Lawyers and Lawsuits

At one point in my life I worked in a law firm so my experience with the legal system is two-fold. There is a saying, The only people who benefit from a lawsuit are the lawyers. No matter which side wins, the lawyers win more. The reputation of a lawyer is well-deserved. I've never met one that resembled a TV lawyer... a righteous crusader with principles and integrity. There are no Perry Masons in the real world. They might not all be sleazy, but I've never met one who wasn't money-hungry to a fault. Billable hours is how their value in the firm is assessed. I remember while working at that law firm long ago one of the attorneys answered the phone early in the morning. He thought it was his client, but it wasn't. This took maybe five minutes of his time. He asked me for the case number so he could bill another attorney's client. HA!

Desperate to keep my job at the school of stink and then as a last ditch effort to keep my teaching career, I sought legal counseling on several levels. First, I spoke with union representatives, then got advice through government agencies, and finally through a private law firm. If you want to fight this way, first you need to ask yourself if you have the energy and do you want the stress? It can take up to two very long years for a lawsuit to go to court. IF it goes to court. You will be endlessly interrogated, required to disclose a lifetime of personal health information, your friends, family, co-workers, supervisors, and past employers may be questioned, and the opposing counsel will do everything in their power to discredit and humiliate you. They will lie, cheat and harass you within the law. And they know how to play the game. A lawsuit isn't for the weak at heart.

Still feeling brave?

Find a lawyer, preferably one who specializes in discrimination, employment, or civil rights and one who has experience with chemical sensitivity and accommodation. If they don't have expertise, they will be asking YOU for information and you'll wonder if they shouldn't pay you for your research time. But they won't pay you anything, in fact they will charge you for the time it took them to ask you the questions.

If you have lots of money, find a good lawyer. One with experience and education. You'll be paying for the lawyer's time, his secretary's time, his research assistant's time, his paralegal's time, all documentation, every piece of paper copied, postage and delivery fees, every phone call, travel time, court time, office time, every lunch meeting, and every one of their bathroom breaks. Every square of toilet paper will be on your monthly bill. Attorney fees can range from $200 to $1,000 per hour depending his or her experience, education and the size and reputation of the law firm. If they have an associate working with them, you may be paying their hourly rates, too. Ouch.

If you don't have a lot of money, find a lawyer who will take a pro-bono case. Pro-bono is short for the Latin phrase pro bono publico or "for the public good".  If your case is taken pro-bono, it means the lawyer's time is free. Just the time. All other expenses you pay and they add up quickly. It's basically charity work and lawyers are expected to donate so many hours a year toward pro-bono cases. In actuality, what pro-bono means to the lawyer: do a little as possible for as much money as possible.

Find a lawyer who won't charge you for the first consultation. (The expensive lawyers don't do anything free.) Prepare questions to ask and be prepared with information and documentation for review. Not only are you deciding if you want him or her to be your lawyer, but they will be deciding if you have a case and if they want to take it.

If you decide to hire this person and follow through with a lawsuit, you'll be signing a very lengthy contract with your obligations in detail. Bottom line, whatever monetary award you receive IF you win the case, they'll get a humongous chunk.

As the lawsuit progresses, you'll constantly feel like you are in the dark. It's not like it is on television where legal productivity is non-stop and everyone is working around the clock. It's a long, drawn out, very quiet process, and most of it is going on without your involvement. If it's pro-bono, your lawyer's contact with you will be minimal. If you call him, it's his goal to get you off the phone as soon as possible.

Behind the scenes, the lawyer and his/her staff will be responsible for filing documents, meeting deadlines, and getting things done. They will send you all kinds of paperwork, questionnaires, and documents to be signed from their office and the opposing counsel's office and they will request documents from you.  Not knowing what is happening feels very stressful. The quiet is enough to drive anyone crazy. My lawyer told me to forget about the lawsuit and just go about my life as if there wasn't one.

Why did my lawyer take my case?  By the time I saw him I had a least a large box of documentation and other research information to support my accommodation issues. I know at one point in a meeting someone asked him about legal precedent and he said, "Ask her," pointing at me, "I have no idea.  She's the one who has done the research." And I thought, So glad I'm not paying you to do nothing, you useless jerk. He did very little. I think his plan was to sit back, do nothing and reap the rewards. Or maybe he did have principles? Naw. Maybe he was behind in his pro-bono hours for the year and my office visit was good timing? Really, I have no idea why he agreed to take my case and I was absolutely shocked when he said he would. Maybe because I actually had a case?

