Chemical Fertilizers, Health, Environment and Bio-Fertilizers

 Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) no longer is an enigma in our society. Unfortunately, more and more people have it in some form or another as many in the health care industry are accepting it as a concrete diagnosis. What is it? MCS is defined as a multi-system disorder usually brought on by toxic exposure to a chemical or chemicals. The exposure can be acute, i.e. a large amount of a toxin over a short period (hours to days) or it can be long-term, a low-level exposure over a period of weeks, months or years.

An example of an acute exposure is a chemical spill and an example of a long-term exposure is a person living in a house that has been tented to kill termites and gets progressively sick.

MCS over the long haul depletes an individual's nutritional stores and causes problems in many different systems and organs in the body. Hence the term multi-system disorder. The person becomes sensitized to the particular chemical. With repeated exposure, the sensitivity increases.

Also, there is what is called a spreading effect where the individual is bothered by many more different chemicals. As this happens, more body systems become involved. MCS almost always effects the Central Nervous System.

According to the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) the diagnosis, treatment, and etiologic assessment of MCS had remained a troublesome medical and social concern for individuals, physicians, government and organizations. Also, according to the ACOEM, the condition was first described in 1952 and has since amassed over 20 different names, including "environmental illness", "total allergy syndrome", "20th Century disease" and "Chemical Aids". My personal favorite is 20th Century disease.

In my mind, this name is totally appropriate since our society's quest to preserve everything from food to building materials has created this mess.

ACEOM recognizes that there is a lack of scientific research about MCS. However, they support tentative conclusions about MCS. These conclusions are: 1) that there is no immunologic basis for MCS. 2) that there is an overlap between MCS, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia and other historic non-specific condition.

An article by Japanese physicians from the University of Tokyo School of Medicine is pretty much in agreement with the statement of the ACOEM. Baisky AJ,Borus from the Division of Psychiatry at Birgham and Womens Hospital in Boston Massachusetts in an article titled Functional Somatic Syndrome which is another way of saying MCS states that even though physical causes may ultimately be found in patients with MCS, the suffering of these patients is exacerbated by a self perpetuating, self-validating cycle in which common endemic, somatic symptoms are incorrectly attributed to serious abnormality reinforcing the persons belief that he/she has a serious illness. In other words, although there may be just medical cause for this condition, much of the symptoms are psychological. I am in total disagreement with this statement as I believe and will try to prove to all that MCS is a toxic reaction to chemicals that creates abnormal physiological function in the body.

In 1999, consensus criteria for the definition of MCS were formulated because even though there continues to be a lack of objective physical evidence that support the diagnosis of MCS, government studies in the U.S., U.K. and Canada revealed 2-4 times as many cases of chemical sensitivity among Gulf War Veterans than soldiers who weren't deployed to the region.

Also, state health department surveys of civilians in New Mexico and California showed that 2-6% respectively, have been diagnosed with MCS and that 16% of civilians reported and "unusual sensitivity to common everyday chemicals. Those criteria are as follows: 1) chronic condition. 2) symptoms that occur reproducibly. 3) symptoms that respond to low levels of exposure. 4) symptoms to multiple unrelated chemicals. 5) symptoms that disappear or are reduced when the chemical is removed. 6) symptoms that occur in multiple organs.

In my opinion, the best thing that is happening with regards to MCS is awareness. Today, there are more governmental agencies and health care providers who acknowledge MCS.

BBC News Online did an article March 15th,00, called Household Chemicals Health Warning by Alex Kirby. In the article, it talks about Drs. Keith Eaton and Honor Anthony who are the authors of the report Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Recognition and Management that was published in the British Society for Allergy, Environmental and Nutritional Medicine. " Drs. Eaton and Anthony urge the British government to tighten the regulation of chemical use, including stricter controls on the authorization of new chemicals and the removal of persistent chemicals from food." Interestingly, only 14% of the most heavily used chemicals used in Europe have a full set of basic safety data publicly available. I find that incredible. Buy 4f-php online

One of the television news magazine's here in the US did an hour show on Sick Building Syndrome. It featured the total disruption of families because of fungus growing rampant in their house. The other story that they did was the family disrupted and forced to move out of their house because they had their house sprayed for termites. These are real phenomenon, no one would ever imagine this. Because of all the chemicals in the products that are put in our buildings, the US Environmental Protection Agency calls indoor air quality one of the top five environmental health risks of our time.

Benzene and formaldehyde both, both carcinogens are only protected by OSHA which is the Occupational Health & Safety Administration in a white collar setting. Elissa Feldman, EPA's associate director of Indoor Environments Div. states "There is no federally guaranteed protection from exposure to unhealthy air indoors." Feldman also calls the air going through the buildings "chemical soup. Of course, there are many other ways and many other chemicals that can cause Sick Building Syndrome. I'm limiting it simply because of space.