Before Dawnskye, Stuart, and other MCSers joined this list, I talked here
about how someone with MCS may focus more on the toxicity of their personal
space and less so on the wider ramifications (I've seen people with MCS
discuss their "solutions" to, say, weed control dilemnas by saying they've
hired a healthy person to spray something nasty for them that will not
linger noticably by scent after a few days of closed windows) and people
who are very environmentally aware, seeing the big picture, will often not
focus on issues of toxicity (I've seen people on this very list causally
discuss painting this or sealing that and I know they are not talking about
no-VOC products).
I didn't get much of a response. Jeff didn't seem to believe me (or at
least that was the impression I got from your post, Jeff) that these
divisions were important and present. I meant to reply to that post, and
others, but, as happens to me a lot, it got buried in hundreds of more
recent emails I plan to also answer...
But we're seeing this division right here right now.
As a person striving for both sides (I refuse, as best I can, to use
products dangerous to the enviroment, even if I can tolerate them, and I
keep in mind personal toxicity issues when considering the ecology of my
choices) I find it very difficult. I can talk about the exact same issues
both here (or on the Organic Gardening list) and on Immune and other MCS
lists and I find myself making completely different arguments against
people who only seem to see one side of it.
My allegence is to the MCS side though. I know much more about it (I'm
here mostly to correct that imbalance of knowledge) and I have more at
stake with it too. I feel terrible when I drive or buy something wrapped
in plastic I have to throw away, etc. But I know that some of that is
necessary in the society I choose to live in. I work to make sure my
choices minimize the impact on the earth. But even if I were to stop all
my polluting habits, it would not even make a dent in the problem. I don't
think we shouldn't try, but my point is that my eco-choices are part of a
larger system without a lot of direct effects.
On the other hand, if I comprimize on my MCS choices, well, that's about as
direct as I can get. Choosing to go to my SO's sister's wedding meant a
month of MS symptoms: loss of balance, muscle weakness, tremors, etc. I
allowed myself to be exposed to perfume (almost all of it outdoors, which
doesn't help as much as you'd think).
I got into an argument a while ago with people on the organic gardening
list who insisted that local dairy products were a better choice
ecologically for a whole host of reasons (which I agreed with) and that big
organic producers like Horizon were bad ecologically for a whole host of
different reasons (which I also agreed with). The argument was, which do
you choose is the choice is local and produced with pesticided (but local)
feed and hormones vs thousands of miles away, a large corporate producer
using no hormones and only organic feed? All the healthy people chose the
local producer. As a person with MCS, I chose the only one that would not
make me sick. (As an aside, fortunately there is a wonderful local organic
dairy producer (Straus) which I buy when I can...I still buy Horizon though
if Straus or other smaller organic producers aren't available.)
I have to make choices like this all the time. And I choose my health.
Argue with me all you want but I know from personal experience that I am a
useless shell of a person when I'm toxed out. Not to mention miserable.
Not to mention a drain on society and resources in other ways. I try to
make sure my choices will minimize the ecological impact if I can, but it's
not number one and it can't be.
The question that kept running through my head when Eric was coming down on
Dawnskye for suggesting styrofoam was "must people with MCS or other health
problems be held to higher standards than other "eco" people?"
Dawnskye's computer example came to my mind too. And what about batteries
used to hold power generated by solar panels? I think they do overall good
but they are filled with toxins, and expensive (fuel intensive) to
transport because they are so heavy. Do any of you have PVC pipes in your
house or garden (massive toxin dumps into the waterways)? Fiberglass
insulation (formaldehyde)? Houses with pressboard or most plywood
(formaldhyde again)?
I agree that styrofoam is a bad choice ecologically but what I would ask is
"what are the alternatives, out of those choices safe for Stuart
personally?" (not all people with MCS react to the same substances).
Actually, I when I first heard the suggestion I was concerned that it would
outgas and be too toxic. I don't react to styrofoam packing but I thought
there would be different kinds of styrofoam so I didn't know the outgas
answer.
Instead of jumping all over Dawnskye for suggesting something that's not
ecologically sound, let's look at all the possibilities. Moisture control
of buildings is a topic I know next to nothing about, besides that one
should make certain that rain water doesn't fall towards the building after
leaving the roof or hitting the ground. That's why I referred Stuart here,
the place with the experts.
Does styrofoam work for the job as stated? What works better? What works
just as well? What works less well but still within acceptable limits? Of
all the things that work, what are the ecological impacts and what is the
toxic load after and during installation? Those are the kinds of questions
that interest me.
Cyndi ... who apolizes if she is a bit incoherent today but I just got the
second perfume insert in my mail today in less than a week. The offender
is on the porch but one sniff was enough to fry my synapses.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Oakland, California Zone 9 USDA; Zone 16 Sunset Western Garden Guide
Chemically sensitive/disabled - Organic Gardening only by choice and neccessity
_______________________________________________________________________________
"There's nothing wrong with me. Maybe there's Cyndi Norman
something wrong with the universe." (ST:TNG) [EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.consultclarity.com/
_________________ Owner of the Immune Website & Lists http://www.immuneweb.org/
