Welcome to MY Commentary Page. The letters and email that follow are my attempt to provoke thought and action about the issues of toxic induced disorders. I share them to stimulate your thoughts.
November 25, 2000
Dear Senator Murray:
Each fall and winter when my frontal lobe begins to again work, I try to use this time to help others understand the issues of chemical intolerance and seek their help in getting research and shedding light on greater understanding of the issues. In the spring and summer I become ill from the pesticide laden air that I must share from my community. I hope you will take time to read this letter. If your curiosity is piqued, I hope that you will expand your understanding of the issues.
If one believes in evolution, one accepts the reality that nature has evolved quite well for millions of years without man-made, synthetic, toxic chemicals created to kill living things and/or interfere with the natural metabolic processes... including in us human beings.
In the fall of 1990 the classroom in which I taught (1) had pesticides sprayed in the fresh air intake to kill the wasps that had created a nest there. My exposure from that pesticide has been my worst ever life experience. As a result of that exposure, I have also become extremely sensitive to many pesticides. This chemical intolerance has forced me to leave teaching early and to be ill springs and summers from the pesticide spraying. For much of the spring and summer, I feel cognitively challenged because my body can no longer effectively detoxify even low levels of these man made poisons.
I personally believe these poisons, some originally designed by the Nazis (2) as instruments of war like sarin nerve gas, are a crime against both humanity and the natural ecology. The natural order has existed on this planet for billions of years before humans in their obsession for linear aesthetic perfection [plants without insect damage] created these broad spectrum, designer poisons.
For some time the chemical industry and their operatives (3, 4,5) have assumed that their research was infallible and that those reporting being made ill from their products had psychological problems. Slowly, the scientific research is catching up with the reality of the destructiveness of these products.(7, 8, 9, 10) There is also research on Parkinson's, cancer, asthma and many other toxic induced disorders that show a strong relationship between human illness and pesticide exposures. One wonders how much longer this research (11) can be ignored.
Two variables that the conventional western scientists rarely controlled for were variability of tolerance (12, 13, 14, 15) and impact of synergistic combinations of toxic chemicals (16, 17) . These issues are now being addressed in research (18, 19) on the chemically injured Gulf War Vets who were exposed to a toxic cocktail*. Research is suggesting that a portion of the human population is predisposed to a low tolerance to organophosphate [See serum paraoxonase research (20)].. It may be only one of many potential enzymes implicated in a weakened metabolic process to detoxify poisons.
As much as the manufacturers who have done "their research" on pesticides would like the public to believe their products are safe, the real world experience of many, many people simply contradicts their flawed research. The pharmacologists who have a similar scientific paradigm to the pesticide industry are now researching the variability of tolerance to drugs and creating biocompatible alternatives. (21, 22) The pest management industry should also create non- toxic alternatives.
It is not if many pesticides will be banned but when they will be banned that is the pressing issue. Until they are I must function under the parameters established by a flawed system and a flawed ability to understand human and environmental ecology. Our scientists need to openly evaluate the limitations of the present models of science. (23) Many of us are becoming ill from their synthetic creations. Can all of us suffering from toxic induced disorders be suffering from mass psychogenic hysteria?
I believe I have a right to chose to not have these products that are harmful to me in my air, in my water, and in any thing which I use. I don't know how to convince people with a limited understanding of the realities of human and environmental ecology that they are causing horrendous harm to many, many people. Unlike the whales dying with compromised immune systems with high levels of toxins in their blubber, I can verbalize my personal reaction and limited tolerance to these designer poisons. (24, 25)
The denial of a problem can continue, but it is not going away. Broad spectrum poisons designed to kill living beings are injuring people and destroying their lives. Someone will have to assume some personal responsibility for finding alternatives to this flawed approach. I sincerely hope that someone with common sense in the government, media, and industry will assume some responsibility for encouraging safe alternatives to a planet overloaded with poisons. Are you that someone?
I have written to request your assistance in investigating the issue of chemical intolerance. I believe we need more understanding and research on this issue. (26) I know this is a complex issue that many of our best scientists and medical researchers don't understand well.(27) The numerous links and pages to research and reference information below will help you learn more about the issues of chemical sensitivity. Please act to help find a solution that is beneficial to all. Please sponsors legislation that appropriates funds for research. Please sponsor legislation that protects men, women, and children from toxic chemicals that may injure.
Thank you for your assistance.
