Environmental Illness

Resources For
Environmental Illness/Healthy Environments

Environmental Health Coalition has compiled the following list of resources to assist San Diegans who suffer from chemical sensitivities. The resources are valuable as well for anyone who aspires to an environmentally sustainable and healthy lifestyle. While we have made every effort to ensure that the information is correct and useful, EHC does not endorse any products, organizations, or services.

Table of Contents:

• About Environmental Illness
I. World Wide Web Links
II National Organizations
III Local Consultants, Support Groups, and Enterprises
IV Building Materials / Products
a) Literature
b) Catalogs / EnterprisesMedical Advice
V Medical
VI Legal Advice
VII Government Research

About Environmental Illness

Environmental Illness and Multiple Chemical Sensitivity are both names for disorders characterized by high sensitivity to synthetic substances. Often, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, Persian Gulf Syndrome, silicon breast implant disorder, and acquired or inherited poryphryias are also classified in the same general family of disorders. Sufferers of these disorders react to a wide range of substances including toxic medications, pesticides, paints, inks, solvents, fuels, vehicle exhaust, cleaners, perfumes, and smoke. They may also react to certain naturally occurring indoor air pollutants such as molds. The range of symptoms is also wide and includes breathing difficulty, chronic fatigue, loss of memory or mental acuity, irritability, depression, muscle aches, joint pain, and headaches. The disorders may result from a single massive exposure to a toxic chemical or from long-term exposure to lower doses. There is no way to predict which individuals are at higher risk for developing chemical sensitivity, and it behooves us all to minimize our exposure to toxic substances. Insisting on least-toxic products is also a way to reduce our impact on the environment.

I. World Wide Web Sites

There are many web sites that have information that may be useful to you. These are included because they have links to many other sites.

Http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/atsdrhome.html
(links to many other government sites)

Http://www.snowcrest.net/lassen/mcsei.html
(Very informative resource with many links to MCS/EI related issues.)

Http://www.aehf.com
American Environmental Health Foundation
(nonprofit organization that sells various products for the chemically sensitive person. There are also educational materials at this site.)

Http://www.mcsurvivors.com

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II. National Organizations (Print in italics denotes publications by the listed organizations)

American Academy of Environmental Medicine
The Environmental Physician
(316) 684-5500
http://www.aaemonline.org/

Center for Science in the Public Interest
Nutrition Action Health Letter
1875 Connecticut Ave NW #300
Washington, DC 20009-5728
Phone: (202)332-9110 Fax: (202) 265-4954
Http://www.cspinet.org

Chemical Injury Information Network (CIIN)
Our Toxic Times
Phone: (406)547-2255 Fax: (406) 547-2455
http://www.ciin.org/

Dental Amalgam Mercury Syndrome (DAMS)
International DAMS Newsletter
(800) 311-6265
Http://www.amalgam.org

Environmental Access Research Network (EARN)
Medical and Legal Briefs (chemical injury issues)
P.O. Box 1089
Minot, ND 58702-1089
(701)859-6363

Environmental Health Center
8345 Walnut Hill Lane, Suite 220
Dallas, TX 75231
(214)368-4132
Http://www.ehcd.com/

Environmental Health Network
PO Box 1155
Larkspur, CA 94977-1155
(415) 541-5075
http://www.ehnca.org

Environmental Research Foundation
(410) 263-1584
(Publishes Rachel’s Environment & Health Weekly, available online with a searchable index)
http://www.rachel.org/home_eng.htm

Human Ecology Action League
The Human Ecologist
P.O. Box 29629
2250 N. Druid Hills Road NE
Atlanta, GA 30359-1126
(404)248-1898

MCS Referral and Resources
508 Westgate Road
Baltimore, MD 21207
(410)448-3319
Contact: Albert Donnay
Http://www.mcsrr.org

Task Force for Health Care Parity for Environmental Illness
9042 Canterbury Riding
Laurel, MD 20723
Contact: Nancy Gorman

Toxic Carpet Info Exchange
P.O. Box 39344
Cincinnati, OH 45239
(513)385-1111
Contact: Sharon/Glenn Beebe

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III. Local Consultants, Support Groups, and Enterprises

Be Wise Ranch (community-supported agriculture)
9018 Artesian Road
San Diego, CA 92127
(619) 756-3088
Http://www.bewiseranch.com
Contact: Bill Brammer

Community for the Environmentally Sensitive (Housing Community)
P.O. Box 91
Potrero, CA 91963
(619)478-5610
Contact: Harriett Molloy

Ecological Life Systems Institute
2923 E. Spruce Street
San Diego, CA 92104
(619)281-1447
Http://www.jimbell.com
Contact: Jim Bell

