I suffer with an Environmental Illness also called Multiple Chemical Sensitivity.

This condition began over 20 years ago when I worked as a laboratory technician and researcher in various laboratories.

The first job was testing and researching pesticides and later work was with solvents and paints.

As the condition progressed I became sensitive to all synthetic chemicals.

As the condition progressed we moved to a quiet area, away from farming and industry and built a chemical free house.

This is my only chance to try and live a relatively pain free life and to stop my muscle and nerve degeneration…

This illness is controversial because sufferers are affected by everyday products, that  makers tell everyone is safe

The truth is that these products are NOT safe for everyone. The fact that there are a growing number of people developing Environmental Illness clearly shows they may in fact not be safe for anyone.

However the companies making money from producing these products have the funds to lobby, promote and market, and provide their research figures to refute what we, the suffers say, and as a result most people believe them.

Now day’s perfumes are composed of 95% synthetic chemicals!!!

For the Environmental Illness sufferer they can produce very serious symptoms and may even be responsible for deaths.

There are scientists who believe that eventually perfumes (and all scented products) will be proven to be more harmful to health than cigarette smoking.

This is the story of a very distressing series of incidents, which illustrate that our illness may be debilitating and frightening, but it is not all we have other issues to contend with.

A few months ago I was sitting in the car while hubby got some vegies from a roadside stall we used to buy from because their vegies were grown chemical free.

A young woman, smelling strongly of perfume came and stood right in front of my window.

An adverse reaction started and I immediately commenced coughing; my chest started getting tight and I got a severe headache.

Unfortunately I was unable to close the window because we have electrically controlled windows.

These won’t work unless the car key is turned on. Even so, my hands are too weak to turn a key………

The world commenced to spin and my throat started to swell and close up. There was a roaring sound in my ears and my eyesight to get weird.

I thought this is it. I am about to have a seizure and mustering the last of my strength and consciousness I gasped to this young woman "could you please move away your perfume is making me cough and really bothering me" (exact words burned into my brain through fear)

She and her boyfriend glared at me and stormed off. Fortunately my hubby turned around, saw what was happening and came running over.

By driving me away quickly, a seizure was fortunately avoided. However the incident continued to cause me other problems that persisted for almost a week and resulted in my being bed ridden and very depressed.

A few weeks later we visited the veggie stall again. The woman serving there immediately launched into verbal abuse about how rude I had been to the perfumed young woman. Apparently the girl was her brother’s girl friend.

She refused to listen to any explanation about how serious a medical problem I had been having. We left disgusted but during the next few weeks I printed some articles about the dangers of perfumes from the Net to give her next time we went by.

Yesterday we were early starting on our trip to the city and as the shops would not be open, we decided to call by the stall and hand some information on the illness to the stall holders.

A bit further on is a rest area and we always stop there for hubby to stretch his legs and for me to get a little fresh air away from the road…..

As we were pulling out to leave a dark grey 4wd pulled in and a young man jumped out and started shouting and making rude gestures to us.

My husband pulled over and asked this guy what his problem was.

He then launched into a tirade of verbal abuse about how rude I was. We then recognised him as the person who sometimes served at the veggie stall.

We tried to get him to calm down and hubby handed him the information. He threw in the dirt still shouting and abusing.

When I said I had a very serious reaction to the perfume and could have died he replied "I don’t care if you die you humiliated my sister in law".

So…….. It seems to me that some people think the solution to people with an Environmental illness is that we all die quietly.

After all, the perfumed woman was young, pretty and probably healthy. Why should she have to tolerate being embarrassed or perhaps due to vanity and wanting to "smell nice", why should she show concern for others less fortunate.

I on the other hand am middle aged, because of my condition, look terrible, due to severely wasted muscles. I am unable to do anything useful not even dress myself.

I have enough trouble surviving and no energy left for vanity, not that I am against a little vanity in one’s life. I too would enjoy to "smell nice" with exotic perfumes and cosmetics. But these pleasures are not for us.

What we would appreciate is a little consideration and sympathy for our plight. Remember it could be one of your family next to suffer.

They seem to being saying to me that the survival of the egos of the fit should never be compromised by the mere survival of the disabled.

It certainly sounds a lot to me like the rationalisations of a certain European Dictator of 50 years ago and his "final solution" to his so called problem……….

Sorry the last paragraphs sound bitter but I am bitter.

Thank you for reading this and I apologise it is so long…

Please note that I am not criticising anyone for wearing perfume; it is your right to do so.

However, if you should encounter someone who suffers from chemical trauma, please be sympathetic to them and move away when requested, if you are wearing perfumes.

Understanding their plight should not make it hard to move away. It could save someone from very serious problems and possible even death.

Regards………………..

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