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Dear Bart --
Thank you for your very kind words! I'm so glad to learn you've
been helped.
From time to time in recent months, I've also informed folks of
the work done by Prof. Anne Steinemann of UW in Seattle. For
example:
Some scented household products contain chemicals classified as toxic, UW study finds
The fumes that waft from top-selling air fresheners and laundry products contain dozens of chemicals, including several classified as toxic or hazardous, according to a University of Washington study published today.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008067309_toxicsmell23m0.html
The very sad truth is that each of us really has to be his or her
very own "one person" campaigner. And each and every one of
us is up against an enormous industry that has poisoned a wide variety
of products with petrochemicals while maintaining that they don't
cause harm, or cause harm for only a very few people.
However, I am of the opinion that IF the medical doctors began
opening their minds, they would see how the increase rates of asthma,
cancers, Parkinson's, Alzheimers, ADD, ADHD, you-name-it disease (and
I'm likely to throw in renal disease for good measure), they'll see
large increases since the 1970s. And what have we had since the 1970s?
The flavors and fragrance industry making its products mainly from
petrochemical derivatives, that easily are inhaled and absorbed and
become one with one's blood stream and from there, store in fatty
tissue and organs.
There are no controls over this industry. We've been living with
the adverse events caused by an industry that is unregulated and
further protected by trade secret status and fragmentation of
government oversight agencies. The EPA is supposed to be over air
quality, but when I first started in this game, they laughed
themselves silly, when they learned that I expected they'd deal with
fragrance and flavors pollution of the air. Go to the FDA, they'd
state. So, back to the FDA I'd go -- YES, I had started out there --
but the FDA would simply laugh at me and say that the industry IS
regulated. HOW?, I'd query. The industry is required to put the word
"Fragrance" on a label of any product containing fragrances.
Ahhhh, but what's behind that word "Fragrance"?, I asked. No
one knows but the industry iteself was the response. Hence, Betty
Bridges and I worked together to develop what became the first
petition (that we were aware of) before the FDA, Petition
99P-1340.
Now, one may wonder what has happened to that petition? Well, if
you can find out, please let me know. I've written to the FDA several
times over asking . . . as far as I know, it died and unnatural death.
However, more work has been done by others in recent years, especially
the Environmental Working Group. So be sure to also check their site
and their Safe Cosmetics campaign.
Bart, also many thanks for your great wishes . . . so far, my
husband and I are doing remarkably well, but it takes a lot of doing
to keep us functioning as we are . . . for me, all drug free, and for
him mainly drug free. (The joys of living with MCS means often that
one cannot handle petrochemically derived drugs any better than one
can handle petrochemically derived flavors or fragrances or pesticides
or building materials ....
love to all,
barb
At 12:13 PM -0700 10/1/08, Bart wrote:
Barb, thank you for the background.
I think I've never said thank you for your web site. When I was first trying to figure out what the hell was happening to me and then, after getting my first clues and trying to deal, it was your site that I found early on. It was your vast accumulation of information and anecdotes and resources that got me started on understanding the syndrome and that made me know I was not the only one! It gave me comfort, and it gave me useful information. So I really do appreciate the site -- and the other work that I know you have done.
Glad to hear someone is helping you with the site now. All the best to you and your husband.
"Reneerose," here's hoping you are successful. I'm trying to find a web page I once saw, from the EPA I think, that recommended the use of nontoxic cleaning products.
I've found this 71 page PDF about cleaning at Yellowstone, a national park -- it recommends nontoxic or less toxic products.
http://www.epa.gov/epp/pubs/cleaning.pdf
I also found these pages. I know janitorial is probably not your first concern, but it might be a toe in the door for making your point. And the fact that a national agency has tuned into the problem might help. It's the Janitorial Products Pollution Prevention Project.
http://www.westp2net.org/Janitorial/tools/riskevaluation.htm
http://www.wrppn.org/Janitorial/jp4.cfm
Note the the "sponsors" include the EPA.
If I find the original page I was looking for, I'll let you know.
Bart
--- On Wed, 10/1/08, Barbara Wilkie <wilworks@...> wrote:
From: Barbara Wilkie <wilworks@...>
Subject: Re: [BayCanaryGrapevine] One woman campaign for fragrance free policy
To: BayCanaryGrapevine@yahoogroups.com
Date: Wednesday, October 1, 2008, 8:03 AM
Dear Bart and All --Years ago, there was Julia Kendall. We lost her to the effects of Malathion poisoning in July 1997. But as far as I know, she was the first woman in the Bay Area to launch the notion of fragrance-free meeting attendance, workplaces, healthcare facilities, etc. She was a dynamic individual and worked up until the very end of her life.I worked with her starting when I met her in the early 1990s. I was made chemically injured in my former workplace by all the fragrance products used daily by management and staff and of course, by their highly scented cleaning products and monthly pesticiding routines.I developed a website, which I donated to the Environmental Health Network and is available to all at http://www.ehnca. org. IF one goes into Take Heart!, which is also known as Access and available through the quick clicks near the top of homepage, one can learn about various requests for fragrance-free accommodation.As my own health and the health of my husband have had challenges in the past three years, I've not kept up with EHN's site as I had in the past, but it still holds a wealth of information. And, the good news is, another board member is working on developing a new format, etc., for EHN's site and that will upload in the not too distant future. The domain name of ehnca will remain unchanged.Good luck to all who are seeking fragrance-free accommodation. Many of us have been "one person" campaigners and together, across this country, we have made some small gains. Including at the level of the US Access Board, for don't you know, you cannot shake air out of a building. (My quote to them back in October 1998, out of which, perhaps grew the work done by the Access Board and NIBS, where you can find fragrance-free information. )All best wishes,barb wilkiewww.ehnca.orgAt 5:18 PM -0700 9/30/08, Bart wrote:
This is a little out in left field, I guess. But the San Francisco City Hall has signs in the hallways that ask people not to wear fragranced products in City Hall. I don't know who got that done, but it's an example of a government building that at least makes the request. There might be someone there who could give you some information on how that happened... and more power to you!