Sincerely,
Don Richard Paladin
*note: A new video by producer Alison Johnson called Gulf War Syndrome: Aftermath of a Toxic Battlefield discusses very effectively the relationship of toxic chemicals and toxic induced disorders like MCS and GWS. An anonymous donor has paid to have Ms. Johnson send a copy to all our U.S. Congressional members. I highly recommend viewing this powerful documentary. [To obtain a copy send $24 for video, shipping and handling to Alison Johnson, MCS Information Exchange, 2 Oakland Street, Brunswick ME 04011]
1. My MCS Story by Don Richard Paladin at http://members.aol.com/donpaladin/mystory.htm
2. U.S. News:" The pesticide is effective and sells like mad. But is it safe?" ["The origins of chlorpyrifos can be traced to the late 1930s, when the German conglomerate IG Farben developed the organophosphate pesticides tabun and sarin. Appropriated by the Nazis as prospective weapons during World War II, the compounds cause symptoms ranging from blurred vision to asphyxia. "] at http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/991108/pest.htm
3. "MCS Opponents" by Don Richard Paladin at http://members.aol.com/donpaladin/opponents.htm
4. Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment Issue Statements IEI and Pesticide Registries [in which they make the ridiculous statement, "There is no documented, scientific evidence that pesticide application -- applied in accordance with label instruction -- has caused harm to human health."] at http://www.acpa.org/rise/p-iei.html
5 THE CHEMICAL MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION'S ENVIRONMENTAL ILLNESS BRIEFING PAPER, 1990 , in which they state: "Because it has the potential to impact many segments of society, many groups have an interest in placing environmental illness in its proper perspective. ... Because environmental illness is a health issue, the only people who can legitimize it are physicians, and they have not. Should environmental illness arise as an issue, a coalition with the state medical association is absolutely necessary. " . http://users.lanminds.com/~wilworks/books/cmaeibri.htm
6. MCS Consensus Statement ["In addition, state health department surveys of civilians in New Mexico and California showed that 2--6%, respectively, already had been diagnosed with MCS and that 16% of the civilians reported an ""unusual sensitivity"" to common everyday chemicals."] at http://heldref.org/html/Consensus.html
7. Agent Orange Air Force Study at http://www.brooks.af.mil/AFRL/HED/hedb/afhs/afhs.shtml
8. Collin H Little et al, Clinical and immunological responses in subjects sensitive to solvents, Archives of Environmental Health, 1999;54(1):6-14 ["The measurement of T-cell antigen-binding molecules against chemical haptens may be valuable in the assessment of patients who are sensitive to chemicals."] at http://www.sonic.net/melissk/mcsmark.html
9 WE Morton, Chemical-induced porphyrinopathy and its relation to multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), http://www.ohsu.edu/som-PubHealth/Morton.html
. See: C. Duehring, "Understanding and Testing for Chemical-Induced Porphyrinopathies in MCS Patients, Part One and Part Two, September 1999 and October 1999, Our Toxic Times, Issues 111-112, Vol. 10, # 9-10. http://ciin.org/.
10. Considerations for the Diagnosis of Chemical Sensitivity, William J. Rea, Alfred R. Johnson, Gerald H. Ross, Joel R. Butler, Ervin J. Fenyves, Bertie Griffiths, and John Laseter ["Over the last 16 years physicians and scientists at the Environmental Health Center in Dallas have had an opportunity to observe over 20,000 patients who had chemical sensitivity problems. These patients were studied under various degrees of environmental control. This experience is unique in the world and has resulted in numerous peer-reviewed scientific articles, chapters in books, and books on this subject."] at http://www.connect4free.net/home/geofjoan/chem_sen/chemrea.html
and Effects of Pesticides on the Immune System, WILLIAM J. REA MD AND HSUEH-CHIA LIANG MD, Environmental Health Center-Dallas, Dallas, TX, USA, at http://www.aehf.com/articles/A51.htm
11. Pesticides and Human Health: A Resource for Health Care Professionals, Gina Solomon, MD, MPH, 2000, in which she cites extensive peer reviewed literature documenting a relationship between pesticides and toxic induced disorders at http://www.psrla.org/pesticides/pesticides_and_health_kit.pdf
12. Benzene Risk Assessment: Transgenic Animals and Human Variability ,CIIT Activities (Vol.17, No.7),Chemical Industry Institute of Toxicology (CIIT), 1997, at http://www.ciit.org/ACT97/ACTIVITIESJUL97/jul97.html ["Variability in Human Metabolism of Benzene : The role of CYP2E1 in benzene metabolism in humans was investigated using subcellular fractions from 10 human livers in which CYP2E1 activity was found to vary 14-fold. "]
13. Genetic Background Affects Response To Air Pollution, ["According to the researchers, genetic risk factors may help explain the increasing incidence of pollution-related disease and mortality in urban areas."] at http://unisci.com/stories/20002/0522001.htm
14. UT Southwestern researcher finds genetic cause for Gulf War syndrome ["One of the biggest questions about Gulf War syndrome has been why one person got sick when the person next to him didn't," Haley said. "That is one of the major puzzles that made many people think the symptoms were just due to stress.
