[Greenbuilding] Green Cleaners / MCS

[Racheli Gai]

Regarding "Simple Green": If I remember right, it has citrus  
derivatives,
which many people have a reaction to.  It might have other stuff, but
those substances are pretty problematic by themselves (at least for
some people).
I used "Simple Green" extensively some years ago, when we were cleaning
gook off of our concrete floor in preparation for tiling.  In the  
process of
using it I got sensitized to it (I wasn't reacting to it to begin  
with).  Now
I have a reaction also to things like "Citra Solve".

Regarding MCS: I have a relatively mild case, and yes - those cling-free
sheets make me feel crappy, in addition to many perfumes and other  
things.
I want to stress that many of these things ARE NOT GOOD FOR ANYBODY,
even for those who don't have a discernible reaction to them.
And another point: Some substances don't only cause reaction to  
themselves,
they also sensitize people to other things.  Formaldehyde is an example  
of that.

I don't think that someone with full blown MCS ever goes completely back
to "normal", but if one avoids exposure (or rather minimizes it, since  
complete
avoidance in our super polluted world is probably not within the realm  
of possibilities),
it's possible to improve and to develop a degree of tolerance.
It's important to mention that each person with MCS has their own set  
of sensitivities,
and some things which might make one person sick, don't bother another.
There are things, I think, which probably ALL react to, such as  
pesticides.

I doubt that MCS among men is all that rare; I know a few men who have  
it,
and I haven't really made any effort to find them...  And many people  
(of
all genders) seem to have the kind of sensitivity that to me indicates  
that
they might not be that far from MCS, although they usually aren't aware  
of
it.

Best,
Racheli.


On Dec 5, 2006, at 7:30 PM, David Seth Melchert wrote:

> 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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