Why did I go through with a lawsuit? I was constantly asked by friends are you sure you want to sue a school district? Yep, I was positive. I was angry. Because of their ignorance, not only was my health destroyed, but my career. If I quietly walked away, how many more teachers and students would they have swept under the rug causing unnecessary stress and illness? How many more will they fail to treat fairly and legally because they don't have to? My goal was to make sure no other teacher's career and health was ruined, and in order to do that, I needed to make their lives a legal living hell. Anything less, and they wouldn't care. Business as usual.

Although all has been said and done, my anger and cynicism persist to this day. Until I see enough educational reforms and changes in school policies to know that teachers and students are fragrance-free safe, I vote NO on school levies, too. I am opposed to public education.

Accommodation Activism

I once met a chemically-sensitive woman online who believed she had the right to work at the career of her choice and she had the right to accommodation where ever she went.

OK. I can understand that. In a perfect world, that's how it would work.

She was an office worker with years of experience and education in her field. Unfortunately, every office she went in had employees who wore perfumes and other scented products, copy machines, felt pens, janitorial products, etc. Did this stop her? Nope. She'd apply for the next job, get it, start having health issues, and immediately demand accommodation. If it was slow in coming (and it's always a slow process), she'd contact the EEOC and file complaints. Subsequently, she'd have to quit, go back on disability, lay low until disability ran out, and then she'd start the cycle again.

I have to applaud her fortitude and her desire to affect change, one office at a time, but I don't know where she got the energy to constantly want to fight someone. I don't know why she'd want to put herself in a situation that would compromise her health, over and over and over again. I don't know where she found so many jobs that didn't do a background check or required references from all her previous jobs.  Certainly she'd eventually run out of offices to harass. Well, last I heard she moved to another city.

I'm not sure if she was in denial, stubborn, ignorant, or just an extrovert. I suggested many times to find another career or find a way to work from home, but she claimed she had a right to work in an office like everyone else.  Hey, I've worked in an office. What's the attraction???

OK. Whatever. Have fun. It wouldn't be my kind of fun. One bad accommodation experience was enough to last me a whole lifetime.

Accommodation Denial

Each year brings more understanding about multiple chemical sensitivity which affects the implementation of fragrance-free polices in workplaces and schools. Unfortunately, those organizations with policies are still the minority forcing most chemically-sensitive employees or students into situations where they need to request accommodation. Accommodation may be denied depending on the situation. I'll share my denial experiences, but keep in mind, times are changing and accommodation and workplace flexibility are far more prevalent than they were ten years ago.

I was a new teacher/librarian at the school that poisoned me. Most teachers wore perfume. The principal wore cologne. Everyone sprayed air fresheners to camouflage the stink of mold, bus fumes and new carpet glue. As a librarian and specialist instructor, I saw all staff members and all students every week through scheduled visits. Students would come up to me, point their little wrists toward my nose and say with pride, "I smell just like my teacher." Oh joy.

Around the end of the first month of teaching with my health declining rapidly, I casually mentioned the fragrance issue with the principal as we stood out at the buses. I made an appointment with him to discuss the situation in more detail. He seemed like a really nice guy. I was convinced if he would simply request the teachers and staff to not wear fragrances, I'd be fine. I'd at least survive through the end of the year when I'd find another job. This was my fifth teaching position in my career and the only one that has ever affected my health.

After hearing my concerns instead of being supportive, the principal informed me he didn't have to accommodate me because it was my choice to work there. I wasn't required to stay. I can leave anytime I want. Therefore, accommodation wasn't a requirement. I knew his line of reasoning was backwards, but he was never very smart and usually in a perpetual state of confusion. He somehow skewed disability information or tweaked it for his convenience. I didn't argue because I liked my job and didn't want to lose it.  He also said I wasn't to discuss it with anyone because he didn't want to start a "perfume war". Before the end of the meeting after much coercing, he agreed to look into my problem and get back with me later in the week.

At first I had hope, after all he said he'd look into it. Not about to take anything for granted and since I was the school's librarian skilled at research, I started doing my own research and by the end of the week I had a stack of papers a foot high plus a few books on schools and associated environmental health issues. At the end of the week, having not heard from him as he was trying to avoid me, I literally cornered him in the hallway and asked what he found out. Nothing. He couldn't find a thing on the subject. Oh well. Too bad. As he skirted away as quickly as possible, I followed carrying my stack of research into his office and promptly set it on his desk. I said as sweetly as I could stomach, "Here is the research I did. I'm sure you'll find it very interesting." [You ignorant asshole.]

