FACT OR MYTH
Fact or Myth # 1
Since the government allows consumer products containing toxic chemicals to be sold in Canada and since these products are on the store shelves, these products are completely safe to use, as long as they are used according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Anyone who who gets sick from these products probably was not following the manufacturer’s instructions.
This is a very common perception, but an inaccurate one. The word “toxic” means poison. Therefore, toxic chemicals are chemicals that are poison to the human body. Poison is poison to everyone. Sadly, the reality is that the governments do not adequately protect the consumers from products containing toxic chemicals, and these products can and do harm the health of some individuals, even when the products are used exactly as the manufacturer instructs.
Many toxic chemicals found in many consumer products have never undergone any toxicological testing. For example, the majority of perfume products contain toxic chemicals that have never undergone any toxicological testing, and the toxic chemicals that have undergone testing, have only undergone dermatological testing and not inhalation testing. Yet, inhalation is the way that most people are exposed to the toxic chemicals in perfume. The harsh reality is that these untested toxic chemicals in perfume, are causing more and more people to have toxic reactions to scented products and to become scent intolerant.
Sadly, perfume is only one tiny example of where governments have failed to adequately protect the consumer from toxic chemical exposure. Harmful toxic chemicals are found in many consumer products, including children’s toys. This is due to the fact that even when governments know of the dangers of some toxic chemicals, governments still allow them to be used in consumer products, and often without any kind of warning label.
Currently, the consumers need to be the ones who are taking the proactive steps to protect themselves from the negative health effects of the toxic chemicals that are found in consumer products. This is done by educating themselves on toxic chemicals in the products that they are purchasing; how those toxic chemicals can negatively impact their health; and then choosing to buy consumer products that don’t contain those toxic chemicals and that are truly safe.
Things will probably not change unless consumers demand changes from their governments.
Fact or Myth # 2
Multiple Chemical Sensitivity or MCS (Chronic Chemical Injury, Chemical Intolerance) is a psychiatric disorder. People with this health condition are just anxious over nothing. They think that exposures to toxic chemicals will make them sick. However, these chemicals have been tested and considered safe by Health Canada, as well as by other governments. So it’s not the products that are making them sick; its their anxiety about exposure to the products that is causing their symptoms. No one can be allergic to that many things, so it must be all in their head. On the other hand, if they are truly sick, then they need to see a specialist to find out the true cause of their symptoms, and stop being paranoid about toxic chemical exposures.
Sadly, this attitude and this false perception of Chronic Chemically Injured individuals is very prevalent. It is part of a discrediting campaign by the chemical/pharmaceutical industries, which began in earnest in 1990 and is still ongoing. Please read the article: Fighting the Stigma by Exposing the Source.
The actual fact is that it is a very real physiological health condition, that has devastating consequences on the lives of all those affected. Chronic Chemically Injured individuals are ones who have become poisoned by the toxic chemicals they have encountered, often on a regular basis. Their body becomes overloaded with the toxic chemicals to which they have been exposed. They either cannot metabolize and eliminate these toxic chemicals or have a very difficult time doing so. Therefore, these toxic chemicals become stored in the tissues of their body and they enter a poisoned condition.
Consequently, the Chronic Chemically Injured individuals are ones whose bodies have become intolerant to toxic chemical exposure. Their Chemical Intolerance has been acquired.
In a nut shell, the reactions that are experienced by the Chronic Chemical Injured are toxic reactions – not allergic reactions. The toxic reactions are the body’s alarm system, warning the individual that their body is becoming increasingly poisoned and further chemical injury is occurring. These toxic reactions are warning them to remove themselves from the toxic environment before they experience even greater chemical injury.
Sadly, the Chronic Chemically Injured individuals are treated with much stigma and rarely receive any kind of support, when in reality they require a lot of support by governments, the health system, and society in general.
Fact or Myth # 3
Multiple Chemical Sensitivity or MCS (Chronic Chemical Injury, Chemical Intolerance) occurs as a result of some emotional trauma or emotional stress in the person’s life. This emotional trauma or stress is either the cause or a strong contributing factor to the person becoming chemically intolerant. To aid in this emotional healing, they will either need the help of a professional counselor or a psychiatrist. This is necessary before any other kind of treatment will be effective in their physical healing.
This assessment and treatment approach is far from accurate or helpful, and is actually very dangerous. Chronic Chemical Injury (Multiple Chemical Sensitivity or (MCS), Chemical Intolerance) is not caused by any emotional trauma or stress, and these are not even strong contributing factors. The sole cause of Chronic Chemical Injury is exposure to toxic chemicals!
Emotional trauma or emotional stress can have an impact in many, many different types of health conditions, for example, emotional issues can affect cardiovascular disease. However, these emotional issues are side issues to the actual treating of the cardiovascular disease. In chemical intolerance, if there are any emotional issues, they are side issues to the actual treating of the chemical intolerance, in the exact same way that they are side issues in other health conditions.
Emotional healing is not a prerequisite to effective treatment of chemical intolerance. In fact, focusing on emotional healing can derail other treatments, and psychiatrists can prescribe medications that make a person’s chemical intolerance much worse. As with all other health conditions, emotional healing is a good step to take and it will help in a general kind of way to improve one’s overall health; but it does not usually need top priority – it is a side issue.
There are even tiny infants and toddlers who are severely chemically intolerant. Yet, they may not have lived through any emotional trauma. In fact, many of them are in very loving, supportive families. Chronic Chemically Injured individuals – including infants, toddlers, children, teens, adults, and the elderly – are simply individuals who have become poisoned by the toxic chemicals they have encountered on a regular basis.
Fact or Myth # 4
The reactions experienced by people with Chemically Intolerance (Multiple Chemical Sensitivity or MCS) are allergic reactions. They can be allergic to almost everything, so you need to make sure you have epinephrine nearby in case they need it.
The reactions that are experienced by people with Chemical Intolerance (Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS), Chronic Chemical Injury) upon exposure to toxic chemicals, are toxic reactions not allergic reactions. Toxic chemicals are poisons. People are not allergic to poisons; people are poisoned by poisons.
The toxic reactions are informing the person that chemical injury is occurring and there is a need to leave the toxic environment before greater injury occurs. The person must be removed from the toxic environment and relocated to an area of good air quality.
Also, epinephrine may or may not be needed. Don’t assume it is needed for everyone. For some people it would be quite dangerous to give them epinephrine. Toxic reactions frequently don’t need epinephrine. However, some people have both toxic reactions to toxic chemical exposures, and allergic reactions to things like pollen, bee stings and cats. So whether epinephrine is needed will depend on the person, and on the type of reaction they are having and on the symptoms.