Not Karen by Anita Bretha Freshair

Most folk jot about the day
No thought what scents
Might waft their way
And not a care
What scents they spray
Or what scents are made of, anyway.

Not Karen, though
She always knows
What's in your hair
And on your clothes
A scarf to cover
Her mouth and nose
She's chemical free
From head to toes

Karen has MCS, you see
Multiple Chemical Sensitivity
She told her dad, who still lit a smoke
Not carin' it literally made her choke
Then migraine, sinus, throat and chest pain,
And detoxing it out brings pain back again
Her dad makes her sick
It's really quite sad
But if he wants to be toxic
She can't have a dad

Her sisters love to wear per-fume,
Burn insence, and candles-not smart
Not carin' or wantin' to be told what to do
Karen's sisters are breaking her heart

She's Karen Canary, sick and afraid
Of what other people are wearin'
Most folk will just jot about their day
 But those folk are not Karen.

Susie Breaks It Down

What is Multiple Chemical Sensitivity?

by Susie Collins, editor at The Canary Report

People with an exquisite sensitivity to toxic chemicals are often called “canaries.” The name comes from the old practice of miners who took canaries with them into the mines; if the canary died from toxic air in the shaft, the miners had time to escape with their lives. People with chemical sensitivities are the canaries of the modern world.

So how does a person develop chemical sensitivities? Sometimes exposure to toxic chemicals– maybe a one-time mega exposure or maybe a long-term micro exposure– can trigger a chronic illness called Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS), where the person develops a hyper sensitivity to everyday toxic chemicals found in consumer goods and the environment.

Let’s see what the experts have to say about defining MCS. In 1999, a consensus was reached among a large group of specialists in defining Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. The abstract of their report reads:

Consensus criteria for the definition of multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) were first identified in a 1989 multidisciplinary survey of 89 clinicians and researchers with extensive experience in, but widely differing views of, MCS. A decade later, their top 5 consensus criteria defining MCS are:

[1] a chronic condition

[2] with symptoms that recur reproducibly

[3] in response to low levels of exposure

[4] to multiple unrelated chemicals and

[5] improve or resolve when incitants are removed

[6] propose adding: requiring that symptoms occur in multiple organ systems.

These criteria are all commonly encompassed by research definitions of MCS.

Nonetheless, their standardized use in clinical settings is still lacking, long overdue, and greatly needed—especially in light of government studies in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada that revealed 2–4 times as many cases of chemical sensitivity among Gulf War veterans than undeployed controls.

In addition, state health department surveys of civilians in New Mexico and California showed that 2–6%, respectively, already had been diagnosed with MCS and that 16% of the civilians reported an “unusual sensitivity” to common everyday chemicals. Given this high prevalence, as well as the 1994 consensus of the American Lung Association, American Medical Association, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission that “complaints [of MCS] should not be dismissed as psychogenic, and a thorough workup is essential,” we recommend that MCS be formally diagnosed—in addition to any other disorders that may be present—in all cases in which the 6 aforementioned consensus criteria are met and no single other organic disorder (e.g., mastocytosis) can account for all the signs and symptoms associated with chemical exposure.

In layman’s terms, people with MCS react unfavorably when exposed to any amount, from minute to gross, of toxic chemicals from products such as pesticides, cigarette smoke, paint fumes, wood preservatives, photocopier fumes, perfumes and fragrances, laundry products, dryer sheets, air fresheners, and epoxy, among many others. Symptoms vary from fleeting to severe and might include rapid heart rate, shortness of breath, fatigue, flushing, dizziness, nausea, coughing, difficulty concentrating, problems with memory, migraine, or even life threatening seizures or respiratory distress. This chemical sensitivity condition is not rare and the numbers of people who have it are growing.

But the truth is, it’s not just chemically sensitive people who are being affected by a toxic environment. The general public is being exposed to tens of thousands of chemicals that didn’t even exist until a few decades ago. Many of these chemicals, some found in everyday household products like cleansers and cosmetics, are known to be or are suspected of causing cancer, reproductive problems, developmental disabilities, and heart disease.