Life went on. I did everything possible to fly low and avoid being a target. Teachers were on probation during their first year at a new school district. Not only was this job on the line, but my whole teaching career. You don't ever screw up your first year anywhere or you may never work again. As the school year progressed, I got sicker and sicker. It was impossible to keep a low profile when I was required to work directly with smelly people, go to staff meetings, sit in on parent conferences, go to social events, be on committees, and perform the basic duties of a teacher. I even had to use the children's restroom because the staff bathroom was air freshened constantly. Teachers aren't allowed to use children's restrooms due to child sexual abuse laws, but I really didn't have a choice. Restroom breaks became very stressful. I continued to send the principal copies of my research and medical evaluations, including letters of accommodation from various doctors. He continued to ignore me.

Seven months later, I could see the finish line...and then my assistant was promoted to another position. She was going to be replaced. I panicked. Suppose they hire someone who wears perfume? The day she gave notice we received a district newsletter and on the front page was an article for a law firm that specializes in education and employment law. Come on in for a free consultation!

I explained my situation to the lawyer and asked how I might be able to legally request accommodation to assure my new assistant would be fragrance-free. He explained the hiring committee must state at the interview that the position is fragrance-free. If this isn't done and the new perfume-wearing employee is asked to not wear perfume on her first day, she can sue the school for discrimination. How backwards. He offered to write me a letter of accommodation to clearly explain how this hiring practice is implemented. I declined and told him I'd rather write my own as it would be less threatening. He told me exactly what to include.

I sent the letter to the principle via email the next day. Unfortunately, in order to substantiate my information on hiring procedures for my new assistant, I mentioned in the letter that I had met with a lawyer who gave me advice. I thought I was being helpful in order to save time in case he was wondering where I got the information. We were due to start interviewing for the assistant position in a couple days.

Within an hour the principal stormed into my library and cornered me near a bookshelf where I was working, demanded to know why I went behind his back to seek legal counsel when it should have been addressed informally with him so he could take care of it. He was furious. If he wasn't whispering, he would have been screaming at me. My assistant told me later she was watching us, suspiciously, and on the surface everything looked fine, but she had a bad vibe.

I responded to him that I had INFORMALLY addressed the situation over and over and over again for the last seven months and that it had INFORMALLY been swept under the rug and I had INFORMALLY become so sick I could hardly function. WHEN WAS HE INFORMALLY GOING TO DO SOMETHING? I was also whispering, professional, and calm, but I was really furious. After all those months of being sick, stressed out and playing nice it was all I could do to control the rage. He wasn't impressed at my new assertiveness, but he said nothing. He stormed out of the library only to return at the end of the school day to inform me, very formally with the assistant principal in tow as a witness, when my performance evaluation would be held.  I should bring my union representative. I recognized this was the beginning of the end. He was taking steps to get rid of me.

At the performance evaluation my union representative called in sick. He was a useless piece of shit anyway so it was no great loss. The principal told me I didn't get along with anyone, I didn't go to staff meetings, I was lacking in interpersonal communication skills, and I was going to need to complete training courses to increase my productivity to make me a better team player. I was put on notice. If I didn't comply, I would be fired. What was really funny is I had already taken the classes he was requiring at another job. When I informed him, he gave me a dirty look. It really didn't matter what I did, he wanted me gone...this was just the first step.

I should have asked if I was such a horrible employee why he waited seven months to have this meeting. I probably should have asked why chemical sensitivity was never mentioned as the cause of most of his accusations. I didn't. I had had it with his incompetence. I smiled sweetly and pretended to be compliant.

Later than night I returned to the school, packed up all my belongings and walked off the job with no intention of returning. This wasn't a rash move on my part, although it no doubt surprised everyone. I had been meeting with a union representative outside my district who was very experienced and knowledgeable about employee rights, unlike my own union representative who told me there was nothing he could do. She told me if the environment was poisoning me, and no one was taking any steps to rectify the problem, how could I possibly justify staying? In fact, by struggling to maintain my position and continuing to stay in an environment that I claim is killing me, it sends a message that the situation can't be that bad. Good point.

What do you do if you are denied accommodation?

First step is to quit your job. Find something less toxic for income. Find an employer who will accommodate you. Work from home. Is this easy? No. Is it necessary to maintain some glimmer of health? Usually. Change is difficult anyway, but change with income loss is even harder, sometimes unfathomable. Do you really want to be in a situation where you are being poisoned on a daily basis? Watching what's left of your health disintegrate with each new exposure? Don't hang on for months or years hoping for a miracle. Find a job counselor to assess your employable skills and make some changes. What is that saying? When a door closes, a window opens? By being courageous enough to change, you might just find the career of your dreams.

