Aside from making women feel like they need products that are
totally unnecessary and can be all around harmful in general, it’s
TOTALLY NOT COOL
to appropriate disability language
to sell products
that harm people with said disability!
If you are ‘scentsitive’, it means you need to be scent-free!
Fragrances Can Cause or Trigger Work-related Asthma
The Work-Related Asthma Prevention Program (WRAPP) of the California Department of Public Health released new fact sheets on fragrances and work-related asthma.
While these resources are primarily directed at women of childbearing age and children, they are really applicable to all of us. If a mother stops using perfume, but the father still piles on the scented deodorant, aftershave, and cologne, then his sperm, the mother, and children (born or unborn) are still being exposed to harmful chemicals.
If other family members, friends, and places like daycares are using scented laundry, personal care, and cleaning products, they too are putting moms-to-be and kids at risk.
The adverse effects from these chemicals can be life-long, even longer. Our exposures can affect our grandchildren. Eliminating them from our lives now will ensure better health all around, including downstream, where fish and wildlife are also being affected.
The short video below, produced by Women in Europe for a Common Future (WECF), provides simple, important information on how you can protect yourself and your child from Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs). They are found in so many places now.
∴
WECF have also developed a new website, NESTING, which is another good resource for all of us. They have assembled a lot of good advice there.
Here’s an example from their Cleaning & personal care page:
“This study found 156 different VOCs emitted from the 37 products, with an average of 15 VOCs per product. Of these 156 VOCs, 42 VOCs are classified as toxic or hazardous under US federal laws, and each product emitted at least one of these chemicals. Emissions of carcinogenic hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) from green fragranced products were not significantly different from regular fragranced products.”
∴
Most homes are full of these products!!!
Indeed, most indoor environments (and everything in them) are now polluted with these VOCs due to the pervasive nature of these products and chemical compounds.
It’s a question I have asked many, many times, especially when dealing with fragrance chemicals and scent marketing.
Penelope Jagessar Chaffer wasn’t referring specifically to fragrance chemicals when she asked that question, but one set of the chemicals that she discusses in the following TEDX talk are often found in fragrances, laundry, and personal care products (but are never on the labels), and they have been implicated in many different adverse health effects, including the deformities of the penis that she elaborates on in this new video:
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?
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.
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.
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