"But now we know that there appears to be a genetic reason why some people got sick and others didn't, and this genetic difference links the illness to damage from certain chemicals." ... "The culprit gene is the one that controls production of type Q paraoxonase, or PON-Q, an enzyme that allows the body to fight off chemical toxins by destroying them. This particular enzyme is highly specific for the chemical nerve agents sarin and soman as well as for the common pesticide diazinon. " ] at http://irweb.swmed.edu/newspub/newsdetl.asp?story_id=144
15. Low Paraoxonase in
Persian Gulf War Veterans Self-Reporting Gulf War
Syndrome, Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2000 Sep 24;276(2):729-733,
Mackness B, Durrington PN, Mackness MI, "A decreased
capacity to detoxify OP insecticides resulting from low serum PON1
activity may have contributed to the
development of Gulf War Syndrome."
16. Chemical cocktail 'made Gulf troops ill', BBC News,
Thursday, 25 May, 2000, 05:29 GMT 06:29 UK ["A US scientist
has found evidence that suggests the combination of chemicals
administered to Gulf War troops may have made them ill.'] at http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_761000/761989.stm
17 Agricultural Chemical Mix Called Health Danger ["The natural mix of chemical pesticides and fertilizers, such as occurs when agricultural chemicals seep into groundwater, may have a broad range of effects on human and animal health, a new study shows."] at http://unisci.com/stories/19991/0317991.htm
18. Research on Gulf War-Associated Neurologic Illness , by the Division of Epidemiology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Robert W. Haley, M.D., at http://www.swmed.edu/home_pages/epidemi/gws/
19. "A review of the scientific literature as it pertains to Gulf War Illness" at http://www.rand.org/publications/MR/MR1018.2/ [See Chapter 11: MCS at http://www.rand.org/publications/MR/MR1018.2/mr1018.2.chap11.html]
20. PON Q Research at http://www3.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Omim/dispmim?168820
21.Scientific American: In Focus: Personal Pills: October 1998 at http://www.sciam.com/1998/1098issue/1098infocus.html
[ "Pharmacogenomics is the term that has evolved to describe the use of advanced genetic tools to elucidate how variations in patients' DNA may diminish or amplify drug effects or render a pharmaceutical toxic. Earlier this year an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association estimated that adverse drug reactions accounted for more than two million hospitalizations and more than 100,000 deaths in 1994, making them a leading cause of mortality in the U.S."]
22. PHARMACOGENOMICS: MEDICINES TAILORED JUST FOR YOU at http://209.52.189.2/article.cfm/molecular_medicine/31171
["Meanwhile the spectacular benefits of pharmacogenomics can be appreciated through the following examples. One drug called azathioprine, is used in autoimmune disorders, and childhood leukemia,. A particular enzyme called TMPT metabolizes, that is degrades, this drug and less than .5 % of Caucasians carry a gene variant on both chromosomes that produces an inactive protein and so can not metabolize it. "]
23. Controlling for Biochemical Individuality - Making Research more Valid by Don Richard Paladin at http://members.aol.com/donpaladin/biodiverse.htm
24. MCS - THE POISONED WEB by Don Richard Paladin at http://members.aol.com/donpaladin/hubpage.htm
25. COCKTAIL OF TOXINS IN US ALL BY LUCY JOHNSTON AND JOHN INGHAM ["As cancer rates rise, experts fear that people are accumulating deadly cocktails of these hazardous substances from the food they eat and the air they breathe. A fat sample from an adult living today contains up to 500 different chemicals, but one taken from an Egyptian mummy has virtually none. The reason is simple - most of them are man-made and have been released into the environment in the past 60 years."] at http://www.lineone.net/express/00/01/06/news/n0100splash-d.html
26. Objective Evidence - The Peg upon which all other Issues Hang by Don Richard Paladin at http://members.aol.com/wsmcsn/thepeg.htm
27. Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS): What It Is, What It Is Not, And How It Is Manifested. By SHEILA BASTIEN, Ph.D. at http://www.sonic.net/melissk/bastienmcs.html
Don Richard Paladin
September 10, 1999
City Newsletter,
City Hall
210 Lottie
Bellingham, WA 98225
Dear Personage:
I am writing to request documentation or a correction of a statement made in the "Your City Newsletter" for September/October 1999 on page 2 by Gary Almay in "Your City Answers."
In his response to a question about the city spraying program he responds, " The city chose Roundup because it is recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency as the safest herbicide for such use."
I don't believe that Mr. Almay would deliberately misinform the public about the safety issue of any pesticide. I realize he is trying to do his job. Unfortunately I believe he is misinformed. I have read in a number of places that the EPA does not register for SAFETY. Although glyphosate may be safer than some others pesticides, the EPA only registers a product for what the manufacturers says the product will do. In this case, kill weeds. I would like to quote a source on this issue so that Mr. Almay and others are correctly informing the public about safety issues. If I have been misinformed, I would gladly receive any appropriate documentation from the EPA that substantiates Mr. Almay's statement. Until then I will have to believe the following information:
". Peach, J. Dexter et al (1990), "Lawn care pesticides: risks remain uncertain while prohibited safety claims continue." U.S. General Accounting Office. Report no. GAO/RCED-90-134.
