The ideas and photos I am sharing are not designed specifically for people with MCS/ES, but they can be easily adapted to meet our needs.
The majority of people who celebrate Christmas do it with decorations, parties, and gifts, perhaps with a visit to church, if possible. For people with MCS/ES, all of these traditions, as currently practiced, can be seriously problematic, if not downright impossible.
Please watch this important and very well done new video by Dr. Bruce Lanphear, where he discusses chemicals and other toxins that affect brain development in children (and can cause MCS/ES symptoms in others) and what we need to do about it.
Little Things Matter: The Impact of Toxins on the Developing Brain
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Here’s a longer video presentation by him from Autism Canada
Excavating Environmental Risk Factors for Autism: Suspects and Strategies
Posted in Autism, Brain, Chemicals, Environmental Health, Neurotoxicity, Pollution, Pregnancy, Toxic Trespass
Tagged blood brain barrier, body burden, brain development, Bruce Lanphear, child health, EDCs, environment, exposures, lead, Little Things Matter, MCS, mercury, pesticides, petrochemicals, phthalates, Research, sensitive to pollution, smoke, toxic chemicals, toxins
Dr. John Molot is a doctor who sees patients with complex, chronic, environmentally linked, and often disabling, health conditions. Although he is retiring from private practice, he is still a staff physician in the Environmental Health Clinic at Women’s College Hospital in Toronto.
He recently released a book, “12,000 Canaries Can’t Be Wrong“, wrote a report in support of the Ontario Centre of Excellence in Environmental Health (OCEEH), and appears in a video presentation about the health effects of common chemical exposures (see below).
Check these out:
12,000 Canaries Can’t be Wrong
What’s making you sick & what can you do about it
Posted in Chemicals, Disability, Environmental Health, Fragrance, Health, MCS/ES, Pollution
Tagged allergies, autism, canaries, cancer, chronic illness, Dr. Molot, environment, fibromyalgia, health care access for people with MCS/ES, Human Rights, indoor air quality, MCS/ES, multiple chemical sensitivities, OCEEH, petrochemicals, sensitivities, toxic chemicals
I invite you to take 25 minutes of your life to listen to this audio documentary.
Posted in Air Quality, Child Health, Disability, Environmental Health, Environmental Sensitivities, Health, Human Rights
Tagged challenges, chronic conditions, discrimination., EHS, environment, health, Housing, immune dysfunction, Lyme Disease, MCS/ES, multiple chemical sensitivities, pain, surviving, Sylvain, systemic, toxic chemicals, toxic trespass
There are days that I am not as peaceful as I would like to be… This is one of them…
Despite most of my fantasies being about a world where we all have clean air, clean water, healthy food, safe shelter and clothing, and care about each others well-being, I admit to occasionally entertaining various “revenge” fantasies regarding those who allow toxic chemicals into everyday products and materials, especially those in the fragrance industry…
I have had different fantasies over the years, despite in my heart of hearts, not wanting anyone to suffer…Today another revenge fantasy emerged (since some people just don’t understand the harm their actions cause others, unless they personally experience the same or similar harm):
The people who allow toxic chemicals to be used in colognes and other fragranced products deserve to be locked into a room with no ventilation, to inhale the fumes from 20 opened bottles and packages of those products (like soaps, laundry, personal care and cleaning products) for 24 hours, no matter what happens to them while they are in there.
With their families and friends watching via live-stream somewhere else…
Ok, I’ll be a little considerate…maybe when they go unconscious or delirious, they could be taken to a hospital, to a room filled with toxic sanitizers, PVC/vinyl fumes, perfumed and cologned doctors and nurses… only to be told that their symptoms were all in their head.
Why, you might ask, would I wish such a thing on someone today?
Check out the blog post by Pretty Smart:
“As most menstruating people will tell you, we have more than enough to deal with during our periods…”
Then get more details about what’s in tampons from Women’s Voices for the Earth
Some of this isn’t news (or shouldn’t be). Back in 1992, Liz Armstrong co-wrote “Whitewash: Exposing the Health and Environmental Dangers of Women’s Sanitary Products and Disposable Diapers : What You Can Do About It”. Here’s an interview with Liz that includes other resources you may be interested in exploring from the book “Cancer: 101 Solutions to a Preventable Epidemic”.
