Multiple Chemical Sensitivity
Maine Resources
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National Resources
Focuses primarily on education, credible research into Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS), and the empowerment of the chemically injured. Terrific monthly newsletter, Our Toxic Times. Hosts online chats. An extensive Web site that includes activism, advocacy, education for the general public, events for the chemically injured, and information about the impact of chemicals on health. Professional outreach, patient support, and public advocacy devoted to the diagnosis, treatment, accommodation, and prevention of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Disorders. Has a links section about women and disability. A personal Web site, includes a range of topics including MCS, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, health risks of perfume & other scented products, "Guidelines for Non-Toxic Living," information on detox baths, resources, links, and on-line ordering of MCS books. A group of clinicians from various specialties using a "comprehensive, proactive and preventive strategic approach to medical care dedicated to the evaluation, management, and prevention of the adverse consequences resulting from Environmentally Triggered Illnesses." Physician referrals available by e-mail or through the AAEM Web site. Dr. Albert Robbins is Board Certified in Occupational Medicine, Preventive Medicine, and Environmental Medicine. "A state-of-the art center for the diagnosis and treatment of chronic illness caused by allergy, asthma, toxicity, chemical sensitivity (MCS), chemical poisoning, food sensitivity, immune dysfunction, indoor air pollution, sick building, perfumes, pesticides, consumer products, etc. ACOEM is the nation's largest medical society dedicated to promoting the health of workers through preventive medicine, clinical care, research, and education. Periodically issues position papers that set guidelines for a variety of workplace/environmental settings, covering topics such as spirometry, radon, environmental tobacco smoke, genetic screening, multiple chemical sensitivities, workplace drug screening, confidentiality of medical information, workers' compensation reform, and reproductive hazards. hosts online chats for members. To get a weekly schedule of CIIN chats, password, and access to chats, become a member of CIIN. Immune: http://immuneweb.org/lists/ A listserv for people (and their family, friends, and medical care workers) with various immune-system related ailments such as: chronic fatigue syndrome, candida, lupus, fibromyalgia, Epstein-Barr, multiple allergies, environmental illness, chemical sensitivity, etc., and the symptoms that result from any of the above, including learning disabilities, migraines, asthma, hypoglycemia, etc. In the body of the e-mail you will write: SUBSCRIBE MCS-IMMUNE-NEURO <Your Name>.A discussion group for people with MCS/Chemical Injury, Desert Storm Illness, Agent Orange exposures, silicone injuries, porphyria and other autoimmune diseases and nervous system disorders that resulting from, or or exacerbated by, chemical exposures. Promotes information exchange (medical and scientific studies); a friendly forum for discussions regarding symptoms, medical tests/treatments and lifestyle changes; a supportive environment toward regaining health and improving lives; hope for recovery. Owner/Moderator: Ginny Kloth (bijou@blrg.tds.net) "Environmental Health Group Releases Housing Survey Results": http://www.herc.org/hhc/ComingClean.htm Press release documenting the level of homelessness and housing crisis for people with MCS in Western Massachusetts. A good, general-purpose guide to MCS housing issues and resources, includes: public housing, selecting a location, MCS apartments, official MCS communities, short term rentals and traveling, camping, temporary lodging, rentals, organizations for creating housing/planned communities, advocating for low-income safer accessible housing. Indoor air quality testing and mold remediation services. Small and Fleming Limited: http://www.envirodesic.com Works with builders, manufacturers and service-providers to produce healthier and more environmentally compatible buildings, products, and services"; sells "products which contribute to Maximum Indoor Air Quality"; Internet networking for builders and marketers; work with corporations, governments, nonprofit agencies and individuals on a consulting basis to "conduct research, modify their markets, extend their Internet presence and to effect beneficial and healthy physical changes in the human and natural environments of the people and regions they serve. EnviroHome, Inc.: http://www.envirohome.com National inspectors for home hazards including asbestos, lead, radon, VOCs, formaldehyde, mold/mildew, electromagnetic fields, underground storage tanks, & external environmental factors. Also provides home air quality test kit and information on landlord/tenant responsibilities. Formerly NCAMP. Provides information on pesticides and alternatives. Effects change through local action, assisting individuals and community-based organizations to stimulate