Stink!

I just discovered, Stink!, a 2015 film on the toxic chemicals in our every day products. The preview is outstanding. The film is produced by Netflix. This interview with the director is very informative:

OH MY GOD, that movie was frightening! The methods in which the chemical companies and their lobbyists double-talk around regulation is absolutely shocking. The fact that Europe and China have better regulations than the United States is disgusting. The movie makes a point that the USA is now a chemical dumping ground for manufacturers because of our lack of oversight so companies create cheaper products with more toxic chemicals because they can. We are their market. Asthma, autism, cancer, diabetes, obesity, reproductive issues, and cardiovascular disease are all linked to toxic chemicals.

BUYER BEWARE! No US agency or official is looking out for consumers. The manufacturers, retail outlets, or trade agencies are just out to make profits and don't give a rip about the health issues caused by toxic chemicals. We are on our own. If it's on the shelve, there is every guarantee the ingredients are not regulated, controlled or even researched for safety and the labels are not to be believed. I already knew this, but it was still frightening and depressing.

There was a woman featured who is a "Green Living Expert." She goes into people's houses and identifies the toxic products they are using. Heck, I could do that! I'd be good at it!

Scary movie. Everyone needs to see it. If they did and stopped buying these toxic products, we'd start to see real change.

Take That Monsanto!

After the MCS presentation we headed over to the Monsanto protest to join around fifty dedicated anti-chemical company people. I was hoping the beauty queen would show wearing her yellow dress and crown fitting right in looking like a queen bee, but she didn't. They had a few chemical-focused booths on GMOs, fracking, pesticides, herbicides, organic food, loud music, lots of people with signs or t-shirts expressing their opinions, and cute little girls dresses as bees carrying "Save the Bees" signs. This one sported a fine pair of tap shoes and her chanting, "HELL NO! GMOs HAVE GOT TO GO!" was far more passionate and energetic than all the adults put together. Ah! to be young and energetic!

We marched from the meeting place right down main street ten blocks to the community farmer's market. This made me a little nervous as blocking traffic on a busy Saturday afternoon is anything but safe, however, it guaranteed to get attention. This is how it's done. I love this town filled with passionate people who rally every weekend about something they feel strongly about and usually right down main street!

What I found a little contradictory was too many people stunk to high heaven of laundry detergent. Really? Are they that unenlightened to think toxic chemicals are bad, but toxic laundry chemicals are just fine? Needless to say, it became too much. Still, I did my part, marching to and fro with brain fog and nausea wafting over me like a bad flu. Stupid. Maybe my protesting days are over? I keep thinking if it's outside I can stay out of the toxic air stream, but I get hit too often and every little hit compounds into overexposure. I can only take so much....

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!

Multimillionaires Intolerant of Toilet Stink

Bill Gates wants to perfume the toilet pits of third world countries. He believes chemicals that work to shut down your brain so it is incapable of smelling are the answer to sanitation problems of the world. He believes if he can spread a few of these chemical toxins around the latrine pits that poor people will be more inclined to use them and then for some reason, the sanitation problem would magically rectify itself. The disease and bacteria would disappear with the smell. No one would care what the poop pit looks like as long as it doesn't smell. Or maybe he's thinking poop pit patrons with chemically-induced brain poisoning won't care if they are sick and diseased from poor sanitation?

You'd think a man with this much money and research at his fingertips would actually question the rationality of camouflaging poop pits with toxic chemicals. You'd think a man with this much money might try to find a better, more lasting solution that wouldn't create MORE health issues while doing nothing to rectify the underlying sanitation issues. You'd think a man with this much money would THINK, or at least be able to hire others to think for him.

So...in lieu of a rational explanation because using perfume as a solution to anything makes no sense what so ever...

I have to ask what kind of investments does Mr. Gates have in chemical companies? Perhaps this is just a financial windfall designed to support the chemical companies in his pocket?

When will people wake up and finally figure out these toxic chemicals are not options for health? Scented products don't make things clean they only make a smelly situation stinkier and life threatening to many of us.

You may read the article HERE or his blog HERE

Herbicide Research and Chemical Company Revenge

Speaking of bees...The Organic Consumers Association just posted this article today on the sleaze of government and chemical companies. The local government destroyed a beekeepers hives without warning, killed his bees, and gave him some lame excuse. He had been researching the effects of Roundup on bees. Roundup is a deadly herbicide made by Monsanto. Monsanto didn't like that and went after him destroying years of research. Unbelievable. It's like we live in a police state....or a chemical state.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/07/05/monsanto-roundup-effects-on-honeybees.aspx?e_cid=20120715_SNLNew_MS_1

WHY ME?

Or more importantly, why not you? Why are some people more sensitive to everyday chemicals and others not? There are many theories: some valid...some not so valid.

Most American Medical Association doctors will tell you it's a psychological condition. Yes, you're just crazy and you are causing this yourself.  They don't even need to tell you - you can see it in their eyes and their attitude. You WILL feel insane if you see too many of these "professionals" who are locked within the confines of their narrow minds and corporate boys' club mentality. Reading I might be insane, I spent too many days sitting in perfumed rooms or around smelly people trying to "heal" myself and re-train my brain into thinking there was no problem. I rationalized if it's all mental then I have control. My job was at risk along with my health and I was willing to accept any theory as long as it would help me. I would have done anything to fix it. I practiced visualization and mind control techniques while breathing in the poisons. Yes, I was fine, I told myself, until my lungs would stop working and I would run gasping to the nearest exit. Needless to say, mind over matter didn't work. It's not a mental condition.

I have heard some people have been told God is punishing them. This is so ignorant I can't even comment on it.

My favorite reason for being chemically sensitive...my mother's cousin told me it was because I was not married. She was a 75 year old retired nurse so this was a variation on the American Medical Association's insanity theory. She was also not married so I'm not exactly sure of her reasoning, but she had been married so I guess she must have thought she was better than me.

Most of your friends and relatives will tell you, for lack of a better idea and no understanding, they think it's your immune system not doing its job. This would make sense as our immune systems should guard us against illness, but this is not necessarily the case.  In fact, my immune system is hypersensitive and overactive. I was asked by an environmental specialist who was assessing my condition, "Are you sick all the time, or not at all?" Not at all. In fact I remember the day my whole system went into high alert. I could smell every tiny bit of lotion, shampoo, soap, and fragrance on each person who came within five feet of me. Whoa! It was surreal and shocking. My reaction time went from fifteen minutes or so to one breath of toxic air.  My immune system is working overtime trying to warn and protect me which is what our bodies are designed to do. Although inconvenient and at times frightening, I don't see it as a faulty immune system. I believe this is why people who have other health issues become chemically sensitive. Our bodies become defensive as they try to protect and heal themselves.  I haven't had a cold, flu or sore throat for eleven years. One of few benefits of being chemically sensitive.

In addition, research indicates some chemically sensitive might have damaged or missing enzymes that would normally allow us to detox the chemicals out of our bodies. Instead of flushing out naturally, they are stored until we are overloaded. The overloading creates the poisoning. Reducing this load is the primary goal of most MCS patients.

Research programs for MCS are hindered, especially university research, because most of it is financed by chemical companies, and well, chemical companies won't be funding any studies that might affect their bottom line. Until there is more research, we won't clearly understand why some people are extremely sensitive to everyday chemicals and others not.

What reasons have you been given?