If you prefer your info in a more entertaining format, then you can watch the musical spoof video “Detox the Box”:
Continue reading
Posted in Action, Environmental Health, Products, Toxic Trespass
Tagged menstrual products, pads, regulation, tampons, toxic chemicals, trade secrets
Another excellent post from O ECOTEXTILES
…”The generations born from 1970 on are the first to be raised in a truly toxified world. Probably one in three of the children you know suffers from a chronic illness – based on the finding of many studies on children’s health issues.[5] It could be cancer, or birth defects – perhaps asthma, or a problem that affects the child’s mind and behavior, such as a learning disorder, ADHD or autism or even a peanut allergy. We do know, for example: …”
We received a comment on one of our blog posts recently in which the reader chastised us for exaggerating issues which they believe are disproportionate to the facts. In their words: For instance formaldehyde… is a volatile chemical…no doubt it is used in the textile industry a great deal…but looking for this chemical in end products is an example chasing a ghost…. It has to be put in perspective. I do not know of any citation that a human developed cancer because they wore durable press finished clothing.
Please follow along as I itemize the reasons that we don’t feel the issues are exaggerated.
Textiles are full of chemicals. The chemicals found in fabrics have been deemed to be, even by conservative organizations such as the Swedish government, simply doing us no good – and even harming us in ways ranging from subtle to profound. But fabrics are just one…
View original post 2,015 more words
Posted in chemicals in clothing, Child Health, Environmental Health, Pollution
Tagged Clothing, textiles, toxic chemicals
An Interview With Bruce Lourie
Connie from the Breast Cancer Fund recently interviewed Bruce Lourie, who has (among many other things) co-authored two books with Rick Smith. Many of you will be familiar with their first book “Slow Death By Rubber Duck”. They recently released a new book “TOXIN TOXOUT”, which was written after repeatedly being asked what could be done about the chemical body burden they discovered and discussed in their first book. In this interview Bruce very candidly discusses some of the issues we all face regarding everyday chemical exposures, and touches on what we can all do about them.
I’m pretty sure you will want to buy the book after you check out the interview. I don’t have Kobo (just kindle for PC) and can’t read paper and ink books, so I am unable to read the book myself, but if I won a lottery, and wanted to gift everyone I know a book, based on what Bruce discusses in the interview, I think this would be the book.
Posted in Chemicals, Environmental Health, Health Care, Pollution
Tagged cancer, detox, health, pesticides, policy, Research, sauna, toxic chemicals, Toxin Toxout
Did you know that there can be massive amounts of highly toxic pesticides used in the shipping containers, especially when products and materials are shipped over seas?
In a world where recycling is being encouraged, this presents some potentially serious problems that aren’t being widely discussed. Some things have simply not been designed to be reused, and recycling toxic materials just spreads the contamination further afield, causing low level poisoning and some kinds of chronic health problems.
The trend to build all kinds of indoor furniture and garden beds out of pallets is quite troubling. The pallets used in these containers would also have absorbed the pesticides and be unsafe for re-use. This article describes other issues with pallets.
Screen shot from google image search of reused pallets
Note potentially hazardous furniture for children and food use
Converting shipping containers into homes is another big trend (see below).
The following documentary depicts some serious problems related to clothing (as well as some other items that were shipped long distances) when saturated with health harming levels of pesticides. Manufacturing issues are also examined in this video.
Women’s Voices for the Earth has a great page about toxic ingredients commonly found in products women, men and children are exposed to on a regular basis, usually everyday, even when we try not to be. Check it out, get informed, and take action to protect you, your family and the planet that supports our lives.
Sadly, our current regulatory systems do more to protect those who are polluting us, than to protect our health. I don’t know how we are going to change this without a massive outcry, but we CAN stop buying the products we learn are harmful to us and to future generations.
The Skin Deep website has information about thousands of personal care products and ingredients, WVE has recipes to make your own, and then some, and Mind the Store is successfully calling on retailers to stop selling toxic products. We have more power than we know, but only when we use it!
 | 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 