Health effects of indoor air pollutants, SBS(sick building syndrome), MCS(multiple chemical sensitivity), and asthma.
Many people are being poisoned every day by chemicals in the air they breath. There are many symptoms which can be caused by the toxic effects of indoor air pollutants: headache, dizziness, difficulting concentrating, loss of memory, confusion, severe fatigue, burning eyes, burning nose, sinus irritation and infection, sore throat, hoarseness, difficulty breathing, wheezing, cough, palpitations, nausea, diarrhea, weakness, paralysis, numbness, twitching, and disruption of memstrual cycle. We are all different in our sensitivity to sugar, salt, spices, medicines, and to air pollutant chemicals. (No one really understands why we are so different, but clearly we are.) Not everyone entering a polluted space and breathing that air will feel sick, yet others entering that same space may have a severe reaction of fatigue, confusion, or difficulty breathing, etc.SBS (Sick building syndrome)
According to the World Health Organization, about one-third of new buildings worldwide are not fit for human use due to severe indoor air pollution. Indoor air pollution arises from release of toxic chemicals from carpets, wall coverings, ceiling tiles, cleaning agents, copy machines, computers, marking pens, books, paints, adhesives, mold growths at water-damaged sites, and personal care products such as perfumes and after shave. Unvented gas stoves add additional chemicals such as NO2. Sick building syndrome can be any combination of symptoms which you feel after entering a polluted building; they tend to disappear after leaving that building. Frequently the symptoms develop within seconds or minutes of entering the building but may take hours or days to disappear after leaving that building. There may be "hot spots" in a building, one room you cannot go into because of its pollution. This is more likely in a home, where forced air ventilation is unusual. Schools and offices usually have circulating air systems, and the air pollutants move around, so all rooms become troublesome to some extent. People tolerate problems less when it's hot, humid, or noisy, but don't get confused into thinking that these conditions cause SBS- they only make us less tolerant of any particular level of indoor air pollution. We (Anderson Laboratories) believe that SBS is primarily caused by the combined action of the many chemicals released into the air by a multitude of products (see list above) currently found in homes, schools, and offices. The worst offenders are probably carpets(because we use so many square yards of it), cleaning agents(because they are repeadedly applied), molds(because there are so many leaky roofs), perfumes(because they are so potent and used repeatedly in high doses), and air fresheners (because their job is to evaporate and add chemicals to the air). With these potent sources of air pollutants, there is almost no ventilation system which can keep up and keep the concentrations of pollutants low enough to avoid symptoms in some occupants.MCS (Multiple chemical senstivity)
Some people have developed severe intolerance to chemicals which they previously tolerated well. When people develop a rash on exposure to a chemical, we usually say they have an allergy. When people develop wheezing on exposure to a chemical, we usually say they have a form of asthma or allergy to that chemical. When people develop headache or fatigue or confusion or other debilitating symptoms on exposure to a mixture of chemicals, we say they have multiple chemical sensitivity. Surveys suggest that between 4 and 60 percent of the USA population has MCS. About half the people with MCS think they developed this condition after exposure to fumes from renovations at home or in the office. Some of the others developed MCS after accidental exposure to a high dose of pesticide. We suspect the remainder developed MCS just from too much encounter with SBS. MCS tends to start as a mild reaction to a few chemicals. It then develops into a stronger reaction and spreads in that more and more chemical mixtures can cause the symptoms. Very few people are exposed to pure chemicals, whereas almost all of us encounter mixtures of airborne chemicals all day every day. The medical profession is conservative and slow to adopt new concepts and diagnoses such as SBS and MCS. In addition there is lots of confusion about these problems, fostered in part by lobbies trying to protect the chemical industry from potential liability law suits.Asthma