Environmental Testing and Technology
(testing for indoor levels of lead, radon, pesticides, VOCs, mold, bacteria, and electromagnetic fields)
1106 Second Street, Ste. 102
Encinitas, CA 92024
(760)436-5990 - or - (800) 811-5991

Froeschle, Lynne (AIA)
(sustainable building and environmental architecture)
(619)571-2858

HOPE (Home Outreach for Persons with Environmental Illness)
(self-help network offering encouragement and information to chemically sensitive persons)
Information: Lois Fritz (619) 445-0919

MCS housing (two rooms), available for rent by the day or month
Nicole Simmons
PO Box 313037
Guatay, CA 91931-3037
(619) 473-1243

Rosenfeld, Marjorie
(Member of the Executive Committee of the National Coalition for the Chemically Injured, willing to be a local contact person for MCS)
(760) - 434-2719

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IV. Building Materials / Products

a) Literature

Healthful Houses. By C. Good and D.L. Dadd (1988). Emphasis on the best brands of building and renovating materials that are safe for E.I. people.
Guaranty Press
4720 Montgomery Lane, #1010
Bethesda, MD 20814

Healthy House: How to buy one: How to cure a sick one: How to build one. By John Bower. Lyle and Stuart (1989). 394 pages. An encyclopedic view of the health consequences of all the materials and techniques used in the construction industry. It includes a listing of suppliers of healthy products.
The Healthy House Institute
430 N. Sewell Road
Bloomington, IN 47408
Phone/fax: (812) 332-5073
Http://www.hhinst.com/

The Household Environment and Chronic Illness.
By Guy Pfeiffer, M.D. and Casimir Nichel.
Charles Thomas, Publisher. Guidelines for constructing and maintaining a less polluted house.

Your Home and Your Health and Well Being. David Rousseau, W.J. Rea, MD, and Jean Enwright. (1989).
Hartly and Marks Publishers.
W.J. Rea
8345 Walnut Hill Lane, Suite 200
Dallas, TX 75231

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b) Catalogs / Enterprises

AFM Enterprises
(paints and coatings)
350 W. Ash St
San Diego, CA 92101
(619)239-0321

Hendricksen Natuerlich
(paints and coatings)
Sebastopol, CA
(707)829-3959

Livos Plantchemistry
(paints and coatings)
Santa Fe, NM
Phone: 1(800)621-2591 or (505)988-9111

MCS Housing Resources
Http://www.thegarden.net/mcs/

Nature’s Carpet
(source of wool carpet with hemp backing)
1428 West 7^th Avenue
Vancouver, BC V6HICI Canada
Phone: 1(800)667-5001 Fax: (604) 734-1512
Ccs@portal.com

N.E.E.D.S. - National Ecological and Environmental Delivery System
(catalog containing many items for the chemically sensitive person)
527 Charles Ave 12-A
Syracuse, NY 13209
Phone: 1(800)634-1380 Fax: 1(800)295-NEED

Nontoxic Environments, Inc.
(Contains building, household, and personal products for the chemically sensitive.)
P.O. Box 384
Newmarket, NH 03857
Orders: 1(800)789-4348 Fax: (603)659-5933
Information: (603)659-5919

Safer Alternatives
(Carries basic needs for the chemically sensitive person, such as organic clothes, soaps, and building products)
546 Olympic St.
Redding, CA 96003
Phone/Fax: (916)243-1352

Yield House
(Catalogue of solid wood (some with glass) furniture kits which can be assembled; also carries other household items such as glass canisters, 100% cotton rugs, lamps, etc.)
Dept 2500, P.O. Box 2525
Conway, NH 03818-2525
Phone: (603) 356-2178 or 1-800-258-4720
Fax: (603)447-1717

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V. Medical Advice

American Academy of Environmental Medicine
P.O. Box 16106
Denver, CO 80216
(303)622-4224
(List of physicians nearest to your location can be requested.)

Dr. Jeff Gordon
(619) 223-7164

Dr. Gunnar Heuser, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.P.
(Tests EI’s with brain analysis indicating depth of sensitivities)
323 S. Moorpark Rd
Thousand Oaks, CA 91361
Phone: (805)497-3518 Fax: (805)494-9357

Dr. Charles Moss
8950 Villa La Jolla Dr.
La Jolla, CA 92037
(619)457-1314

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VI. Legal Advice

A Legal Guide to Combatting Chemical Exposure
Contact: New York Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides (NYCAP)
P.O. Box 6005
Albany, NY 12206-0005
Phone: (518)426-8246

How to Survive Your Chemical Environment. By Edward Bergen. Avon Books.
(How to fight legal battles against chemicals, toxic waste, social security, workman’s compensation, etc.)
Environmental Law Clinic
University of San Diego
(will assist or take cases as their time allows)
Phone: (619) 260-4532
Contact: Professor Corky Wharton