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Environmental Hypersensitivity

When the environment makes you sick

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    • When Health Depends on the Environment
  • A Question of Biology
    • Introduction
    • The Environmental Sensitivities Cycle
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    • Physical Reaction to Triggering Agents
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  • Cultural and Social Response
    • Collective Strength
  • A Question of Law
    • Introduction
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  • Medical Aspects
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    • Getting a diagnosis
    • Facing the Health Environment
  • Managing the Illness
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Collective Strength

Posted on June 9, 2022June 17, 2022 By ASEQ-EHAQ

Some individuals will probably always be more affected than others by chemical, biological and electromagnetic pollution. But each and every one of us will benefit, to varying degrees, from the reduction of environmental contamination. Reduced exposure would positively impact the health and quality of life not only of those with environmental sensitivities, but also of people with respiratory or heart problems, migraines, etc. These are just a few examples. However, the list of medical conditions linked to environmental contamination, or those that are worsened by it, continues to grow.

In many parts of the world, there are initiatives that aim at reducing exposures to contaminants in the environment. In Quebec, in large part due to the efforts of the founders of the Environmental Health Association of Québec (ASEQ- EHAQ), the government has adopted a province-wide policy banning home lawn-care pesticide use, thereby reducing exposure to harmful products for the entire population.

In addition to government regulations, increasingly more programs are being put in place to promote the responsible management of contaminants. “Smoke-free” hotels are opting for the use of fragrance- free and non-toxic cleaning products. Event organizers are asking people not to wear perfume, to avoid the use of cell phones and Wi-Fi, and organic and vegetarian food is made available on site. Governmental and non-governmental organizations are advocating the construction of healthy buil- dings.

The high number of people with environmental sensitivities is but one clue among many that we must re-examine our current way of managing the risks associated with the industrial production of chemical substances and the development of new technologies. Our exposure, albeit at low levels, to an array of known toxic substances – e.g. benzene found in cologne, paint solvents, or volatile organic compounds in vinyl – is permitted by law. But people with environmental sensitivities and the skyroc- keting number of chronic diseases linked to exposures challenge that approach. We don’t really know how low-level exposures to a multitude of physical and chemical contaminants will affect us as they accumulate over time.

26This is the first time in history that everyone is contaminated with and exposed to a multitude of pollu- tants that didn’t exist or existed only in small quantities a mere sixty years ago. Traditional toxicology is not equipped to deal with this kind of contamination. To tackle all these uncertainties, we advocate an approach based on the precautionary principle, rather than one that assumes exposure to environmen- tal contaminants is safe until proven otherwise. What if our health and that of our children depend on taking this new approach?

Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency recognizes people with environmental sensitivi- ties as belonging to a vulnerable population. Both the Quebec Human Rights Commission (Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse) and the Canadian Human Rights Commission reco- gnize environmental sensitivities as constituting a “handicap” entitling sufferers to reasonable accommo- dation. Yet, much work remains to be done to ensure that people with environmental sensitivities receive appropriate treatment and continue to work and maintain their quality of life as much as possible.

Small gestures made individually can add up and benefit everyone. Examples include asking grocers or pharmacists to sell fragrance-free products, educating health care professionals or employers on the positive outcomes of establishing fragrance-free areas, requesting reasonable accommodations, etc. The more the general population hears about environmental sensitivities, the more open they will be to fin- ding accommodations for sufferers. On a much larger scale, groups such as the Environmental Health Association of Québec (ASEQ-EHAQ) have been working for years to have the condition recognized.

Alone, the task at hand may seem insurmountable. But by joining together, we can change things for the better.

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General information

  • Environmental Sensitivities
  • ​Questions and answers about ES

Legal information

  • Jurisprudence Guide – until 2012 (CSST)
  • Jurisprudence Guide – 2013-2017 (CSST)
  • ​Right to reasonable accommodation
  • ​Letter from the Quebec Human Rights Commission: Protection of the Quebec Charter
  • ​ASEQ's application to the Quebec Human Rights Commission
  • ​Tips for obtaining an accommodation without a lawyer

Managing the illness

  • Tips for taking control of your illness (SEEDS)
  • ​Check List
  • ​Choosing Healthy Household Products
  • Activity and Symptoms Journal

USEFUL LINKS

  • ASEQ-EHAQ – Website
  • ASEQ-EHAQ – Eco Living Guide
  • ASEQ-EHAQ – Affordable Healthy Housing Project
  • www.ewg.org
  • www.lesstoxicguide.ca
  • CSST Toxicological Repertoire – material safety data sheets
  • CHRC Policies
  • Fragrance-free policy
  • Français
What are environmental sensitivities?

