The Counterprotester

On April 22nd, in honor of Earth Day, marches supporting science were happening all around the United States. We have an incompetent president who thinks climate change is fake. Well, he believes anything he doesn't like is fake and then lies about everything else. What a ridiculous man! So anyone who opposes this stupidity (or 60% of the country) are called to protest and support the value of science in whatever way they choose to express themselves.

My friend and I have committed to march and rally in every protest for the next four years or until the Liar-in-Thief is impeached, whichever comes first. I am in charge of signs. She is in charge of dates. Although I appreciate her constant enthusiasm and motivation, she never gets the dates right. LOL! She always thinks there is a march when there isn't and when there is a march, she doesn't think there is. It's been a challenge. She gave me two days to get signs ready for the Science March. I had about a day to ponder and research for design ideas before I had to get busy.

Painting with acrylic paint is toxic, but this paint is durable, and most importantly, waterproof once it dries. The rain here is relentless so there is always a 99% it will rain during any given rally. For health reasons I vowed not to replenish my acrylics so the last of my twenty-year-old supply of acrylics has left me with some ugly colors, colors I never used to use and still would rather not. My early signs with the old paints were ghastly gross. My commitment to protest for the next four years was justification for buying a whole new palette of fresh acrylic paint! So joyous! But toxic nevertheless. These new colors seemed to be less smelly than the old stuff. This could be due to a better more modern formula? Or perhaps because they are newer? Or cheaper with less toxic chemicals? Or just wishful thinking. Good lord, I love to paint! And these bright colors are incredibly inspiring making my signage excessively verbose. I have a lot to say.

So I pondered...how do I feel about science? Science is responsible for inventing art supplies. Hooray for convenience. I love my television, computer, and car. We've made astounding progress in curbing pollution and protecting the environment over the last fifty years. I enjoy water quality except when the chemicals are poisoning me....hmmm.

I pondered through the night...didn't science create chemicals? Perfumes, colognes, pesticides, herbicides, formaldehyde, petrochemicals and car exhaust, water treatments, biological and chemical warfare...just to name a few without listing every chemical on the planet. It's good to have laundry detergent, but didn't science also make it stink?

I felt conflicted. Yeah, science has been good for society in so many ways, but science has also been very irresponsible. If someone gave me the option of giving up my television, car and computer if all perfumes would disappear off the face of the earth, I would make the trade in a heart beat.  I considered not going to the protest. No one wants a negative naysayer marching along side of them. Some of those radicals might beat me up. My friend kept assuring me, "This is really about climate change and the environment. Concentrate on the goodness of science as a fact during a presidency determined to spread alternative facts."

The problem with chemical sensitivity is a majority of the population doesn't have a clue what it means. They don't know their perfumes are poisonous or their laundry detergent might cause asthmatic symptoms in innocent bystanders. Concentrating on the goodness is what everyone does and that only impedes public education. I had something to say. Could I say it without being too negative? Probably not. I tend to be negative as a default.

So. Incredibly. Bright.

Notice the word "HAPPIER". That's my attempt at a positive spin. I am HAPPY, but I could be HAPPIER.

Only one person challenged me. She came up behind, "Excuse me! Excuse me! It's not science's fault, you know."

"Are you thinking chemicals weren't created with science?"

She stuttered, "Well, I don't think the chemical companies are the fault of science." [As if science is a person....]

"Chemical companies use science to create the poisons," I said as I flipped my sign over and pointed to the "Perfume is Poison" sentence. (I have a lot to say so I opt for double-sided signs!)

Flip side. I have the best signs! LOL!

"Well, OK, but it's the greed of chemical companies that are at fault."

I pointed to the "People B4 Profits" sentence on my sign. I love a sign that speaks for itself. I hardly had to say a thing.

"Well, OK...."

We continued discussing perfumes. She said she didn't wear them but she did still buy some scented products.  I nodded while she babbled waiting for a break so I could jump in.

