Useful Websites:
Chemical Injury Information Network (CIIN). “...a tax-exempt, non-profit, charitable support and advocacy organization run by the chemically injured for the benefit of the chemically injured.”Environmental Health Network of California (EHN). A 501 (c) (3) nonprofit agency devoted to advocacy and education. A great starting point for learning about modern fragrance and pesticide products, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity and related problems. See the QuickClicks section in their home page, notably “MCS Links”, to learn more.
The Chemical Sensitivity Foundation. “Our mission is to engage in scientific, charitable, and educational activities on behalf of people with multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), a condition involving a wide range of symptoms triggered by exposure to many everyday chemicals like perfume, diesel exhaust, fresh paint, and pesticides.”
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Search hints:
If you search for “Multiple Chemical Sensitivity” or even just “Chemical Sensitivity” in your favorite Web search engine, you'll probably come up with many additional discussions. The phrase “environmental illness” is sometimes used instead of MCS, perhaps in an effort to make the problem seem unrelated to the chemical industry.But beware! There is a lot of money in the chemical industry, and that money can hire doctors and researchers. You'll probably come across at least a few websites that argue that MCS is a figment of the sufferer's imagination... or, more politely but just as wrong-headedly, that it is a “very real” psychological problem. Some doctors may even assert this without being paid stooges of the chemical industry; the medical profession has an unfortunate history of dismissing as hysterical any illness that is not well understood.
Fifty years ago, they claimed asthma was all in people's minds!
Books on MCS and related topics:
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Multiple Chemical Sensitivity: A
Survival Guide Perhaps the most levelheaded, comprehensive guide to MCS available in print. |
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Better
Basics for the Home: Simple Solutions for Less Toxic Living by Annie Berthold-Bond (June 1999) Three Rivers Press ISBN: 0609803255 A wealth of practical suggestions for housekeeping without toxic products. |