The Singing Canaries' World
by Mary Tellers
In
February I watched a documentary about Sweet Honey in the Rock, a
black women’s
a Capella group. For 30 years this troupe has sung about social justice
issues. One member described their purpose as, “The
world needs to know how it looks to us.”
When the Environmentally
Safe Housing Initiative (ESHI) first met last fall, the “singing canaries,” those of us with Multiple
Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) and/or Environmental Illness (EI), educated
other ESHI members about: (1) what triggers our reactions; (2) the
effects of chemicals on our physical/emotional health; and, (3) the
measures we have taken to prevent, minimize or detoxify from exposures.
In our own way, we got to speak about how “the world looks
to us.”
Rachel Carson, author
of the book Silent Spring, warned consumers in the 50’s of
the impending dangers of pesticides and other chemicals. In 1989,
the U.S. marked a milestone (of sorts) little known to the general
public, producing its one millionth man-made chemical. According
to the Environmental Defense Group, of the 4 billion pounds of
toxic chemicals released into the environment each year, 72 million
pounds are known carcinogens. In a study conducted by the Environmental
Working Group, researchers tested the umbilical cord blood of ten
unborn babies and found 287 industrial chemicals and pollutants
contained within it.
With the world as toxic
as it is, it’s no wonder that 16%
or more of the population is considered chemically sensitive. MCS,
according to the Chemical Injury Resource Association of Minnesota
(CIRA), is “a reaction to chemical substances that may occur
following long term exposure to low level chemicals found in many
common products, in naturally occurring substances such as mold,
wood, smoke, etc. or from exposure to a large amount of toxins such
as a chemical spill.” Environmental Illness (EI) is a broader
term that means a reaction to a number of environmental substances,
including exposure to electromagnetic/electrical fields (EMFs).
Toxic Triggers
Typically, a
MCS/EI individual may react to any or all pesticides, lawn chemicals,
plastics, paint/ink, mold, wood, tobacco smoke, perfume/colognes,
synthetic building materials, car exhaust fumes, synthetic fabrics,
formaldehyde, household cleaning and laundry products, air fresheners,
scented candles, and glues/adhesives. A person may be healthy one
day, and then suddenly manifest symptoms because he/she has reached
what building biologists call “the
rain barrel effect.” Every day our bodies are exposed to
many environmental toxins, usually storing them in our fat cells.
Most everyone has the capacity to handle this exposure without
symptoms until we reach a point where our body, much like a rain
barrel, eventually fills up and toxic overload spills over causing
symptoms that can range from slight to life-threatening.
Physical and Emotional Impact
In
general, symptoms can include headaches, muscle and joint pains,
fatigue and weakness, disorientation and confusion and respiratory
problems. Many MCS/EI individuals are also sensitive to electromagnetic
and electrical fields, develop food allergies, and may suffer
from asthma, fibromyalgia, mitral valve prolapse, or chronic fatigue
syndrome.
Victoria has MCS and
metastatic breast cancer. Her diet is limited because she reacts
to foods as well. She comments, “… if
I deviate from my diet and have two bites of fruit, I experience
greater systemic yeast overgrowth, severe fatigue, with painful joints,
gastrointestinal bloating and upset, general fogginess and dulled
cognitive abilities.” Memory problems, impaired motor functioning,
recurring infections, slurred speech and mental confusion are just
a few of the impairments she experiences from constant environmental
toxin overexposure.
When a MCS/EI person
becomes overwhelmed physically, mentally and emotionally, their
distress frequently becomes exacerbated by feelings of isolation
and abandonment. The steps they must take to recover and maintain
their health typically creates situations that cut them off from
interacting or socializing with other “normal” people.
Their family and friends
don’t understand what’s going
on and their general
medical practitioner typically can’t help.
The recovery process can be a long journey of seeing different physicians
and alternative practitioners, trying various dietary regimens, eliminating
household products and buying less toxic ones, and substituting new
and unusual foods for familiar foods. Dietary changes typically involve
shopping and cooking differently than other family members to cut
out foods to which they are allergic. Restaurant outings are drastically
reduced.
Frequently moving from place to place in order to find an environmentally
safe house or apartment is a challenge to their psyche and their
already overburdened financial situations. Some severely debilitated
individuals move away from family and friends in order to live in
a residence (which might mean their car!) that gives them some amount
of safety and a sense of security.
Measures to Mitigate Effects
In
addition to altering their diets, detoxification measures using
juicing, herbs, homeopathy, vitamin/mineral supplementation, massage
therapy, chiropractic treatments, detox baths, and visits to steam
rooms/saunas become commonplace. Exercise, fresh air, and support
groups also play a part in the recovery and maintenance program.
Steps to eliminate mold and toxic chemical products from the home
are taken to provide internal symptomatic relief.
Since MCS individuals are
also sensitive to electromagnetic and/or electrical fields (EMFs),
electrically changing their external environment becomes an additional
priority. Reducing magnetic fields and unplugging lamps and other
electrical appliances near one’s bed at night
helps lower the impact of EMF fields and provide a safer environment
in which the person can heal.
Making a Difference
During
the Sweet Honey in the Rock documentary, a 30-year veteran encouraged
viewers to become social justice activists, “You’re
going to die anyway . . . make a difference!” For many MCS/EI
individuals, wanting to die and/or committing suicide can become
commonplace. And that’s why the ESHI “singing canaries,” despite
their many challenges, came together in the hopes of making a difference
so that they and other victims could have hope of living richer,
fuller and more productive lives.
They envision creating
housing that’s environmentally safe
and sustainable, one home at a time. If you’d like to help
make their vision a reality, call Paul Halvorson at Third Way Network
at 612-332-1311, ext 22 or log onto www.thirdwaynetwork.org/localgroups and find out how you can lend a hand.
NEXT MONTH: Dorothea
and her autistic son Nick’s experience
with electrical fields.
Mary Tellers is an ESHI
member who has dealt with environmental illness for over 20 years.
She has done copyediting and proofreading for Access Press since
April 2005 You may contact her at mtellers@yahoo.com for a list
of sources used in this article.