"This is the purpose of my sign. It's not to holler about how horrible science is, but to create conversation. Science isn't perfect. In the wrong hands it has been disastrous. Most chemical companies care only for profits regardless of their products' ramifications on human health or the ecosystem. That's my point. And this is most definitely science, but perhaps not a side of science anyone wants to applaud. I'm glad you voiced your opinion so we could share. If others read my sign and it makes them wonder and think even without speaking their mind, I have succeeded."

We parted at that point. She was my only challenger. It was estimated there were about 5,000 people marching and many were snapping photos of my signs. I'm hoping they would show up on other websites and blogs and spread the word that Chemical Companies are Poisoning Us and Perfume IS Poison. It's all about communication.

As I'm standing at the rally listening to a speaker, someone with perfume got a little too close. Immediately I felt dizzy and nauseated. We moved. This is the risk of group gatherings. I wonder if they even read my sign. Or if they did read it and purposely moved closer? Perfume wearers tend to feel personally assaulted if you tell them they stink. No telling what they might do. That is the risk of disclosure, communication. It's a double-edged sword.

Next week is the Climate Change Protest!

Entertainment, Part Eight: Painting

Rembrandt Peale, Raphael, Vincent van Gogh are the most notable chemically sensitive painters in art history. I've already included information about Peale in my post titled, "The Weirdness Awards". In the 1700s, his family and friends did not understanding chemical sensitivity and thought his weird behavior was due to excessive drinking. Raphael died from lead poisoning. Before anyone had any understanding of the ramifications of chemical exposures, it was common practice to put a paint brush dipped in lead-based paint in your mouth to sharpen the tip for detail painting. I think most people have heard of Vincent van Gogh cutting off his ear. There are several medical theories behind his behavior: schizophrenia, bipolar illness, and/or depression, all conditions with connections to chemicals.  Lead-based paint was incredibly poisonous, and paints these days although slightly less deadly, are still made with toxic chemicals that reek havoc not only on the health of MCSers, but also non-sensitive artists as well.

What to do if you love to paint? I've tried giving it up. It calls to me. Since giving it up doesn't work, I've found alternatives and safety precautions that work for me.

Pillows
(Low VOC House Paint)

My safety practices include:

1.) Whiff testing. To find out if any paint will kill you, you'll need to sample it to see if it'll cause a reaction. I know that sounds absolutely insane so this level of courage (stupidity?) is only for those not willing to give up their love of painting.  I research what I'm considering in advance, ask experts, read documentation, ask other painters, and make sure my toxic load is low before I start the whiffing. With this backup information, I feel fairly confident I can tolerate one half whiff, but I know I'll only get one chance if I react. On many occasion I've paid for it with an afternoon of illness or an excruciating migraine. Many of you won't be able to do this at all.

Walls, Chair, Mirror
(Low VOC House Paint)

2.)  I try to paint mostly during the summer for optimum ventilation and faster drying, however, during the winter when it gets cold and I get bored (no gardening!) I'll paint an interior wall, or a ceiling, or a floor.

3.)  I limit how much I paint as my tolerance is dependent on my toxic load at the time. I can usually expose myself for one to two weeks, maybe an hour a day, before I must stop.

4.) Ventilation is extremely important so when possible I paint moveable objects in my garage which has doors on each end and use a fan on high to help the air move the smell away from me.

 

 

Painted Quilts
(Low VOC House Paint)

5.)  I avoid painting near any high-use living space.  When I paint interior rooms I seal them off with tarps and sheets, open windows, use fans and do not return for days until the paint is dried and cured. (I did, unfortunately, use an extra toxic paint on my upstairs floors and couldn't use the whole upstairs for nine months.)

Desk (Low VOC House Paint)
Painting (Acrylic Paint)

6.)  I use body protection devices: respirators or masks, aprons, gloves and goggles. I read a study that concluded our eyes inhale fumes and you really don't want to be touching the paint.

