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Notes on Environmental Sensitivities-prepared October2007 by L. Farrar for thePhysical Accessibility and Site Plan Review Working Group

www.aeha.caAllergy and Environmental Health Association-Ottawa BranchA Definition of Environmental Sensitivities

Environmental Sensitivities can occur when people become sensitive tosubstances or phenomena in their everyday environment at levels well belowwhat n o ~ ~ t ~ a l ~ ~eople would consider acceptable. Sensitivity reactions can betriggered by scented products, cleaning products, laundry detergents, paints,petrochemicals, cigarette smoke, pesticides, pets, plants, hels,electromagnetic radiation, molds, foods, etc.The effect of environmental sensitivities can be overwhelming. Productivepeople may suddenly or gradually become unable to tolerate offices, homes,schools, hospitals and public places. Despite skills and education, some peoplewith sensitivities end up on social assistance. Many become socially isolatedas they are forced to retreat fiom places and activities they love, and for some,the devastation extends to losing spouses, family and friends who may notbelieve they are ill.This disability may be invisible, but it is real. Environmental Sensitivitieshave been recognized as disabilities by the Canadian Human RightsCommission and many provincial human rights commissions.

This website includes links to many related sites.

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w w w .nsnet. rdidacadenviro. tml

Environmental SensitivitiesDefinition:Environmental Sensitivities, also known as Environmental Illness or EnvironmentalDisease is a name that says it all. A person who is ill because of his environment(food, drink, air) has Environmental Sensitivities. Some people consider MultipleChemical Sensitivities as another name for the same illness, but it is actually asubset of Environmental Illness. The body cannot deal with all the toxins it comesinto contact with every day. Immune System Dysfunction happens. Auto-immuneDisease is the body mistaking a part of itself as the enemy and attacking it.

The things that trigger reactions can be chemicals, natural and manmade, at very lowconcentrations. A lot of these manmade chemicals were developed after World WarI1 (including pesticides, cleaning products, etc.) and are petroleum based (petro-chemicals). Some of the natural substances that cause problems are grass, pollen,animal hair, or mould.Because scents are such a serious problem let's look at them more closely (over 4000chemicals used in the fragrance industry). We usually do not smell many of thescents we and others are emitting until we become hypersensitive. These chemicalscould be causing minor problems for years but we do not see the cause/effect.However, as time passes our bodies become weakened from constant exposure.Overloaded passageways in our bodies, the back up of chemicals in the bloodstream, muscles, nervous system, organs, etc. leads to a variety of symptoms. Poorair quality, the length of time the chemical clings to clothes, closed in buildings, etc.hold these chemicals and our bodies absorb them.Fact Sheet:

0 1 5 2 5 % of the population have some breathing problem such as hay fever orasthma that is adversely affected by strong odors from scented products.0 Strongly scented products can trigger migraines; 17% of Canadians suffer frommigraines.The incidence of environmental discomforts and illnesses is increasing.0 Ventilation systems of many buildings are not able to extract all chemicals fromthe air and instead.recirculate them.

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Environmental Health Association of Nova Scotia.www.lesstoxicguide.caGuide to Less Toxic ProductsEvery day, most North Americans use beauty and cleaning products whichcontain hazardous ingredients. How can you find the products that are leasttoxic, among the thousands of products on store shelves?The objective of this site is to:

0 Provide information about potential health risks of commonly used products.0 Help identi-& less toxic alternatives for personal care, household cleaning, babycare, and household pest control.0 Provide information to help you evaluate products not in this Guide in order tochoose the safest ones for your needs.

Chemicals have replaced bacteria and viruses as the main threat to health. Thediseases we are beginning to see as the major causes of death in the latter part of(the 1900s)and into the 2 1 t century are diseases of chemical origin.Dr. Dick Irwin, Toxicologist, TexasA&M Universi2L)

This site contains a printable guide to less toxic products.


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http://www . nvironmentalhealth.ca/summer07humanri ghts. htmlCanadian Human Rights Commission ReportAccommodating the environmentally sensitiveprotects everyone

Update Summer 2007Peoples responses to factors in their environment vary enormously. For instance, weall h o w that blue-eyed red-heads are sensitive to sunshine, burning more readily thandark-skinned people. What may be less well known is that some people havedebilitating reactions to other aspects of their environment, such as chemicals orelectromagnetic phenomena.So begins The Medical Perspective on Environmental Sensitivities, a reportcommissioned by the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC) researchprogram. The groundbreaking document, written by Dr. Meg Sears, validates theexistence of chemical sensitivity. It notes that chemical sensitivity is a disability whichdeserves and requires public accommodation. The report goes even further and argues,There are high costs to society of not caring for people with sensitivities. ....Accommodation of people with environmental sensitivities is an opportunity toimprove environmental quality and workers performance, and to prevent thedevelopment of sensitivities in others... 9Eric Slone, President of the Environmental Health Association of Nova Scotia(EHANS) applauds the report because it takes the rights of people with environmentalillness very seriously. We live in an age where people with disabilities areincreasingly being granted the legal right to participate more fully in society, ratherthan being forced to sit on the sidelines, Slone noted. Society has to back up thatinvitation to participate with concrete behavioural and attitudinal changes that actuallymake it possible.Approximately3% of Canadians have been diagnosed with environmentalsensitivities. According to the report, a major difference between accommodatingpeople who are chemically and electrically sensitive, and accommodating people withother types of disabilities, is that unlike built accommodations such as ramps,accommodating people with sensitivities actively involves many people, such asemployers, co-workers, others in the school or workplace, neighbours, etc. ...Some ofthe most important accommodations involve behaviour changes. These include the useof least-toxic cleaning and pest control practices, and avoidance of scented products.Addressing a common misconception that Canadian building standards are sufficient,the reports notes that building standards deal with issues such as structural strength,
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not indoor air quality which affects the health of people working in a building. Thereport recommends, Construction, renovation, repair and maintenance should beconducted to minimize the introduction of pollutants. Finishing, furnishings andequipment should contain low toxicity materials, have virtually no emissions, and below-maintenance. Problems with structural dampness and moulds may be minimizedwith good design and construction. These considerations are increasingly importantgiven the desire to conserve energy by reducing ventilation.Charles Theroux, CHRC director of research says, The protection [for chemicallysensitive workers] is there. What has been missing is for people to know that theprotection is there, to recognize chemical sensitivity as a disability and offer properaccommodation.The CHRC hopes that The Medical Perspective on Environmental Sensitivities, alongwith a soon to be released companion report on legal issues and a CHRC policystatement, will play a role in preventing problems for chemically sensitive employeesby making it clear that reasonable accommodation is their right. Theroux says theCHRC receives calls from managers who dont know what to do when they havechemically sensitive employees. The mere fact that this report is out there is a hugestep in educating people and preventing hture complaints, Theroux comments. Ifthe issue is taken seriously, then proper solutions can be found before people have tomake a complaint to the Commission.The report recognizes both chemical sensitivity and the even less understoodphenomena of electrical sensitivity. In the age of cell phone towers, wireless Internetzones and other technological changes that increase exposure to electric fields,recognition of electrical sensitivity is an important reflection of a growing problem.The h l l report is available athttp://www.chrc-ccdp.ca/research program recherche/esensitivities hyersensibilitee

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http://www.chrc-ccdp.ca/researchhttp://www.chrc-ccdp.ca/research

reference -- culprit -- sears -- 2007 00 00 -- environmental sensitivities -- 1

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