People around the world are now sounding the alarm about toxic household cleansers, clothing and fabrics, electronics, cosmetics and personal care items, perfumes and fragrances, deodorizers, cleansers and soaps, all the products about which people with MCS have been alarmed for decades. But now trends are finally catching up, consumers are making smarter choices with non-toxic paints and building materials, organic gardens and foods, natural cleansers and fabrics, and electronics free from flame retardant. Until government and industry catch up with these progressive trends, the best course of action is to limit exposure and lead the healthiest life possible.

For more information about Multiple Chemical Sensitivity

For a list of citations for peer-reviewed journal articles that support a physiological basis for MCS, go to Research on Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, compiled by Professor Anne C. Steinemann and Amy L. Davis at University of Washington.

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity is recognized as a disability by the United States Social Security Administration, Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Americans with Disabilities Act, among other government agencies. To learn more, click on the categories “Disability Rights” and “Worker’s Rights.”

To learn more about safe housing, click on Multiple Chemical Sensitivity and Safe Housing.

Click here for links to more Resources.

Click here to learn more about Multiple Chemical Sensitivity from websites around the world.

Click here to visit The Canary Report blog.

Click here to visit The Canary Report social network.

Click on a specific category or tab listed in the right hand column for more information on a given topic.

Feel free to write me, Susie Collins, editor at The Canary Report, through the Contact page.

If you feel isolated or confused with your chemical sensitivities, take heart. The Canary Report is here to give you trusted news, information and inspiration!

Getting Energized

So much for our dreams of solar power.  We just can't finance it. Too bad, 'cause I'm sure it's the way to go.

But this means a friend will wire our tiny home instead of said solar guy.  We are blessed to have someone we trust to do this part of our project.

We will need to find someone to hook up our propane for the stovetop and heater.

A bonfire on the property where we are building, at the beginning of a burn ban, made bad air quality worse.  So we sealed the house up tight in a tarp, with some tu-tuff vapor barrier laid over the roof for extra protection from rain, and took a week off.

D K and I need to get energized, too.  D K caught a cold after the roof  build in the cold snap.

We need to purchase torrefied cedar siding and steel corregated roofing, along with ice and water sheild, an alternative to tarpaper.

Winter Solstice is almost here, so days will get longer and we will celebrate the Sun, though not as part of our power plans. 

Taking Shape (at 25 degrees F)

Getting Wrapped and Rafter'd

Keeping Us Company

About a Month Ago:

Hope

86 % of people with MCS improve significantly when they live in a Safe House.

Yule Make Me Sick by Anita Bretha Freshair

I woke up cause it reeked

Of woodsmoke and dryer sheets

So cozy and static-free

My neighbor's fast asleep

I try to kindly gently say
Those are scents that cause me pain
Like acid rain on my brain
 I'll share the day with another migraine.

Anxious for Open Air

A month since I blogged about the build, and after about 2 1/2 months of building,  we have a week until possible snow.

It's December 1st and we are probably halfway done.  We are hoping to be in our tiny home  (parked here) by our 10th anniversary,  March 2nd.

Better get to building.  Update with lots of pictures coming soon...

A Third Poem, by Anita Bretha Freshair (desparately)dedicated to Shirley Dozen-o

Shirley Dozen-o-
She's a friend of mine
She wears hair spray and cologne
And Febreezes all the time.

Shirley, she's a girl
Who really fills up a room

With a swirl, you're enveloped

...In her Per-Fume

Shirley Dozen-o,
If she knew, surely, she'd care
Her Per-Fume contains Pesti-Cides

That are fogging up the Air

There's Pesti-Cide in soap
In lotions and cologne
They're everywhere, and make me choke
So I end up home alone.

Cide- that means kill
And it's killin' all my fun
Pesti-Cides make me ill,
And Shirley's wearing one.

I don't mean to hurt her feelings

I don't mean to cramp her style

But when she chooses Per-Fume over me

It's hard to laugh and smile

So, I hardly see Miss Shirley
Either way, I'm injured, though.
Her killer scent's not girly
But Shirley doesn't know

My Dog's Blog

This is Ludwig, AKA Bo-Bo.  He's been a member of our family for a year.  The exposure he's had to toxins in his life have been pretty low since he's usually with me.  As a matter of fact, he alerts me to scents when we are out.   Avoidance of contaminants is the key to better health for someone with MCS.  Our vet (Hawk's Prarie) has even met us outside for exams to minimize our exposure.