discussion on the hazards of toxic pesticides, while providing information of safe alternatives. Publishes a wide variety of materials, including Pesticides and You and the Technical Report. Convenes the annual National Pesticide Forum. NCAP provides information about pesticide hazards & safer alternatives, and conducts advocacy and activism to reduce the use of pesticides and increase the public's right to know all the ingredients in pesticide products. Publishes the Journal of Pesticide Reform. Provides information on implementing less-toxic pest management in schools, protecting at-risk children, and other information on environmental issues at public schools. A national multi-disciplinary advocacy and education organization whose mission is to protect the fetus and the child from environmental health hazards and promote a healthy environment. Site provides information on the Network, the issue of children's environmental health, legislative activism, and links to sources of information and resources in the field, including the Resource Guide on Children's Environmental Health and the Training Manual on Pediatric Environmental Health. To order, call (800) 229-4200. "Is This Your Child's World? How You Can Fix the Schools & Homes That Are Making Your Child Sick" by Doris Rapp, M.D. (Bantam Books, 1996). "Our Children's Toxic Legacy: How Science & Law Fail to Protect Us From Pesticides" by John Wargo (Yale University Press, 1996). "Poisoning Our Children: Surviving in a Toxic World" by Nancy Sokol Green (Noble Press, 1991). "Raising Children Toxic Free: How to Keep Your Child Safe from Lead, Asbestos, Pesticides & Other Environmental Hazards" by Drs. Herbert L. Needleman and Philip J. Landrigan (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1994). "Resource Guide on Children's Environmental Health" by the Children's Environmental Health Network, 1997. To order: (510) 450-3818. "Why Can't My Child Behave? Why Can't She Cope? Why Can't He Learn?" by Jane Hersey of the Feingold Association of America (Pear Tree Press,1996). Video Suggestions: "Is This Your Child?" by Doris Rapp, M.D. http://www.drrapp.com "Organic and Naturally Safer Products Made Without Harmful Chemicals." Cleaning, laundry, skin-care, and assorted other products, including oxygen bleach, window cleaner, and spray & wipe. Catalog includes a "Hazardous Chemical Glossary." Clothing, apparel, and bedding made from certified organic cotton, wool, and linen and pesticide-free hemp. Socks, camisoles, shirts, aprons, bags, gloves, scrunchies, bedding. A huge array of supplements, personal care and cleaning products, air and water filters, and other environmentally safer products. Not all are MCS-safer, so specify your needs. Hemp and organic cotton clothing, footwear (shoes, slippers, socks), bed, and bath products, as well as organic hemp & raw foods, and raw cuisine equipment. Includes infant and children's organic cotton & hemp apparel, organic cotton and hemp diapers, organic cotton toys. A wide variety of paints, sealants, stains, glues, primers, and other construction materials, all created to be less toxic and MCS-safer. Generally this translates to "premium-quality, low-odor, fast-curing, and water-based." Also sell a variety of industrial-strength, all-purpose cleaners, intended for safe use by people with MCS at home or work. All-natural paints, stains, finishes, and adhesives. Provide complete list of ingredients. "The BioShield collection of paints, stains, thinners and waxes is made from naturally derived materials including citrus peel oils and solvents, essential oils, seed oils, tree resins, inert mineral fillers, tree and bee waxes, lead-free dryers, and earth pigments. Oil based finishes are made with natural and/or non-aromatic, low odor solvents. Most BioShield products are considered low-allergenic, except those containing aromatic solvents and resins." Includes BioShieldCasein milk paints.
Chemical Injury Information Network (CIIN): http://ciin.org/
Environmental Health Network: http://ehnca.org/
MCS Referral & Resources: http://www.mcsrr.org/
Barbara Robertson's Website: http://members.tripod.com/~Barbara_Robertson/MCS.html
Jacki's Website (Our Little Place): http://www.ourlittleplace.com/
American Academy of Environmental Medicine: http://www.aaemonline.org/
Robbins' Environmental Medicine Center: http://www.allergycenter.com/
American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM): http://www.acoem.org
Chemical Injury Information Network (CIIN): http://ciin.org/
MCS-IMMUNE-NEURO- Subscription Address: listserv@maelstrom.stjohns.edu
HEAL of Southern Arizona, Housing Guide: http://www.healsoaz.org/housing.htm
Healthy Home Building, Consultation, and Testing: http://www.air-testing.com/
Beyond Pesticides: http://www.beyondpesticides.org/
CHEM-TOX.Com: http://www.chem-tox.com/
Extensive index providing links to research on health disorders resulting from exposure to common chemicals and pesticides; includes child cancers, neurological disorders, immune system weakening, asthma, allergies, infertility, miscarriage, and disorders in children such as learning disabilities, mental retardation, hyperactivity and attention deficit disorders.
Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides (NCAP): http://www.pesticide.org
Sick School Syndrome & Children's Resources- California Safe Schools: http://www.calisafe.org/
The Children's Environmental Health Network: http://www.cehn.org/
Book Suggestions:
"The Healthy School Handbook", by Norma L. Miller, Ed.D. (NEA Professional Library, 1995).
LifeKind Products: http://www.lifekind.com
Maggie's Functional Organics: http://www.organicclothes.com/
N.E.E.D.S.: http://www.needs.com
Rawganique.com: http://www.rawganique.com/index.htm
American Formulating and Manufacturing (AFM): http://www.afmsafecoat.com
Auro USA Natural Paints and Finishes: http://www.aurousa.com
BioShield (Paints): http://www.bioshieldpaint.com/
Books on MCS:
"Chemical Sensitivity", edited by by Sherry Rogers, Don R. Bensen. McGraw-Hill/Contemporary Books; 1998.
"Chemical Exposures: Low Levels and High Stakes (2nd Edition)", Nicholas Ashford and Claudia Miller. New York, NY: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1998.
"Defining Multiple Chemical Sensitivity", edited by Bonnye L. Matthews. McFarland & Company; 1998.
"Multiple Chemical Sensitivity: A Survival Guide" by Pamela Reed Gibson Ph.D., New Harbinger Publications; 2000.
Books on Indoor Air Quality, Non-Toxic Homes & Products
"Better Basics for the Home: Simple Solutions for Less Toxic Living", by Annie Berthold-Bond; Three Rivers Press; 1999.
"Clean and Green: The Complete Guide to Non-Toxic and Environmentally Safe Housekeeping" by Annie Berthold-Bond, Annie Berthold Bond. Ceres Press; Updated edition, 1994.
"The Healthy House Answer Book: Answers to the 133 Most Commonly Asked Questions", by John Bower, Lynn Marie Bower. The Healthy House Institute; 1998.
"Healthy House Building for the New Millennium" by John Bower. The Healthy House Institute; 1999.
"The Healthy House: How to buy one, How to build one, How to cure a sick one (4th Revised Edition)" by John Bower. The Healthy House Institute; 2000.
"Home Safe Home: Protecting Yourself and Your Family from Everyday Toxics and Harmful Household Products in the Home" by Debra Dadd-Redalia and Debra Lynn Dadd. J. P. Tarcher; 1997.
"Indoor Air Quality Handbook" edited by John D. Spengler, John F. McCarthy, Jonathan M. Samet. McGraw-Hill Professional; 2000.
"Managing Indoor Air Quality (2nd Edition)" by Shirley J. Hansen, H. E. Burroughs. Fairmont Press; 1998.
"My House Is Killing Me! The Home Guide for Families With Allergies and Asthma" by Jeffrey C. May. Johns Hopkins University Press; 2001.
"The Natural House: A Complete Guide to Healthy, Energy-Efficient, Environmental Homes" by Daniel D. Chiras. Chelsea Green Publishing Co.; 2000.
"Prescriptions for a Healthy House (2nd Revised Edition)" by Paula Baker-Laporte, Erica Elliott, John Banta, Lisa Flynn. New Society Publishers; 2001.
Purchasable Videos:
"Funny, You Don't Look Sick: An Autobiography of An Illness", written and produced by Susan Abod, directed and co-produced by Lisa Pontoppidan. "An intimate portrait of a woman living day to day with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Environmental Illness told with humor and compassion." To order, send $29.95 (make the check out to S. Abod) to P.O. Box 851, Watertown, MA 02471-0851.
"Secondhand Scent: Accommodating People with MCS", by Lightspeed Productions and Boston Self Help Center. This 30 minute video includes interviews with: people with MCS talking about their lives and the accommodations friends and family have made for them; two doctors; BSHC staff; and a visiting nurse. Stresses the legal and medical importance of accommodation, provides scientific and medical facts. Closed captioned and narrated. To purchase, send a check payable to Boston Self Help Center for $30 to BSHC, 18 Williston Rd., Brookline, MA 02146. Phone/TTY: (617) 277-0080.
"Multiple Chemical Sensitivity: How Chemical Exposures May Be Affecting Your Health" is a 90 minute video, filmed in five states by award-winning filmmaker, Alison Johnson. Includes six leading national medical experts in the field, as well as fourteen patients from a variety of backgrounds telling their stories about MCS and its devastating effect on their lives. To purchase, send $22 to Alison Johnson, MCS Information Exchange, 2 Oakland Street, Brunswick, ME 04011. Or contact: r_dorn@bigfoot.com (Ron Dorn).