The second step is to sue the asses off the incompetent idiots who refused accommodation. Most understanding of multiple chemical sensitivity is due to lawsuits. Employers don't want to be sued.  Each lawsuit develops precedent which promotes forced awareness and inspires a serious look at accommodation policies, managerial training, and employee handbook procedures. Lawsuits are not just about winning money. They are about affecting change and being taken seriously. Discuss your options with an attorney to ascertain if you even have a case. You might not.  

Accommodating Situations

Every time a chemically-sensitive person asks for accommodation they are affecting change by sharing information and creating awareness of this environmental health issue. In most situations when I have requested accommodation, people have been eager to understand and do what they can to assist. Usually the accommodation is out of the ordinary as well as above and beyond the call of duty. Other times it is minimal due to policy constraints, yet heartfelt. At all times, it's appreciated.

My requests for accommodation always involve trying to avoid the stinky habits of others. Usually I'm begging for a fragrance-free environment either by requesting that others are fragrance-free or brainstorming options so I don't have to be in the same vicinity as the stinkers. The following are some of my more positive experiences requesting accommodation:

Employment I worked for a major retail grocery chain in the customer service department of the corporate office. We were in the basement with no windows and since we were in charge of employee bonuses, our office was top secret and restricted. The doors were never allowed to be unlocked, let alone left open. I worked with twelve fragrance-addicted women. My third week on the job I couldn't figure out why I was getting horribly sick with some strange flu that would go away on the weekends. Finally one Monday as I gasped for air I finally realized was reacting to the overabundance of stink everyone freshly bathed in that morning. Since it was a new job, I was really afraid to say something, but I didn't have a choice. I couldn't breathe and I couldn't open a window. I told my boss, who told her boss, who came charging out of her office, called an impromptu meeting on the spot. She demanded right then and there that everyone stop wearing perfume and made it really clear this was an issue of productivity and teamwork and not personal preference. She even tried to keep the identity of the troublemaker out of it, but that was a little hard to do in a small office. Awesome.

Much later, I was promoted with this job and moved to another state to run my own customer service office. I inherited an assistant who smelled like a French whore. I requested she not wear fragrances to work and she continuously ignored me. I eventually asked my supervisor what to do. I had no idea we had a legal department in the corporate office! I went in for an appointment and the attorney for the company was very clear: If the employee was asked to be fragrance-free by her supervisor, she really doesn't have a choice. They don't want me suing them for lack of accommodation. This was in the early days when my chemical sensitivity was just getting started and it gave me an excellent view of my legal rights from the corporate perspective.

I also worked at a bookstore along with a large staff of silly, minimum-wage grunts, several who wore perfume. One stupid little girl bathed in cologne and laughed like a maniac every time I'd start having a reaction. Management gave me not only my shift of preference, 6am to 10am before the store opened and smelly customers arrived, but also allowed me to do special projects from home. In addition, if for some reason I had any problem in the store, I could leave immediately. Eventually my tolerance petered out and my hours started getting cut back. This was mostly my choice. A few months later I applied for unemployment and I got it! Management didn't even contest it although I did find out later I should never have qualified for unemployment since I had a health condition that prevented me from most employment positions. This experience was an example of management going above and beyond the call of managerial duty. I was a very ineffective employee every time I walked off the job and should have never stayed so long. They still accommodated me to the best of their ability. I'm pretty sure they collectively sighed with relief when I finally quit.

School  One of the colleges I went to has a fragrance-free policy. When I was a student, I wasn't chemically sensitive, but years later I appreciated the forward-thinking atmosphere of their educational environment. This school has been on the cutting edge of everything so it's not surprising. I'm not aware of the steps they take if a student or faculty member wears fragrances to school. I think every public educational institution needs to follow their example.

Jury Duty  At some point you may be summoned to serve your citizenship responsibilities and sit on a jury during a courtroom trial with eleven other possibly stinky people. They send you a notice of when and where your presence is requested with a statement that reads "If you are not able to serve on the day of a scheduled trial, you must contact the Court before trial begins to see if you will be excused from jury duty for that day."  If you need to be excused, you must write why on the line provided. I actually have a form letter I've been using for the past ten years as I get a jury duty summons about once a year from the county and every now and then from the city. I list chemicals and scents I cannot be around, claim disability according to law, and offer accommodation options. I attach the letter of accommodation from my doctor which supports my claims and anxiously await their response. Some courts tell you they will notify you if you are excused; other courts tell you if you are not excused they will contact you. I always sweat this out although I have no idea how they could accommodate me in a room full of people. In my letter I have suggested modern-day options like close-circuit television or online streaming which I think sounds very technologically plausible, BUT according to the law the criminal has the legal right to see the jury, or some such nonsense, so a juror's presence is mandatory. I've always wanted to be on a jury, but missed my opportunity.  I have yet to be required to show. If they ever do require my attendance, they'll have to provide suitable accommodation and, truthfully, with my letter spouting off disability laws, I doubt if they want anything to do with me.