--- On Tue, 9/30/08, reneerose242000 <reneerose242000@ yahoo.com> wrote:
From: reneerose242000 <reneerose242000@ yahoo.com>
Subject: [BayCanaryGrapevine ] One woman campaign for fragrance free policy
To: BayCanaryGrapevine@ yahoogroups. com
Date: Tuesday, September 30, 2008, 3:05 PM
I have a current accomodation request in process still.
I was wondering anyone out there has tried a one-person campaign for a
fragrance free policy at their workplace and would like to share with
me offline about their methods of trying to get coworkers to implementone outside of ADA accomodation.
I work for a Federal agency so this is extremely daunting for me.
--IF you want to live healthier lives, live as if you already had MCS!Some scented household products contain chemicals classified as toxic, UW study finds
The fumes that waft from top-selling air fresheners and laundry products contain dozens of chemicals, including several classified as toxic or hazardous, according to a University of Washington study published today.http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008067309_toxicsmell23m0.htmlWomen warned not to wear perfume during pregnancyhttp://news. scotsman. com/health/ Women-warned- -not-to.4443471. jpGREEN products, according to theUS Dept. of the Interior, "MUST NOT containpetrochemical- derived fragrances."http://www.doi. gov/greening/ sustain/trad. htmlHell's Smells..."[A]fter banning the wearing of freshly dry-cleaned clothes,perfumes and over-fragranced cleaning products on a trialbasis, they often discover that all of their employees, notjust MCS sufferers, feel much better."http://www.theage. com.au/articles/ 2004/07/08/ 1089000294168. html?oneclick=trueView an interview with Christopher Bryson writer ofThe Fluoride Deceptionhttp://video. google.com/ videoplay? docid=7319752042 352089988WE THE PEOPLE stopped the LBAM spray from planes. However,they want to spray from trucks on your block and paint theutility poles in front of your homes. What I've read is they willuse permethrin. But, will they use the natural or artificialproduct? In either case, they are not to be claimed as "safe"as permethrin can cause respiratory and neurological poisonings.Permethrin? Check it out here . . .http://www.safe2use .com/poisons- pesticides/ pesticides/ permethrin/ cox-report/cox. htmLet's all also work for safer cosmetics, flavors, fragrances,building materials, pest control, and no water fluoridation. Etc.
--
IF you want to live healthier lives,
live as if you already had MCS!
Some scented household
products contain chemicals classified as toxic, UW study finds
The fumes that waft from top-selling air fresheners and laundry products contain dozens of chemicals, including several classified as toxic or hazardous, according to a University of Washington study published today.
The fumes that waft from top-selling air fresheners and laundry products contain dozens of chemicals, including several classified as toxic or hazardous, according to a University of Washington study published today.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008067309_toxicsmell23m0.html
Women warned not to wear
perfume during pregnancy
http://news.scotsman.com/health/Women-warned--not-to.4443471.jp
GREEN products, according to
the
US Dept. of the Interior, "MUST NOT
contain
petrochemical-derived
fragrances."
http://www.doi.gov/greening/sustain/trad.html
Hell's Smells
..."[A]fter banning the wearing of freshly dry-cleaned
clothes,
perfumes and
over-fragranced cleaning products on a trial
basis, they often
discover that all of their employees, not
just MCS sufferers,
feel much better."
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/07/08/1089000294168.html?oneclick=true
View an interview with Christopher Bryson
writer of
The Fluoride
Deception
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7319752042352089988
WE THE PEOPLE stopped the LBAM spray
from planes. However,
they want to spray from trucks on your
block and paint the
utility poles in front of your homes. What
I've read is they will
use permethrin. But, will they use the
natural or artificial
product? In either case, they are not to be
claimed as "safe"
as permethrin can cause respiratory and
neurological poisonings.
Permethrin? Check it out here . .
.
http://www.safe2use.com/poisons-pesticides/pesticides/permethrin/cox-report/cox.htm
Let's all also work for safer cosmetics,
flavors, fragrances,
building materials, pest control, and no
water fluoridation. Etc.
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