The authors point out that the lawn care pesticides industry continues to make prohibited claims that its products are safe or nontoxic. These claims are prohibited by law because they differ from claims allowed as part of the approved registration. EPA PROHIBITS the following claims for pesticides on the basis that they are false and misleading: 1. any statement directly or indirectly implying that the pesticide is recommended or endorsed by any federal agency; 2. claims such as "safe," "harmless," "nontoxic to humans and pets," with or without a qualifying phrase such as "when used as directed;" 3. non-numerical or comparative statements on the safety of the product, , such as "contains all natural ingredients," among the least toxic chemicals known."
Roundup (glyphosate) and Arsenal (imazapyr) are among the most commonly used lawn care pesticides and are included in those chemicals for which false and misleading claims are still being made by various industries. Even EPA states that no pesticide is safe because pesticides are, by their very nature, designed to be biologically active and kill various kinds of organisms. Misleading claims also lead users to believe that precautions on pesticide labels can be disregarded. " (from "Herbicide Bibliography" at http://www.powerlink.net/fen/herb.htm)
There is a great deal of research that contradicts many of the assertions made by the marketers of pesticides. Eventually the City, County and State will have to find safe alternatives.
Thank you for any information you may share or correction you may make.
Sincerely,
Don Richard Paladin
cc: The Bellingham Herald
Mayor Asmundson
Declaration of Interdependence
We are one. We are many. We are separate but interconnected. We are independent but interdependent. Extinguish the sun and we are none.
According to the wisdom attributed to Chief Seattle, "All things are connected. Whatever befalls the Earth befalls the sons of Earth. Man does not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself."
We issue this Declaration of Interdependence to call for the restoration of balance and harmony on this great planet. We believe the solutions to our common problems will be found in a spirit of mutual respect, tolerance for biodiversity, and by abiding the wisdom that already exists in the Great Design.
We realize to engender, support, and nourish life on this planet that we must assume individual responsibility. When we disrupt the ecological balance on our Mother Earth, we do harm to us all. Each plant, each animal, and each human has its unique role in the total ecology. We are now in peril because we have failed to recognize the interconnectedness of all on this planet. Our individual tasks are to help restore the planet to life engendering and life supporting.
The use of biocides and synthetic toxins has interfered with the living beings in the chain of life. In our lack of respect for all that exists on this planet, we have denied the unique value of the living. We have moved from being part of the harmony of life to seeing ourselves as the most powerful. We have unleashed powerful, destructive forces designed to kill the living under the assumption that this will bring us all a better quality of life.
We must understand that there are consequences when we continually use and destroy resources. We must learn from the Great Design and use the Wisdom of the Great Spirit to create products that are biocompatible with the living of life. We must clean our air, our water, and our earth of the poisons that do not engender and sustain life. We must replace them with that which does.
We must challenge our governments, our industries, and ourselves to take personal responsibility to encourage, create, and buy new products that engender and sustain life. We must become aware of the wisdom of nature and work with it to build a sustainable planet using biocompatible and sustainable products.
We must all learn to prioritize the health of the planet / environment and recognize that whatever is not ECOLOGICAL is not ECONOMICAL. As Seneca wrote: "Our posterity will wonder about our ignorance of things so plain."
TEN THINGS YOU CAN DO TO HELP MAKE THIS A LESS TOXIC PLANET
10. Ask your green grocer to carry
organic foods to buy.
9. Look at labels on products and buy low toxic products.
8. Investigate and use non toxic methods to maintain your yard and home
7. Ask [phone, write or visit] manufacturers to create non-toxic alternative products.
6. Ask [phone, write or visit] your state and local public works to use alternative, nontoxic methods to maintain public roads, buildings, and grounds.
5. Ask [phone, write or visit] your local politicians if they support alternatives to toxic chemicals and vote for those who do.
4. Demand that politicians write laws that prevent toxic chemicals from being in our air, water and food.
3. Network, communicate, support others who are trying to make planet earth more safe for all to live.
2. Campaign for, support, and work with others who are restoring our planet to more livable, nontoxic place.
1. Write and campaign for initiatives that prevent toxic chemicals from being imposed upon us in our food, water, and air.
Letter to the Bellingham HeraldEditor May 7, 2000
We are very grateful to The Herald for their coverage and attempt to present a balanced coverage about MCS. We do have some concern with someone who is an adversary of recognition of MCS representing himself as an "expert" on MCS. Dr. Johnson should have been queried about how he obtained his status as an expert. We believe he is an expert at reflecting the "psychogenic canard" often used by the network of MCS opponents to prevent any official research and recognition of the problem.
His credentials as an allergist and immunologist entitle him to state that MCS is not an antibody-mediated allergy. Yes, many patients with MCS have an emotional overlay to their illness as do many chronically ill. Of course, many synthetic toxic chemicals interfere with the natural biological metabolism of all organisms. Many chemicals, like pesticides, for example, are designed to be neurotoxic. Toxic chemicals are NOT allergens. They are poisons. Does the good doctor believe that the many organisms killed by pesticides die of emotional distress? Why is it any stretch of logic to believe that those of us reporting emotional and physiological distress from toxic chemicals are not also reacting to them? Does the doctor also believe that the solvents and other synthetics in scented products documented to trigger asthma are really just caused by a psychological condition?