Volunteering I volunteer at my local food co-op doing grunt grocery work: face shelves, stock produce, participate in membership meetings, etc. One of the reasons I got involved is because it affords me the luxury of human contact which is rare in my daily life. The co-op's philosophy is all about health so most employees and customers don't wear perfume and other scents. The shoppers are a little smarter than the average conventional grocery store shopper, but every now and then one comes in reeking and I move to the other side of the store. Management also claims they have a fragrance-free policy, although they can't control shoppers and before I came they didn't attempt to control the employees either. There have been some employees who use smelly hand lotions, etc., but as a member of their volunteer staff I have casually made comments about the stink and how it affects the chemically sensitive. I have become their chemically sensitive disabled person representative. I know they talk to employees because formerly-stinky people are now no longer stinky. Hooray for affecting change, even in small increments! Not all volunteer opportunities will be so accommodating, but I selected an environment that was already health-oriented with inclusivity as one of their mission statements. It's best to pick your battle wisely.

Conferences and Meetings I belong to a professional association that posts their fragrance-free policy for every meeting and conference. I was the one who requested this years ago when I first joined, but at the time many other members thanked me because they, also, had issues with perfumes and other fragrances. Unfortunately, all they can do is post it. Because this is considered an extra-curricular activity that doesn't not affect my livelihood and is not mandatory for existence, they can't enforce it. Although I know they have turned smelly people away, I think if the person wanted to make a stink (pun intended) about it, he or she could probably sue for discrimination. Most attendees have no idea what fragrance-free means. At one conference I had a smelly woman sit right next to me. I asked her if she read the fragrance-free policy and she said she had. I asked her, then why did she stink. She claimed she used Ivory soap and according to the commercials it's safe for babies so it must be fragrance free.  Another person with the crazed look of a drug addict in need of a fix came up to me and demanded to use my hand lotion because she couldn't use hers and it was my fault. I don't use hand lotion so she was out of luck. There have been many instances where I have had to move my seat closer to a door or leave. Most often I just get so fed up with the ignorant people I opt not to attend. Attendance is always a risk. Still, the organizers have tried to make it fragrance-free and all-inclusive regardless of whether I attend or not. I appreciate the effort.

Recreation Find fragrance-free friends who are empathetic and willing to be safe. You can try to change your smelly friends' bad habits, but as I've discussed in previous posts, don't count on it. Instead of the stress and health risks, change your recreational activities and find new friends.

Does anyone have any accommodation experiences they'd like to share?

Happy Stuff

This is Garfield, the 40 pound cat, doing his superhero pose.

Love the look on his face.

It's healthy to laugh out loud.

Accommodation

The Workplace Environment

If you have been medically diagnosed with multiple chemical sensitivity according to most state laws and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), you are considered disabled. Be sure this diagnosis came with a letter of accommodation that clearly describes your specific condition and your safety needs. Under various disability laws, you have certain rights to accommodation depending on the situation. Is everyone in every situation legally required to accommodate your special needs? No. The two most accommodating environments are workplaces and schools.

Steps to Requesting Accommodation:

1.)  Assess exactly what kind of accommodation you will need in order to safely continue performing your job or educational responsibilities.

What aspects of the environment are causing your symptoms or illness?

Are there ways to rectify the situation and change the environment?

Are there alternative options? A change in location? An adjustment to your schedule in terms of days or hours you work?

Are there standard practices that may be changed? For instance, instead of chemical supplies using non-toxic alternatives.

Would employee policy reforms restricting the use of personal hygiene products help?

The Presentation of Options

To the best of your ability detail the exact steps needed to be taken to make your work or school environment safe. This will involve an honest evaluation of your health in relation to your situation. In some cases, no accommodation will work. Be realistic and be reasonable.

 

2.) Review company or institutional policies so you have an understanding of the organization's level of flexibility and limitations.

3.) Review and research state and federal accommodation laws regarding your situation. Seek assistance from the Americans With Disabilities Act (www.ada.gov), the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (www.eeoc.gov), the Environmental Protection Agency (www.epa.gov) and if you belong to a union, contact your union representatives. Not only will representatives from these organizations know the laws and pertinent information to your specific situation, but relationship building with key individuals may provide you with a valuable support system.