There is a worldwide epidemic in asthma, especialy in childhood asthma. About 15% of school children are now considered to be asthmatic! There are known links between asthma and cockroaches, dust mites, and molds, but we (Anderson Laboratories) do not see how any combination of these factors can explain the current epidemic. We think that rising levels of indoor air pollutants is probably going to be the explanation for the rising rates of childhood asthma. Various surveys show links between asthma and the use of wall-to-wall carpets, recent indoor painting, and the concentrations of certain indoor air pollutants. Our laboratory results show that the mixtures of chemicals released by carpets, air fresheners, fragrance products, mattress covers, disposable diapers, marking pens, and certain toys can cause asthma-like reactions in previously normal mice. It may take time but we suspect that eventually the medical profession will admit that product emissions may be a large part of the cause of the current asthma epidemic. Currently numerous governmental agencies recognise that perfumes can trigger asthma attacks or make asthma symptoms worse. ______________________________________________________________ For referal to a knowledgable physician near you contact the American Academy of Environmenal Medicine, telephone 316-684-5500. _______________________________________________________________ To learn more about MCS read: 1. CIIN-Chemical Injury Information Network. Cynthia Wilson edits their important newsletter, Our Toxic Times. This newsletter is a must for anyone with chemical sensitivity. The CIIN web site (http://ciin.org) has a good description of MCS. Mail address: Chemical Injury Information Network(CIIN), P.O. Box 301, White Sulphur Springs, Montana 59645 Telephone: 406 547 2255 2. HEAL(The Human Ecology Action League). Louise Kosta is the chief writer for this excellent source of information with multiple feature articles each month. Write to HEAL, PO Box 29629 Atlanta GA 30359-1126. Their web site (http://members.aol.com/HEALNatnl/index.html) has useful listings of agencies and other important sources of information. 3. Barb Wilkie has assembled an incredible collection of information about chemical sensitivity, perfume intolerance, reasonable accomodations, etc. See the Environmental Health Network website http://ehnca.org 4.Chemical Exposures- low levels and high stakes. Nick Ashford and Claudia Miller have the best general text on this subject. Second edition, 1998. Van Nostrand Reinhold New York. ISBN 0-442-00499-0(1st ed #) _________________________________________________________ For a summary of which governmental agencies are recognising MCS, contact MCS Referal and Resources, 508 Westgate Road, Baltimore MD 21229-2343. __________________________________________________________ For help creating a less toxic space for yourself or your child 1. Is this your child? Doris Rapp wrote this important guide to children's allergies and chemical sensitivities. Available from Quill, William Morrow & Co. 1350 Avenue of the Americas New York 10019 Published 1991 ISBN 0-688-11907-7. 2. Is this your child's world? Doris Rapp wrote this sequel to #1 with many useful addresses to sources of information and products. Available from Bantam books, New York. 1996. ISBN 0-553-10513-2. 3. John Bower The Healthy House Third edition published in 1997 by The Healthly House Institute 430 North Sewell Road Bloomington IN 47408 This is a good guide to buying, building, or curing a home. 4. Staying Well in a Toxic World. Lynn Lawson did a wonderful job creating this practical guide to decreasing your exposure to toxic chemicals. ISBN 1-879360-33-0 Published 1993 by The Nobel Press 213 W. Institute Place Suite 508 Chicago IL 60610 5. At the www.care2.com website, Annie Berthold-Bond contributes green tips, helpful hints, and valuable alerts that make it easier for you to live a healthier and more environmentally-conscious life. 6. Purchase our booklets a. Detoxify your bedroom $20. Practical step by step advice on eliminating or decreasing sources of indoor air pollution from your bedroom. $20. b. Detoxify your nursery $20. From deodorizers to diapers - there are toxic problems in the nursery. Asthma, sinus infections, headaches, and runny stuffed up nose can be the result. These symptoms and others are difficult to prevent if you do not understand the cause. Although it does not generate a lot of academic research interest, parents of an infant with these recurrent problems do recognize the importance of these illnesses. Asthma is increasing even among infants. We are told that the problem is dust mites and cockroaches and mold but, somehow after thousands of years of successful living, it is not likely that all three have suddenly undergone a dramatic increase in potency all over the world. Could toxic chemicals be involved? Something is very different. Here are some suggestions about what has changed and how to respond. Be assured - the price of prevention is nothing compared to the cost of treatment. We review location, outdoor air pollution, renovations, diapers, window screens, paints, clothing, laundry products, air fresheners, carpets, bedding, and electromagnetic fields. _____________________________________________________________