It is time for the industrial MCS opponents and their network of experts to stop the denial about a very real chemically induced disorder. They need to begin to acknowledge that problems with their products exist. Our science and industry can create safe and nontoxic products and alternatives. Can the same industry that created the toxic products restore the lives of the thousands and thousands injured by their products? This pattern of denial only puts others further at risk for injury.
---------------------If you'd like to comment about material posted here or printed in The Herald, send E-mail to:
or write to: Letters Section, The Herald, Box 930, Everett, WA 98206. Letters may also be faxed to 425-339-3458. A signature along with printed name, address and daytime number where we can call the writer must be included.
Don Richard Paladin
Bellingham WA 98225 3817
Rep. Jack Metcalf
1510 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Congressman Metcalf:
I recently read that you were supportive of the Gulf War Syndrome issues in the Bellingham Herald. I sincerely want to thank you for your support. I would like to ask you to sponsor a bill in Congress that returns the right of the individual to make choices about what he or she allows his or her body to be exposed to. As a former soldier and a Vietnam Vet, I completely understand the issues of command control of soldiers. However, as you know from our recent history, commanders do make decisions that can possibly injure many soldiers. During the World War II era it was exposing soldiers to nuclear radiation, during the Vietnam War it was Agent Orange, and now there is research indicating that exposures to a mixture of toxics (pesticides, vaccinations, low-level nerve gasses, etc.) have been implicated in injuring many of our soldiers. All Americans should be entitled to make choices what they allow themselves to be exposed to.
As we both know, big government, big corporations, and the military establishment can all be wrong. I do not believe that anyone's right to choose what they allow themselves to be exposed to can be usurped by government or industry. I am asking you to sponsor a bill that will protect our individual rights from the infringement of those who are focused upon maintaining their own power and would abridge the right of the individual to make informed decisions for him or herself.
As someone who was sensitized to pesticides from an application to the fresh air intake in the classroom in which I taught, I am particularly concerned about the use of pesticides. As a result of my exposures to pesticides, I had to take an early retirement from teaching. I cannot tolerate a toxic environment. I have become so intolerant to pesticides and herbicides that the spraying done by our Public Works to maintain our roads make spring and summer very difficult for me. Most public building in which there is a pesticide protocol are not accessible to me because of my high intolerance to pesticides.
Although I don't expect you to understand at a personal level the consequences of using synthetic toxics in our environment, I hope you will take this information under advisement when you make decisions about legislation related to toxic issues. I could bombard you with tons of research on the issues of toxics, but am appealing to you to use your common sense.
There is no rational reason that so many people (epidemiology on chemical sensitivity suggests that between 6 and 16% of the population have some level of chemical intolerance) would make this disorder up. Just as toxins have been found in the fat of whales in Puget Sound and dolphins on the Florida coast, people with chemical sensitivity and other toxic induced disorders like cancer have been found to have high levels of pesticides found in their body fat. If you believe that these toxins were designed to engender life, may I respectfully suggest that you take a reality check.
I know many will stand up and tell you that these chemicals are SAFE. They are not "safe" for me and many others who may be predisposed to not effectively detoxify them. Of course, we should not forget that DDT, asbestos, Agent Orange, and many other products were once considered SAFE.
I don't believe our industry is intentionally creating synthetic products that may be mimicking hormones and may disrupt the natural life engendering processes of humans. Unfortunately the business of business is engendering business. When the focus is on creating market and wealth, the concern for potential negative consequences gets ignored. I believe that the wise among our industrialists and their supporters are beginning to recognize the consequences of this toxic protocol and are now trying to create SAFER and NONTOXIC alternatives.
In a marketplace democracy, the marketplace must have informed consent about the products they use in order to make a wise decision. When we learn of the negative consequences of a product, we must be free to advocate for SAFER alternatives. We must also be free to not be exposed to those synthetic products that may have an adverse impact upon us.
I and many others want FREEDOM from toxic chemicals in our air, our water, and upon our earth. If my neighbors or government services choose to use those toxic chemicals because they are unaware of detrimental consequences or don't "seem to be impacted" by them, that is their CHOICE. I feel I have a right to NOT have these synthetic toxins imposed upon me and others who so chose. If you would like to believe that there is no relationship between these toxics and asthma, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, MCS, GWS and other Toxic Induced Disorders, it is your right to breathe and consume them. Please do not force your choice upon those of us who would like a cleaner and safer environment.
Please create a new Congressional bill that allows us all to choose what poisons we have in our public buildings, in our air and in our water. Although statistically humans are living longer than they ever have, one has to look at other measures to obtain the quality of life. As someone who grew up in the 50's, I can tell you that for all our synthetics and wealth I don't see healthier, happier, more well adjusted humans on this planet. Please help restore our water, our air and our earth to a God-given balance and level of purity.