The Angels of Accommodation

4.) Meet with a lawyer, preferably one who specializes in employment law or civil rights law. Find one who will not charge you for the initial consultation, who may potentially take a case pro-bono, and who has experience with chemical sensitivity and accommodation. Ask about accommodation laws in conjunction with your situation. This lawyer may offer to write a letter to support your accommodation request or attend any meetings you may have with your supervisors. Take a rain check. Not only will they charge you through the nose for these services, you don't want to bring in the big guns. You only want their basic, legal advice at this point. (More on lawyers later....)

The Chemically Sensitive Employees Afraid
To Be Identified
(See the look in their eyes?)

5.) Find out who else would benefit from accommodation such as fellow employees, students, customers, clients, support staff, etc. Find out if anyone has requested accommodation. How was it received? Do this carefully, conversationally, and informally as personal research. Many people worry about job security and will not speak with you for fear you'll give their name to their supervisors risking their positions. Be confidential and trustworthy.

6.) Meet with your supervisor or school administrator to discuss your needs and options. Be prepared for scenarios for acceptance and assistance or denial and hostility, and everything in between.  Be open-minded and professional with an attitude of collaboration. Take detailed notes and listen carefully. Do the conversational contributions indicate they have experience with accommodation requests? Are they open? Are they clueless? Are they feeling threatened? Listen. The clues will help you strategize your plan of action.

The Accommodation Request
(Don't forget your sword!)

7.) Write a letter requesting accommodation. Clearly describe your environment, health issues, and possible options for accommodation. Attach your doctor's letter of accommodation requirements and any other correspondence from supportive healthcare experts.

8.) Meet with your supervisor or school administrator. Take your letter of accommodation, lists of accommodation options, and any research information you deem might be helpful. For instance, without naming names, let them know how many other employees/staff/students would benefit from accommodation. Assume the authority will invite backup personnel to your meeting to serve as witnesses. Do the same. Take along someone from your support system if available: someone from the ADA, EEOC, or your union.

9.) Keep detailed records of every step you take. Keep track of dates and times of contacts and information given.

Steps NOT to take:

The Legal Crusader

1.) Seek legal counsel for information only. Don't threaten authority with legal retribution. Threats can make authority defensive and less than willing to assist. Avoid divulging that you are even meeting with a lawyer or authority may panic, refuse to continue negotiations and arm themselves with their own lawyers. Also, once you get accommodation, you don't want to return to a hostile work or school environment nor be labeled as a troublemaker. It doesn't make for very good working relations. 

2.) Don't be argumentative, rude, disrespectful or entitled at any point no matter how frustrated or ill you are feeling. Your negative attitude will negate and dilute the focus of your request. Maintain an attitude of professionalism and intelligence.

3.) Give only the facts. Do not include excessive, unnecessary information based on emotion, hearsay, or conjecture. Assume everything you write or say will be recorded and possibly used against you later.

Chemically Sensitive Troops

4.) Don't rally the troops by enlisting support from fellow employees and students. This creates an us against them mentality that can backfire. At this point you want a collaborative solution where all parties are working for the betterment of each other. By finding out who else might need accommodation, you may use this as a form of statistical analysis when approaching authority during the initial meeting, but don't imply you've been gathering support (before you declare war) or you'll be seen as a troublemaker negating the positive spirit of the workplace. Don't make them feel defensive or they will decide they have no reason to help you. Once it's viewed as a war, sides are taken and boundaries drawn. It's difficult to reestablish trust.

For someone who doesn't want to rock the boat, being this proactive is not easy. Getting to the point where you are sick all the time and unable to be a productive employee, yet desperately wanting to keep your job will force you into action in hopes of rectifying the situation. Desperation is a great motivator. I have heard of MCSers experiencing harassment from fellow employees who purposely make their lives a living hell by not only wearing perfume, but squirting it on the person's work station or body. Anger is a great motivator, too.

Hissssss. Spit. Hisssss.

In most cases, your employer or school administration will bend over backwards to help, especially if they are in anyway competent when in comes to managing people. The inept employer or school administrator will deny accommodation and in some cases refuse to discuss it regardless of your presentation or proactivity. They just don't want to deal with it.

Good luck!