Ludwig wishes everyone would quit using chemicals on their lawns.  It triples a dog's chance of getting cancer to be exposed to chemical lawn fertilizers and it hurts the salmon.  Scott's turfbuilder contains the same broad leaf KILLer they used in Agent Orange. (Don't let the picture of the healthy dog on the bag fool you-it's no good for anybody).

Ludwig thinks people should use healthy options.  An organic fertilizer, like Lily Miller, and aerating the soil will make your grass so thick (and perfect for rolling in), the weeds won't have room to take hold.

Instead of Frontline flea KILLer, introduce a small amount of brewers yeast to your dog's food.  Mmm!  Dogs love it!

Ludwig also hopes everyone will quit using toxic laundry products-especially dryer sheets!!  Think about why you think you need certain products, and find a non-toxic solution.

Healthy choices are out there.  If not for yourself, do it for your pet.

.

In All Fairness, Your Awareness, Would Help Prevent MCS Impairedness, (courtesy, A.B. Freshair)

State of Washington Proclamation, Jan. 26, 2009

• 
  

Whereas, people of all ages in Washington have developed a condition known as Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) as a result of a single massive exposure or repeated low level exposure to toxic chemicals or other irritants in the environment; and

Whereas, MCS is recognized by the World Health Organization, the Americans with Disabilities Act, Social Security Administration, US Department of Housing and Urban Development, Environmental Protection Agency, as well as other state and federal govermental agencies and commissions which have supported the health and welfare of the chemically injured; and

Whereas, MCS is a chronic condition for which there is no known cure; symptoms include chronic fatigue, muscle and joint pains, rashes, asthma, headaches and other respiratory and neurological problems; and

Whereas, MCS can cause major financial, employment, housing, health and social consequenses for people who have this disability; and

Whereas, reasonable accomodation and raising of awareness of MCS can provide opportunities for people with this disability to enjoy access to work, school, public facilities and other settings where they can continue to contribute their professional skills, ideas, creativity, abilities, and knowledge; and

Whereas, people with MCS need the support of family, friends, coworkers, and society as they manage their condition and adapt to new lifestyles,

Now, therefore, I Christine O. Gregoire, Governor of the state of Washington do herby proclaim May 2009, MCS awreness month and I urge all citizens to support understanding, education, and research of MCS.

Family is Gold

...in the words of Madonna...and it is true.  Whatever family means to you, we all need people we can count on.  Jon has really been there for me at some crucial times, and I am deeply grateful.  He is my brother and a truly kind person.  

Jon is the Project Manager at 510 Interiors in Olympia Live Well, Live Green!!

Our darling nephew Dyllan and joyous neice Jozey.

A Whole 'Nother Level

We got a couple sunny days but have a few steps before we can build the roof.

D K and I installed the collars that support the 2 lofts.  One over the door that's about 3 ft. deep, and the sleeping loft that's 6ft. 8 in.  That leaves about a 6 ft. span between lofts.

 We've put loft floors and some sheathing on.

We have 3 potentially dry days to get the sheathing finished and the housewrap on. But the wheel wells need to be waterproofed from the inside and we may take on that project first thing while we can be open to fresh air since spray foam and adhesive will be used.

A layer of TuTuff vapor barrier between our tiny home and our tarp, along with a temporary ceiling spanning between loft floors has kept it pretty dry.  The water that got in is dried up.   Now we are in the "home stretch" of getting closed up and waterproofed.  We are hoping to move onto flatter ground and start the roof framing in about a week...

A Few Snaps

Welcome to the Northwest

Red-legged Frog

Well we did it!  D K and I finished the fourth wall Tuesday night and got it up and screwed in place Wednesday as the sun went down.

We've covered it over with a huge tarp and are working inside.  That's how we did the 2 big walls and with more rain coming, D K has a plan to get the loft and rafters started inside, too.

Heavy rain Friday resulted in some big pools of water inside our tiny home where the tarp gave way.  It's rigged up better now, bailed out and drying, thanks to D K who did all the Damage Kontrol.

We'll take a heater tomorrow to assist in drying it out and get to some quick but careful roof building.  The sun may be back Wednesday and Thursday so hopefully we'll be prepped to put the ridgebeam and rafters in place in the few hours of daylight we'll get after work.




I have more pictures to post soon.  We still need to take some from the outside and have only seen the frame ourselves from inside our tarp.  It's like an unveiling...