Below is my feeble attempt at suggesting a bill that returns the right to each individual to choose that to which they will allow themselves to be exposed:
Freedom of Choice to Avoid Toxic Exposure Act
Whereas a portion of the human population may not be able to tolerate low level exposures to toxic chemicals, their right to freedom from harmful exposures must be insured. Based on a concept of a precautionary principle, no government, corporate or private individual may willfully impose unwanted exposures to toxics in food, air, water, and soil upon those who do not choose to have them imposed upon them. If any future relationship between harm caused by the willful, unwanted exposures and the illnesses or disorders resulting are discovered, both those who produce the toxic product and those "individuals" who are using it may be held liable for the detrimental effect of said exposure. This act guarantees the right of those to pursue prosperity and happiness as guaranteed by The U.S. Constitution without the imposition of products that may injure their health.
Although the burden of proof of liability rests with the injured, this act holds both the user of a harmful product and the producer liable after notification that a product may be harmful to the individual.
All persons have a FREEDOM of CHOICE to not be exposed to synthetic chemicals that may cause them harm. This right may not be abridged by any legal precedent, laws or other acts. In a marketplace democracy it is a right of the individual citizens to choose whether they eat adulterated food, breathe chemical laden air, or drink polluted water. No law may be made to abridge the rights of citizens to use informed consent to choose those products which are safe for each individual. This act recognizes and respects the variability of tolerance and bioindividuality of a diverse human population. No government, corporation, or individuals have the right to impose any product or products that may not be compatible with engendering a positive quality of life for the individual. It is the individual's right to reject that which may be harmful to him or her.
Respectfully,
Don Richard Paladin
Don Richard Paladin
Bellingham WA 98225
June 22, 1999
Whatcom County Council
Council Member Barbara Brenner
Courthouse Suite 105
311 Grand Avenue
Bellingham WA 98225
Dear Barbara:
I am sending you copies of research on glyphosate and the issue of safety because I was told by The Bellingham Herald reporter, Aubrey Cohen, that one councilman said it was "safe." This mis-information can be attributed to excellent marketing by Monsanto. It is simply NOT true. It is not likely that my reaction and that of others who are sensitive to toxic chemicals will go away. And I can guarantee you that this issue will not go away.
Those of us in the MCS network are excited about the recent research done by Dr. Haley of U.T. Southwestern regarding the enzyme deficiency PON Q in Gulf War vets. I have included a copy of the news release in this packet. I was told informally by someone who is trying to get research done with those with MCS/organophosphate sensitivity that Dow knew in the 40's/50's that about 15% of the population had a genetic predisposition to a deficiency in this enzyme, serum paraoxonase. I have asked her for documented evidence of this information. At this point it is just rumor and so not reliable to pass on. [PON Q helps detoxify pesticides and nerve gases like sarin Those with a deficiency of PON Q are very sensitive to even low levels of toxic chemicals.]
I sincerely hope that those who have resisted the reality of the consequences of toxic chemical uses will be able to grasp the long term economic consequences of their continual use if safe alternatives are not found.
Barbara, I applaud your common sense and dedication. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Don Richard Paladin
Subj: Check out http://www.efn.org/~ncap/factsheets.html
Date: 6/23/1999 9:11:51 PM Pacific Daylight Time
Click here: http://www.efn.org/~ncap/factsheets.html
at http://www.efn.org/~ncap/factsheets.html
Letter to The Bellingham Herald Editor
June 14, 2000
Dear Editor:
I would like to thank The Herald for its June 14th article on Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS). I would like to add that MCS is not an antibody-mediated allergy and that most people with MCS respond poorly to many drugs because of poor tolerance.
William Morton, M.D., found in his research of 100 subject with MCS that 90% of them had an abnormal metabolic disorder that interfered with the detoxification of chemicals.
In his Gulf War Syndrome research, Dr. Robert Haley found that he could document organic brain damage for some veterans with symptoms of dizziness. He also found that some of the veterans he tested have a deficiency of an enzyme responsible for detoxification of organophosphate pesticides.
Current research is pointing to an important issue of a variability of tolerance to drugs and other chemicals. Unfortunately most current research does not control for this critical variable. It will take some time for the science and understanding of the issues of low level toxic exposures to catch up with the reality of the phenomenon. In the mean time, beware of those who try to say that toxic chemicals that never existed before humans created them are "safe."
Letter to The Bellingham Herald Editor on August 23, 1999
The issue of attempting to explain a cause of MCS is most crucial. There may be some psychological overlay; but, there is with many illnesses. Symptoms are not causes
The research by Dr. Robert Haley on Gulf War Vets helps in understanding the issue of detoxification.. Haley investigated a genetic deficiency of the enzyme serum paraoxonase. A deficiency is implicated in the inability of some to detoxify organophosphates and similar toxins.
