MCSCAN Australia
AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL MULTIPLE CHEMICAL SENSITIVITY DATABASE
LINKS
Planning:
A Layperson's Approach
MCSCAN Australia: - database design requirements
Duty of Care
Corporate
Responsibility
Community understanding and awareness
MCS:- Related Issues; Community.
Personal Stories In the life of an MCS Victim or their Carers
Articles and Progress Reports.
MCS: Related; Questions-and-Speculation
Conclusions and
Recommendations
Self Help Links. Information on how to clean without using Harmful Chemcials.
Summary: Public Database summary
Are the Present Legislation, Regulation and Laws Adequate.
This raises the question of whether our present legislation and laws are adequate. Poisoning or damage is still that, whether the chemicals are legal or illegal.
It also questions how responsible and adequate are our minimum standards, especially when many of them are well below those recommended by the World Health Organization.
Why does Australia utilize standards that are not accepted by most other responsible governments of the world?
It is a failure of government departments that they are reluctant to liaise with each other. Policy needs to be developed to ensure where issues overlap departmental or authority responsibility, the department must refer or pass the information on to a relevant department for action.
If they, (the authorities) are aware that legal chemicals are causing problems within the community why is it not be raised with government? It shows there is a need for a review of how the legislation and law is applied.
RESPONSIBILITY TO ACT
It is the responsibility of everyone, including companies and their shareholders, individuals whether workers or small business owners.
Unless action is taken urgently, it will become an increasing cost and
burden on the community.
The need for an Autonomous Authority
This means that we need to question of how close different organizations liaise with each other.
The answer may show there is a need for some coordinating authority on a National basis to ensure there is liaison between them.
There is still a lot of work to do for the final result.
However, in the meantime the immediate concern is to draw the issues to the attention of governments. At the same time we need to bear in mind that many of our political representatives are not all of a scientific or medical background, but rely on others to provide them with the necessary information so they can plan and develop policy.
VESTED AND OR CONFLICTS OF interest.
There will be many vested interests who would want the present “status quo” to continue and will do what they can to minimize any controls.
It is important that governments must keep in mind is that they are responsible to all taxpayers and are expected to be accountable to them to ensure the welfare and health of the public.
It will also need to study the economic impact of the potential cost of providing medical, hospital and other support to the victims of MCS (Multiple Chemical Sensitivity).
These considerations need to consider, both long and short term costs.
Social Justice; including duty of Care and Corporate responsibility.
There are many issues of social justice to be addressed, as people are forced to move from their home and work, into isolation away from the community in which they live, because of MCS (Multiple Chemical Sensitivity).
It impinges and effects the rights of everyone, not only the victims, however the effect is strongest with them and their families as it denies them the right to live a normal life. Such a denial such is not given to other people with disabilities or illnesses.
Competent administration of legal requirements
Appropriate research will demonstrate the need to establish a competent administration and monitoring programme and authority.
The arguments will be put forward by vested interests about whether it should be done by State or Federal authority or self regulation by the chemical and pharmaceutical industry.
This may be reality but it wastes time and delays a final conclusion.
We have systems in place that only need to talk to one another instead of playing power games to achieve a productive result.
Self regulation?
Experience in both the private and public sectors has shown Self Regulation and monitoring has seldom, if ever, provided a satisfactory solution, due to the conflict of interests of the vested interests.
We have seen the result of the government setting in place an Audit division to make random checks, etc., then staffing them with a low level of experienced and qualified inspectors and field officers.
While there is no question that there are many honorable people, who will recognize the need to do something to protect the industries and community.
However we must accept there are those who will have a more self serving interest and to whom the mighty dollar is more important.
These are the ones who will try and defeat the intentions of an automats authority and try to have industrial self regulation.
The need for Autonomy
The administration and monitoring organization needs to be autonomous and accountable to the appropriate Minister or Parliament, whether State or Federal, thus avoiding potential accusation of conflict of interests.
Need to encourage cooperation between industry, agriculture, commerce and all levels of government departments.
It is important to encourage agriculture, industry, commerce and governments, (at all Federal and State levels) to freely work together to examine the short and long term effect of using chemicals and plan regulations and strategies to avoid both the short term and the long term damage to the community and environment.
GOVERNMENT FEAR OF INITIATING ACTION
It could be argued that governments are reluctant to initiate any action because it could impact on the taxation revenue.
Also there is a fear of potential litigation for failure of Duty of Care.
Perhaps this can be perceived as a vested interest.
The point to be made here is that there are already cases before the courts, both here and internationally.
Many companies are electing to make settlements are being made "out of court", rather than having legal precedent be created.
Further more it should be understood that avoidance will not make these issues go away, nor reduce the pain and suffering of MCS victims or their families or Carers.
It will not reduce the cost to the health and welfare system and its support network as more victims seek support from a system that is failing them and is failing rapidly as victims are unable to remain in the workforce.
Department of Social Security
Department of Social Security and Welfare cannot provide appropriate help to the victims until governments recognize the problem.
Until that happens and it is recognized and understood, as far as the departments are concerned there is no need for support because it doesn't exist.
Until it is given recognition, competent staff will not trained by the Department to work with the Victims.
Lacking any policy or directives, from a government that fails recognizes MCS is a serious health and social problem the MCS victim continues to be discriminated against.
The existing constraints imposed upon the Department makes it impossible to provide the appropriate Social and Welfare support or any other need. The Department's only option is to reluctantly lump them on a disability or provisional pension.
However with Disability pension, pensioners are able to get health benefits applicable to the government's recognized illnesses/injuries.
MCS COST OF LIVING
The cost of living for an MCS Victim is enormous if they are to be able to live even at a minimum standard of living, i.e. special foods, safe cleaning agents, medicines which are not normally on the Pharmaceutical Benefits list.
Where there are children or adult students effected, their special needs are not catered for except in a very limited way within some schools and their programmes.
We do have some Universities providing advice to new students of MCS and asking that students not wear cosmetics, deodorants, scents, etc in the libraries or certain assembly areas out of consideration for the Victims of MCS,
However that is far as they go.
The usual option for most MCS students is Remote Schooling or Home Schooling.
HACC (home Help)
HACC, with their Home Help, is in a similar predicament with limited funding and untrained staff, often resulting in inappropriate support attempts.
In this comment must be included Contractors to Home Help or other support organizations, who are not advised of the conditions, that require them to work under, where there are victims of MCS, e.g. not to wear scents, powers, lipsticks, body deodorants, or use chemicals for cleaning purposes except those known to be safe.
Many victims are given the run-around when they seek help, possibly because no one knows what to do or where to send them for help.
However, I would emphasize that this is not an attack on any particular organization.
It should be made clear it is not the result of uncaring people, but rather from the lack information for staff; of consistent staff training, or the under resourcing of the department putting pressure on the staff.
As a result it is often easier to ignore the victim hoping they can resolve their problems themselves.
It would not be fair or just, to lump everyone into an "uncaring" category.
The statement just highlights the fact that while the majority are very dedicated people, there is still a need to provide, information and training for management and staff.
This should apply to the policy developers. You cannot develop sound policy if you don't understand the problems.