I've tried several different types of breathing protection devices. The first was $100 high tech respirator with fancy filters, but because it was made of plastic, it offgassed plastic fumes. I also found a mask specifically for fumes at the local hardware store. Oddly enough, it smelled, too. I wondered if it was treated with some kind of masking chemical? Lately I've been using a 3M 8577 Particulate Respirator with an air valve. Although it's not for fumes, it seems to work fine. Still, it helps to have a fan on high blowing the fumes away from me at all times.

Paints:

The strong smells associated with oil paints and the methods of using turpentine or mineral spirits for thinning or clean up is enough to make any MCSer unable to be in the same room with a canvas. Many artists not chemically sensitive can't tolerate oil paints either.

Pillow (Acrylic Paint)

I switched to acrylic paints early, long before I became chemically sensitive. As a water-based medium, clean up was much easier and it was thought to be a safe, scent-free medium. Unfortunately, if you are chemically sensitive, even acrylic paints stink. I was always restricted to how long I could paint and when my toxic load had reached its limit, I'd have to stop. It didn't seem to matter how many precautions I took, it always made me slightly ill. On occasion I still use acrylics for small items that need a hardy surface like lamps, boxes, light switch plates, etc., but I make sure there is a lot of ventilation.

Having moved into a house that needed rooms painted, I began researching low VOC interior house paints. What this means is the paint base has little toxic chemicals. Adding color adds more chemicals creating more toxicity. Some brands offer nearly no VOC, but you are limited to whites and very light pastels. Unfortunately, I love color so I've been willing to sacrifice a little safety in order to get it.

Switch Plates
(Low VOC House Paint)

Currently there are many brands of low VOC house paint on the market. Some are good and clearly less hazardous; others are just as bad as regular paint. With the popularity of low VOC paints, everyone is jumping on the bandwagon and some brands are obviously using "low VOC" as some kind of marketing ploy yet they still stink so I'm not sure what makes them less toxic. The typical paint store employee will regurgitate the latest sales propaganda on why they are supposed to be non-toxic, but few really know what they are talking about. I found the Rodda paint Horizon to be adequate. I still practice all my safety precautions and it still has a bit of a smell, but within two hours the smell is gone. 

Table & Chairs
(Low VOC House Paint)

I recently discovered Martha Stewart Living low VOC paint just as they discontinued the brand when they were closing out and bought nearly every color in small, seven ounce containers. I don't notice a smell while using it and hardly need a mask.  Glidden low VOC paint is what Martha Steward Living is recommending as a replacement for the colors, but I don't find it nearly as non-toxic as Horizon.

Using my safety precautions listed above, I have painted walls, furniture, canvases, paper and fabric with low VOC interior house paint. I doubt if it is washable so painting fabric has it's limitations.

Painted Quilt on Ceiling
(Low VOC House Paint
& Acrylic Paint)

Due to the limited amount of chemicals used, low VOC paint is recommended only for vertical surfaces. Paint on horizontal surfaces leaves a tacky texture and everything sticks to the surface. Durability is dependent on the number of chemicals used in the paint formula so low VOC is a bit of a sacrifice in quality. Technology is improving quickly so some of the newer brands might be better. For furniture that needs a durable surface, I use Miniwax Water-Based Polycrylic Protective Finish. It does stink so wear a mask and use a fan with open doors or windows. It also dries fast and after a few hours I can't smell it.

Currently, I'm still trying to give up painting so now I'm trying my hand at watercolor. It doesn't have any noticeable smell, but based on what I've read if you plan to use any color with cadmium and expect to touch it, wear gloves. It's that toxic! Who would have known? Still, this style of painting is the lesser of evils. Now if I can only get the hang of it so I can give up the other media for good!

I have also heard milk paint is relatively safe although I have not tried it.

Any other alternatives? Suggestions?