana from Mexico.
Posted in Accessibility, Disability, Environment, Environmental Health, Health, Housing, Human Rights
Tagged allergies, anaphylaxis, asthma, chemical sensitivity, chemicals in clothing, CIND, creativity, EHS, environmental illness, environmental sensitivities, Fragrance, hazardous air pollutants, homeless, Housing, invisible disabilities, Lyme Disease, MCS, MCS/ES, Mold, multiple chemical sensitivities, suicide, toxic chemicals
These images are available on facebook. Feel free to download the appropriate one and use for Awareness Month, or at least for May 12th Awareness Day!
Posted in Accessibility, Action, Education, Environmental Health, Environmental Sensitivities, Friendship, Images, Multiple Chemical Sensitivities, Support
Tagged allergies, asthma, chemical sensitivity, EHS, environment, invisible disabilities, masks, MCS, MCS/ES, multiple chemical sensitivities, petrochemicals, sensitive to pollution
Here’s an easy way for everyone to show some support!
And maybe, just maybe, wearing a mask for an hour or a day will spread some understanding of why the people who fought for smoke free policies did that instead of expecting all non-smokers to just wear masks always and everywhere.
The Mask Challenge is brought to you by
Help us make May 2017 the last time that we ever hear or read the words:
“MCS? #NeverHeardOfIt!!”
#MaskChallenge! Do it! Grow #MCSAwareness!
Watch the video and read the transcript below:
Posted in Accessibility, Action, Air Quality, Environmental Health, Fragrance, Pollution, Public Health
Tagged activism, awareness, chemical sensitivity, environmental sensitivities, IAQ, invisible disabilities, masks, MCS, multiple chemical sensitivities, petrochemicals, support, toxic trespass, video
Marie Leblanc, an artist from Winnipeg who is living with MCS/ES herself, is compiling information and statements to put into an MCS awareness project. There are two ideas to contribute to.
The easier one is to share shorter personal statements about your life with MCS/ES and related environmentally linked health conditions, which will be projected onto walls in a way similar to the photo below.
Alison Johnson has a new video coming out about the need for fragrance-free policies.
From her website:
Card available from Alison Johnson
“This film covers not only fragrance issues but also presents an overview of multiple chemical sensitivity. It features Dr. L. Christine Oliver, an Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and former Co-Director of Occupational and Environmental Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. The film also contains footage of an interview with the former Commander of Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Dr. Ronald R. Blanck. People with MCS in the film include Gulf War veterans and survivors of the 9/11 WTC attacks, as well as people from all walks of life.”
.
You can watch the trailer here:
Posted in Accessibility, Air Quality, Environmental Health, Environmental Sensitivities, Fragrance, Health, Human Rights, Public Health
Tagged Alison Johnson, allergies, Anne Steinemann, asthma, chemical sensitivity, Chemicals, fragrance-free, hazardous air pollutants, IAQ, MCS, multiple chemical sensitivities, petrochemicals, video
 | linda @ Seriously "S… on MCS/ES |
| linda @ Seriously "S… on The CDC and MCS |
 | Tabatha Schnorr on MCS/ES |
| Tabatha Schnorr on The CDC and MCS |
| linda @ Seriously "S… on MCS and Housing |
| linda @ Seriously "S… on Hospital Protocols for People… |
Seriously "Sensitive" to Pollution 