I
was poisoned at a school where I worked. It wasn't an old school, but it's
often newer construction materials using modern chemicals that create many
"sick building" environments. First day on the job the carpets were
being replaced. New synthetic carpets and the glues used to hold them in place
are incredibly toxic and can offgas poisons for years, but old carpets
harboring a very serious mold problem are deadly. This school had both. Didn't
seem to bother me at the time, but everyone else was ranting about the stink.
The school also had ventilation problems and three times a day bus fumes would
waft through the building. Uncomfortable and making everyone sick to their
stomachs, but didn't seem to bother me other than an occasional
"ugh!". To camouflage the stink so we could all pretend it wasn't
there, air fresheners were sprayed through the halls and staff wore copious amounts
of perfume and cologne. Now THAT did me in! With the repetitive assault, my
body just gave up and started defensively attacking back.
In
addition, my history includes growing up surrounded by acres of perfectly
manicured turf grass drenched in pesticides and herbicides, a home full of
second-hand smoke, a house treated for termites, and a
perfume-saturated office job where I thought I had a very bad, lingering case
of the flu. For me it was a combination of long-term subtle exposure
culminating in a massive overexposure that pushed me over the edge.
How
did you become chemically sensitive? Share your story.