Salmon with Broccoli, et al. (Recipe)

The bioenergy testing I've had done said I was slightly sensitive to salmon so I've always rotated it. When I did eat it, I'd have weird and violent nightmares all night which clearly indicates I just ate something I shouldn't have. Even the wild salmon that is supposed to be less toxic gave me nightmares and if I'd buy it from Fred Meyer stores, I'd also get very sick. Then I discovered wild Sockeye salmon from Bristol Bay, Alaska that I can find in the freezer case of my local food co-op. Oh, the flavor and texture are superb! AND...no nightmares!  It's not cheap, anywhere from $10 to $12 depending on the piece, but it lasts for at least four one-person meals.

I've been eating a lot of it as it is packaged as a whole half salmon, frozen and deboned. I bake the whole piece at once and eat it for a few days plain or in various recipes. No nightmares. Not a one! Lots of omega-3s, vitamin A, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, and selenium. Although there has been some controversy over mercury levels in salmon, I recently read an article that said selenium is a mercury detoxifier so the high levels of selenium in fish take care of the problem naturally. Hooray! I'm pretty sure adding more salmon in my diet has contributed to my drop in cholesterol and possible the improved thyroid lab results as well.

This salmon-broccoli meal is my favorite.

Organic Oregano - Yum.
See the teenager broccoli in the background?
He's getting big!

Ingredients:
4- 8 ounces of salmon

4 tablespoons olive oil

4 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons coconut oil

1/2 cup red pepper, diced

1/2 cup onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 bunch oregano, snip off leaves, cut into pieces

2 or more cups broccoli,  bite-sized pieces

(I always tried to add as much broccoli as will fit in the pan for two reasons: first, I like to load up on veggies, and second, with leftovers it always looks like there is not enough broccoli - as if it has disappeared overnight in the fridge.)

Bake salmon in the oven on a baking sheet covered with olive oil at 350 degrees for fifteen to twenty minutes depending on size and thickness of piece. Cool slightly.

With a fork separate into small chunks removing any bones.

In a large sauté pan, add oils and heat to medium. Add pepper, onion, garlic sautéing slightly for a few minutes. (Aren't those colors beautiful?) Mix in oregano.

Place salmon on top, but don't stir. If you stir the salmon mixes with the oil and turns to mush. It's best to keep the salmon in small chunks. Place broccoli on top of salmon. Reduce heat to medium-low and cover with lid for about ten minutes or until broccoli pieces are barely cooked. Remove from heat and carefully toss the salmon and broccoli into the oil mix.

Serve. Yum.

Fungus Among Us

Where I live in the land of no sun and overabundance of rain, mold is taken for granted. It infiltrates our lives living in the walls and basements of our homes, wafting through our car's heating system, floating in the air, and buried in the dirt. If I don't wash my van a few times each winter, green fungus-y growth can be seen in the outside seams of metal. Lovely. Our environment is so saturated with mold that state real estate laws were changed regarding disclosure statements. It doesn't matter if your home is crawling with the fungi, and no one cares if you disclose it because they won't be allowed to sue anyway. It's assumed if your house is located here, it's moldy. Everyone's house is moldy. That's life. Get used to it. Mold is our official state...flower? Animal? Is there such a thing as an official state environmental health problem?

Since I've lived here most of my life, I have a history of mold exposure. It's always fun to watch the eyes of a new doctor light up when I start confessing the highlights of my life: the basement of my family home used to flood every winter, I grew up around apple trees and my sensitivity tests claim an intolerance to apple mold, I lived in Arizona for a short time and I've tested positive for molds that grow in air conditioners, and right around the time my chemical sensitivity began disabling me I was living in a basement apartment with carpeting from the 1970s. Just saying basement apartment and holistic health practitioners get very excited.

Although conventional allergy testing rated me negative for mold, I don't know if it really matters in terms of danger.  There are thousands of different kinds of molds. Which molds did they test me for?  I never take the information from any doctor at face value.  Do you really need to be formally allergic to mold for it to affect your health?

One of my neighbors has never had allergies of any kind throughout his life, but his sinuses and lungs have been messed up since moving to the state of mold. His house is very old and wasn't very well cared for. He has since repaired it, rebuilt parts of it, and after getting rid of the water-rotten wood and termites, it all dried out so he claims there shouldn't be a mold problem. While inspecting the thick layer of dust on his computer I replied, "So you DRIED the mold and it is now AIRBORNE? Floating around like toxic dust?"  The furrows appearing on his forehead betrayed his confidence. Breathing for him has become uncomfortable for sure, but he's pretty lucky. At least he's not dying from it. Yet.

I knew a woman who's newly-constructed house came down with a bad case of black mold. Before she realized what was happening, all her pets died mysteriously, one after the other. The house was eventually condemned, unable to even be sold and her family after losing everything moved into a tiny apartment. Shortly after that her husband was diagnosed with a brain tumor and she died from ovarian cancer about a year later. She was only in her thirties.

