Toxic Injury Awareness and Education Month

Here in Wisconsin, our Governor has proclaimed May “Toxic Injury Awareness and Education Month.” Lest you think, Oh Best Beloved, that our State stands alone in this, the Governors of at least twenty other States this year alone have also officially similarly proclaimed May as the month in which to raise awareness and provide education about Toxic Injury, Chemical Injury and Multiple Chemical Sensitivities. In the past eight years, the Governors of over thirty-five States have issued proclamations recognizing the need for education on and awareness of chemical injury, toxic injury and MCS.

If you’re not familiar with chemical injury, here’s some key points about this devastating illness:

• Toxic injury is often characterized by a heightened sensitivity to very small amounts of air pollution, mold, petrochemicals and other toxins found in our everyday environment, this sensitivity being called Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS), chemical injury or toxic injury.
• Toxic injury is a chronic, debilitating and sometimes life-threatening biologically-based (i.e., physical) condition for which there is no known cure, causing serious financial, employment, learning, housing, health, social and other consequences.
• Multiple Chemical Sensitivity is recognized by the American Academy of Environmental Medicine, the Social Security Administration, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, and other state and federal governmental agencies, which have supported the health and welfare of people with this condition. The Veterans Administration, as documented in the VA’s report on GWS, released Monday, Nov. 17th, 2008, specifically states when discussing the cause of Gulf War Syndrome that “It is well established that some people are more vulnerable to adverse effects of certain chemicals than others, due to variability in biological processes that neutralize those chemicals, and clear them from the body.”

As part of our own personal contribution to Toxic Injury Awareness and Education Month, I’m going to direct you to a new article written by Michael and I that is now on our website: What’s So Tough About Home Repairs, Maintenance And Construction? It’s not easy when you’re living with a family member who has chemical injury.”

We hope you find it both educational and informative!