PVCC Puma Press: November 2004

Diane’s name has been changed at her request to protect her privacy.

Diane lives in a porcelain room. There are simple cotton draperies, no carpets or candles, books or magazines, flowers or plastics. There is, however, a special air-filtration system that maintains an almost sterile atmosphere. She spends hours alone each day in prayer and meditation and relies on guided imagery to reduce the constant pain. She depends on oxygen around the clock. She is wracked with severe asthma, arthritis, a clotting disorder, and her blood vessels are inflamed.

Diane was relatively healthy until the day her former home was treated for termites. One wall was pumped full of Chlordane and Dieldrine (both now banned) and after that, her life changed forever. That was 20 years ago.

Diane is one of millions in this country suffering from a relatively new malady—Environmental Illness (EI). It is also known as Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS), Gulf War Syndrome, Multiple Allergic Response Syndrome (MARS), and the 20th century disease.

Environmental Illness has also been linked to fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and lupus. Symptoms can range from weakness, headaches, asthma, and rashes to permanent disability or death. Onset can be sudden or gradual. According to the National Academy of Sciences, 37 million Americans suffer from environmental illness. It estimates that as high as 15 percent of Americans can no longer live comfortably in their own homes.

Dr. Claudia Miller, MD, Associate Professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center, in San Antonio, Texas, calls the development of symptoms “Toxicant-Induced Loss of Tolerance.” It occurs when a person is repeatedly exposed to environmental toxins even in small doses.

Diane’s husband, a Presbyterian minister in the Valley, says it best: “Our immune system is like a cup. You can pour garbage into it for a long time. Everyone has a different size cup. When you fill it to the brim, you can’t handle anything else.”

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According to the National Academy of Sciences, 37 million Americans suffer from environmental illness.
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Environmental illness can savagely alter its victims’ lifestyles. The Environmental Illness Society of Canada states that one in eight adult Canadians suffers significant symptoms, increased absenteeism and measurably impaired abilities at work due to “normally safe” exposures to some of the common chemicals found in their homes or workplaces. They also estimated that about one in 50 adult Canadians is unable to work due to an EI associated disability.

Seeking relief from her disabling symptoms, each week Diane leaves the safety of her home for treatment. A special filtration system has been installed in the family car to guard against automobile exhaust and other allergens during her outings. Even though she uses an electric wheelchair and breathes from an oxygen tank wherever she goes, the exertion required of her excursions keeps her in bed for the next three days.

On a really good day, she leaves her room and uses a walker to get around the part of the house that has only twice the normal filtration required for a space its size. She spends a half-hour a day on her feet at best. After work, her husband must shower and change clothes before he can be near her. His office is in an addition to the house, which he calls the “dirty area” because it has a normal air-handler. During construction of their custom home, 35 cement samples had to be tested before one was found that didn’t provoke a reaction.

The effects of EI are not all physical. Mentally, they contribute to confusion, paranoia, depression and memory loss. Often, patient complaints are dismissed as psychosomatic. Financially, they can range from lost wages to astronomical medical expenses. Though the toll on Diane’s quality of life is immeasurable, her illness has cost more than $2.5 million dollars over the last 20 years.

Also affected by EI is the wife of a PVCC manager, who wishes to remain anonymous to protect his family’s privacy. He says, his wife’s symptoms have improved dramatically since she left her research job where she handled chemicals. She was able to return to school and begin another career, but the loss in wages associated with her former job was significant.

This family, too, custom-built their new home to eliminate as many toxic substances as possible, and they consider themselves fortunate although she remains highly sensitized to many common allergens.

Even though the global environment is polluted, the greatest exposure to allergens is generally inside homes and workplaces. Building materials, insecticides, fabric finishes and household cleaning products are major triggers.

“As many as one billion people worldwide, mostly women and children, are regularly exposed to levels of indoor air pollution exceeding World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines by up to 100 times,” reported the WHO at a strategy meeting on Air Quality and Health in September 2000.

Sometimes, exposures are not self-inflicted. Joe Crozier and his wife Yvette Maiangowi purchased a home in Scottsdale in 1996. Within months, Joe, Yvette and their 4-year-old son, James, became sick with digestive, respiratory and neurological problems. Joe was diagnosed with pesticide poisoning.

Upon investigation, Arizona Structural Pest Control Commission records showed that the previous owner had hired a pesticide company to spray more than 758 gallons of five different pesticides into the attic, walls and under the foundation of the structure over a two-and-a-half-year period ending November 1995. The Crozier family left the house in mid-1997 and has been ill ever since. The previous owner’s wife died in the home in March 1995.

Though the task of fighting the advance of chemicals in the environment appears daunting, there is hope. The best “cure” seems to be prevention. According to a Spring 1995 DePaul University survey of treatments tried by people with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Electromagnetic Sensitivity and Fibromyalgia, the top treatments with the least harm caused were avoidance of foods and chemicals that cause allergic reactions. Avoidance can relieve many symptoms and sometimes even reverse the disease.

Dr. Michael Cronin, of Integrative Health Care of Scottsdale, says about 40 percent of his patients have EI. He says there are many ways to minimize your exposure to toxins but his first suggestion is to “Eat cleanly!” Toxins are stored in the fat of animals. Eat organic protein when possible.

“Many chemicals are endocrine disrupters and can change the way your body reacts to other chemicals,” he says. “…In all of the toxicology studies, none of them currently assess the synergistic effect of multiple toxins. Every toxin is assessed singularly, so our children are our test tubes.”

Some advice from PVCC’s manager: “Take every precaution to keep from getting exposed. If you must work with chemicals, do it in a well-ventilated area and wear proper protective clothing and the correct respirator. Don’t take any chances.”

Cronin says, “Pay attention to your nose. If it’s running, find out why. Don’t just use a nasal spray.” The olfactory nerve is located at the top of our nose. “It’s the only place where our central nervous system is exposed to the environment. Volatile organic solvents actually touch our brain cells by touching our olfactory sensors.”

After 20 years of living with this issue, Diane’s husband has some advice for those already suffering from this illness. “Take one day at a time. Create a healthy spiritual space as well as a healthy physical space. Get the right medical care for you. Educate yourself and keep an open mind. Lastly, be in a large supportive community, not alone with your spouse or one friend.”