So, I am properly afraid of mold. I should have seen the signs when I considered buying this house but I was so eager to get out of that basement apartment, I wasn't thinking rationally. First, there were air fresheners all over. Normally, I would walk away from any house that had air fresheners, but for some reason I held my mask tightly to my face and didn't run. The laundry room had walls removed and the floor removed down to plywood. I figured someone must have been remodeling. I justified purchasing this house because there were no obvious signs: no black fuzz crawling up the wall, no drips, no visible water leaks, the crawlspace didn't smell either. I had seen all manner of mold infestations in my very, very long search for a new home.  This house looked awesome in comparison, even with the air fresheners. I told the house inspector of my mold concerns and he said, "I don't know why people worry about mold. Mold is good for you!" I should have fired him on the spot, but I was desperate to get out of the basement apartment. And I really loved the house.

On purchase, I immediately removed the air fresheners and got a closer look at everything. I could smell the mustiness. Oh god, what have I done? I assumed it was the heating system that I found out hadn't worked for years and yeah, I got under the house and animals had made nests out of the heat vents. This was another clue I missed since lack of heat during the winter would have created a whole lot of dampness. I later found out the house was unoccupied for a few years, too. Who knows what can happen when tenants aren't there to watch over a house? I went to work eradicating the problem: spraying the whole crawlspace with Four Thieves Oil (herbal stinky stuff, but tolerable), re-covering the ground under the house with thick plastic, getting the heating system fixed, replacing the missing walls, having all the plumbing inspected, redoing the floors, fixing the rain gutters, and re-roofing the whole house. No more musty smells and I felt safe and secure. It worked.

Or did it?

Since I've been in this house I been in a constant state of fatigue. Every doctor I've seen is quick to assume any fatigue must be my thyroid, but thyroid medications don't help. My thyroid labs aren't really bad enough to cause these symptoms and the Kharrazian diet hasn't improved my energy on any level. In fact, nothing seems to work. During the spring and summer months when everything warms up I experience periods of exhaustion on top of the fatigue. Mold loves wet and damp, but warmth enables it to grow and spread.

My early theories were mold. I had an online chemically sensitive acquaintance from California who told me when she visited her friend in the moldy state she could smell the mold in the yard. Another chemically sensitive person said she was tested for dirt mold and came up positive. This got me thinking.  If it were thyroid, I'd be tired in the winter when the weather is cold.  Instead, it's seasonal during the warmer months, when the environment begins to heat.

In addition to the fatigue and exhaustion, about three years ago I started experiencing burning. It started at the back of my head, crawled up and over my head and down through my body. It's constant. I've been to many doctors and no one seems to have any idea. I've read a few possible theories online, but most information comes back to MOLD. Mold keeps popping up. Mold, mold, mold.

Is there a connection between mold and chemical sensitivity? Did the mold in the basement apartment contribute to my overexposure? Has continued mold exposure in my current house kept me from healing or detoxing adequately?  

So what to do?

There are diets that lower your yeast/fungus levels but that involves giving up fruits which are naturally moldy and I'm not sure I want to do that since the foods I can eat at this point are so limited. Besides, I really don't think if you live with mold as a roommate changing your diet is really going to make a difference.

I think the best plan is to move...easier said than done in this economy...but eventually. Where to go? Is there really any place that is safe?

I've heard Colorado doesn't have mold.

Coconut Pumpkin Curry Soup (Recipe)

This soup is heavenly on a cold, winter day.

Ingredients:

1 cup chicken broth

3 cups diced pumpkin or other squash (I like butternut best.)

2 cups diced carrots

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, diced

1 - 14 ounce can coconut milk

1 tablespoon red chili flakes

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon curry

1/2 teaspoon ginger

Put broth, pumpkin, carrots and garlic in a big pot. Boil.

Sauté onions in olive oil until transparent. Put into pot with pumpkin.

Place coconut milk and red chili flakes in small pot. Simmer ten minutes.

Continue boiling pumpkin, carrots, garlic and onion mix until pumpkin and carrots are soft. Cool slightly. Put in blender and puree until smooth. Place mixture back into pot on very low heat.

Strain out red chili flakes from coconut milk. Then add cumin, curry and ginger to coconut milk, heat until warm (don't boil). (If you want spicier, add 1/2 teaspoon more of each spice, but beware, it can get too spicy really fast.) Place in pot with pumpkin puree and simmer for another ten minutes.

Serve. Yum.