[Greenbuilding] [BULK] Re: Green Cleaners

[David Seth Melchert]

Over the years I have worked with people with Multiple Chemical 
Sensitivity (MCS), also called Environmental Illness (EI). While many 
are only moderately sensitive to toxins in their homes and lives, some 
are way off the scale. In my experience they are not being dramatic, 
hypochondriacs or fussy. It would seem that their bodies had been 
whacked out by some sort of chemical trauma which made them hyper 
sensitive, and they are unable to get back to normal. Seemingly 
innocuous things such as isopropyl alcohol, scent from those cling-free 
sheets people put in their clothes dryers, newsprint ink, new wood 
resins, duct tape glue (I could go on writing a very long list) now make 
them ill. Allergy doctors in general are unable to help very much 
either. It is as if some sort of critical mass had been reached in their 
bodies and from that point on they are in an entirely new quantum level 
of sensitivity. Normal MSDS criteria no longer apply.

While I myself am not sensitive to these things I've had to train myself 
to perceive them. You can start by walking down the gardening isle in 
any mainstream store to experience the assault on your body by 
fertilizers and pesticides. Then go to a mainstream drug store and 
choose cosmetics or detergents. From here, try paper products or 
medicines. Each level is more subtle, but I have learned that even the 
faintest of chemicals can set people off. Right now I have a client who 
is reacting to some AFM Safecoat clear finish. Another to Bona Chemi 
Traffic catalyzed floor finish. These are way out on the clean end of 
the scale, but that is no guarantee to MCS folks. My mistake was to not 
give them samples to check ahead of time.

So Keith you are really on your own. Your own body is the testing 
laboratory that will determine any product's toxicity to you. I am 
sorry, and I wish you luck. If you can stay clean, real clean for a 
period of time my hope is that you will lose your hypersensitivity.

By the way, you are a rare case of an MCS man. Most are women.

best wishes,

Seth Melchert
Oakland CA

Keith Winston wrote:
> Just to be clear, since I got several personal emails on this:
>
> It wasn't the scent. I didn't get high.....
> I almost died. I am not being melodramatic.
>
>
> Of course in retrospect this was all very stupid (did I mention this was 
> stupid?), but it seems unlikely to me that I could be THAT overcome in 
> one case, and it's all friendly and yummy when used in smaller 
> quantities. But I don't really know about that.
>
> Keith
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