Lest anyone think that genetic differences in ability to detoxify a variety of substances is not a real problem, then they have not heard about a 1998 study in The Journal of the American Medical Association about people becoming ill and dying from drug reactions. On July 29, 1999 CBS News reported: "Approximately two million people are hospitalized each year for drug reactions and nearly 100,000 die. Now doctors are paying more attention to the fact that nearly thirty percent of the population may be taking drugs their genetic makeup can't handle"
All these drugs, like many toxic chemicals, have been tested and approved for use. The problem with most research conducted by industry is that they don't consider biochemical individuality and that we all cannot detoxify the same chemicals.
Letter to The Bellingham Herald Editor June 1999
It is distressing to read The Herald (The Herald, June 4, 1999) simplify and polarize the issue of spraying herbicides into camps of Roundup "detractors" and those who want to use it because it is cost effective. I am sure DDT and Agent Orange were more cost effective than many other methods. Have we learned nothing about quick, simple solutions? We need to get beyond short term economic gains and look at the long term impact toxic chemicals have upon human and environmental health. When the market place begins to respond to the demand for cost effective and truly SAFE approaches to maintaining our roads, yards, and fields, then the cost of doing what is ecologically correct will be competitive. Until then, we must always chose human welfare over economic gains.
Letter to the Editor of The Seattle PI, May 2000 [not
published]
The assertion in the May 27th
PI article about perfumes being banned in Halifax that "physicians
and researchers refuse to recognize Multiple Chemical Sensitivity
(MCS) as a true organic disease"
is laughable Reading that reminded me of a local Seattle TV
commercial in which a hospital is taking credit for an elderly
woman living longer then five years after her pancreatic cancer
treatment. The voice over pointed out that only two out of one
hundred people with pancreatic cancer live longer than five years.
Do you think the researchers have that figured out?
It also reminded me of the 1998 JAMA published research that over 2 million people are made ill from adverse drug reactions and over 100,000 a year die from drug reactions. It appears with all the billions spent on drug research they haven't figured that out either. Ignorance can never be a justification for doing the wrong thing.
Researchers know that MCS is not an antibody mediated allergy, not a cancer, and not an infection. Those with MCS do not respond well to treatment with drugs. The only option left for those who cannot reason beyond their current level of understanding is to blame the patients. If one believes that all these synthetic chemicals that never existed before man created them are not responsible for triggering emotional and physiological responses, then it's time for a reality check. MCS is a disorder caused by the interference of the abundance of chemicals that have never been a function of natural evolution but the synthetic creations of humans.
It is time for the denial of this problem to stop so that we can create safe alternatives. Rather than looking at those with MCS as obstacles to ones personal freedom to use a cocktail of synthetics, look upon them as harbingers with information that once acknowledged may be beneficial for all. We have a problem when as many as 15% to 30% of the population report sensitivity to chemicals. It is good to remind ourselves that MCS is just ONE manifestation of toxic induced disorders from chronic low level exposures to ubiquitous synthetic chemical cocktails. We have a problem. Let's solve this together rather than letting anyone benefit from the polarization of this issue.
Letter to the Editor of The Bellingham Herald, July 1999
It was good to see The Bellingham
Herald put, "Study: Chemicals foul crucial water supplies"
on the July 15th front page. According to Dr. Warren P.
Porter who did five years of research on the effects of low level
mixtures of pesticides, herbicides and nitrates in ground water,
"The single most important finding of the study is that
common mixtures, not the standard on-chemical-at-a-time
experiments, can show biological effects at current
concentrations in ground water."
It should be no surprise that Dr. Porter found that these toxic mixtures in the ground water were impacts upon endocrine, neurological and immune systems. Why wouldn't any thinking person believe that all these toxic synthetic chemicals that were designed as biocides have some impact upon all living things?
In the next election, for those concerned about the personal and environmental consequences of the applications of poisons to our buildings, land, and water, here is a questions to ask the politician seeking public office: Do you support the applications of pesticides, herbicides, and other toxic chemicals in our environment? I am voting for those who support a safe alternative.
Letter to the Bellingham Editor [not sure of the date]
As someone who has developed
hypersensitivity to toxic chemicals, I was glad to see the Herald
write an article [5/10/99, p A6] that sheds light on the
consequences of the use of herbicides. These synthetic chemicals
were never a function of the Great Design or created by a natural
process of evolution. These broad spectrum, toxic biocides
interfere with the natural metabolisms of all living things.
Unlike many organisms, plants, and wildlife, those of us with
chemical sensitivity can express their distress from a toxic
approach based upon unsound ecological practices. These toxic
chemicals are NOT SAFE. Ignore us at your own peril.
Please consider the long term impact of toxic chemicals. . Remember: 1) These synthetic, toxic chemicals have never existed as a function of natural evolution; 2) These toxic chemicals were designed as biocides to interfere with the natural process of living organisms; and, do, in fact, interfere with the metabolisms of human beings; and 3) Absolutely no one can guarantee that these toxic chemicals are SAFE.
Please consider the consequences of this very important issue. Protect our children, ourselves and our environment from the potential hazards of toxic exposures. Let's use SAFE alternatives to poisons.