People suffering from environmental sensitivities react negatively to all kinds of contaminants (pesticides, cleaning products, solvents, perfumes, mould, electromagnetic radiation, etc.), but at lower levels of exposure that seem to cause no reaction in most people. These reactions can affect multiple systems in the body. In fact, many symptoms can affect several organ systems, such as the respiratory, digestive and nervous systems, as well as the skin. The symptoms can be inconvenient, quite serious, or even debilitating. According to Statistics Canada, environmental sensitivities are becoming an increasingly common health issue.


Are environmental sensitivities similar to allergies?

Environmental sensitivities were first thought to be allergies. In both cases, avoidance of triggers allows the person affected to remain healthy. But with the discovery of allergic-response mechanisms (immunoglobulin E), it became clear these mechanisms were not responsible for causing environmental sensitivities. In both cases, however, chemical contamination is linked to their increased prevalence in the population.


Another ban! Can’t people with sensitivities take into account my right to wear perfume?

In keeping with the “balance of convenience” principle, healthy people should make adjustments to avoid adversely affecting the health of a group of people, no matter how small, especially in cases involving the workplace and shared public places. Accommodating people with environmental sensitivities—no fragrances, better ventilation, least-toxic cleaning products—will improve indoor air quality, and benefit everyone. Smoking is now no longer permitted in the workplace and in public buildings. The same principle should apply for environmental sensitivities. Not only will your fellow citizens and colleagues with sensitivities appreciate the gesture, but so will people suffering from asthma, allergies, and other illnesses such as respiratory and heart diseases.


In Quebec, are environmental sensitivities recognized as an illness?

From a legal and human rights perspective, environmental sensitivities are recognized as being a handicap both in Quebec and Canada. The Commission des lésions professionnelles (CLP) has already recognized the right to CSST compensation for workers who have developed environmental sensitivities after exposure in the workplace.

From a medical perspective, as of 2012, the Quebec Ministry of Health and Social Services had still not recognized environmental sensitivities and there was no diagnostic code for the disease. Only a few physicians in Quebec are equipped to diagnose this illness. Some Quebecers who suffer from it are sometimes forced to travel to Ontario to receive care. Others increase the number of medical consultations as their health deteriorates.

There are specialized clinics that treat environmental sensitivities in Ontario and Nova Scotia. The European Parliament has asked member-states to recognize environmental sensitivities in their classification of diseases, if they have not already done so. It is time for Quebec to follow suit!


Symptoms are not visible. When people say they are sensitive to toxic substances that don’t affect others, couldn’t it just be “in their mind?”

It is exactly that heightened susceptibility in an individual, whose body is no longer able to defend itself against a multitude of small toxic attacks, which is the defining characteristic of environmental sensitivities. It is true that some environmental sensitivity symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, difficulty concentrating and feeling dazed, dizzy or brain fogged (lack of cognitive function) are imperceptible to others. The person could therefore appear to be physically normal. However, just because the symptoms are not visible does not mean that they are any less real.

Share vos ressources !

Every person with environmental sensitivities is a wealth of information about the resources available in their area of information about the resources available in their area. You know of professionals who are understanding, aware accommodating? The best places to get adequate products or services? or receive services? Why not share them? pool them together?

Send your suggestions

Resources

UQAM - Community Service
TELUQ

Environmental Health Association of Québec

Logo-Quebec inv With the financial participation
of the Ministère de l'Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport.
Translation from French to English was made possible in part by the Department of Canadian Heritage and ASEQ-EHAQ Department of Canadian Heritage
© Environmental Health Association of Quebec (ASEQ-EHAQ), UQAM Community Services, TÉLUQ. All rights reserved.

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