Don Richard Paladin
January 25, 2000
Senator Patty Murray
U.S. Senate
Washington, D.C.,
Dear Senator Murray:
I am deeply troubled by the lack of respect for the value of truthfulness in our culture. We are so used to being PR'd, scammed, and brain washed with commercials that we don't realize how important INFORMED CONSENT is to our collective survival and development. We need to know the truth so that we can make wise decisions. Our present culture is just too obsessed with money and the power that money gives with it. Many of us have lost sight of what quality of life is about.
What we need are laws that empower truthfulness, ethics, and honorable behavior. Sometimes it feels like the dishonorable seem to have taken power on this planet. I am more concerned about giving power to the honorable and the honest. I would like you to sponsor legislation that will return power and status to the realm of honorable and truthful behavior.
I am sure that I don't need to tell you that when we understand knowledge that increases our awareness that we can make wiser and more responsible decisions about our choices. How many people would have ever decided to smoke if they had known that it was addictive and would be extremely harmful to their health? I don't believe that we should have a legal system that prevents those who know the truth about the liability of a product from informing others so they can make a wise decision about that products use.
I would very much like you to sponsor an act that prevents abuse of power as has happened in the Tobacco Industry. I hope you will consider the suggested act below and sponsor a bill in the Senate.
Thank you for your consideration.
Respectfully,
Don Richard Paladin
Prevention of Abridgment of Ethics and Veracity Act
Whereas society benefits from learning from errors and mistakes, no man will have his right to present the truth abridged by either legal contract or other pressure to withhold the truth. No corporation, employer, client or fellow employee may force anyone to withhold truth that may be detrimental to the greater good of society. If, in fact, an individual willfully withholds information and/or science that may be detrimental to the well being of others, the individual or individuals who withhold said information may be held personally liable and responsible for the consequences of the damage to others because of failure to prevent said information being part of common knowledge. No employer, corporate or government surrogate, or fellow employees may abridge the right of another to report truth that may cause damage or injury to others. If said, employer, corporate surrogate, or fellow employee attempts to abridge another's duty to report the truth in any way, they may be held liable or responsible for any damage or injury that is a result from a product about which information has been withheld.
No person may be forced to lie or withhold information of any kind when such information may help prevent injury or damage to others in society. No written contracts, verbal agreement, or implied agreements can be drawn in which any individual is forced to withhold information that may prevent injury from a service or product. All such contracts or behavior cannot and will not be supported in a court of law as legitimate behavior in which the person who has been sworn to secrecy can be punished. All contracts, whether verbal, written, or implied, that seek to prevent exposure of truth about a detrimental service or product will be null and void in a court of law if information being withheld could prevent injury or damage to any members of society.
Any scientist or product researcher who willfully creates science to prevent recognition of a products potential liability may be held personally liable and responsible for any damage or injury to others. No corporation, employer or government service may in any way without a penalty and consequences to the individual or individuals responsible attempt to create disinformation about a product that prevents knowledge of the detrimental effects of said products. If there is willful creation of disinformation of the liability of a said product, the creators of said information must assume personal liability for their willful deception.
This act frees all from imposed codes of secrecy that prevent a free expression of truth and conscience. This law supersedes and/or rescinds all laws and legal precedents that prevent TRUTHFUL, HONORABLE, and ETHICAL behavior. This law is designed to empower respect for truth and learning from errors so that all society benefits.
A one year amnesty period with impunity after date of enactment of this law will be given to all to report any violations of this law.
Don Richard Paladin
Bellingham, WA 98225 3817
July 30, 1999
Whatcom County Council
Council Member Ward Nelson
Courthouse Suite 105
311 Grand Avenue
Bellingham WA 98225
Dear sir:
When I heard in the news that pharmacogenetics was developed as a result of millions of people being made ill and about 100,000 a year dying due to drug interactions, I knew I had found a way to help make a connection for you between chemical sensitivity and a poor inability to detoxify chemicals. I will import the CBS news report on the drug interactions at the end of this letter. In previous contacts I made by email with the County Council, I alluded to the research of Drs. Clement Furlong of the University of Washington and Robert Haley of University Texas Southwestern on an enzyme deficiency of serum paraoxonase (PON 1 and PON Q).
(Please see: http://members.aol.com/wsmcsn/Enzyme.htm and http://irweb.swmed.edu/newspub/newsdetl.asp?story_id=144 )
The point I tried to make to the members of the County Council was that there are some of us who cannot detoxify organophosphate pesticides. I also tried give alternative information from that produced by Monsanto that indicated that Roundup is not safe. I don't think I need to point out to you that millions of dollars each year are spent on researching drugs. None of this so called research has prevented millions of people from becoming ill or 100,000's dying from ineffective drugs not biocompatible with the individuals being prescribed the drugs. The research done by Monsanto was for the purpose of registration with EPA. The EPA does not "approve any pesticide for safety." Roundup is NOT safe.
I hope I don't need to point out to you that glyphosate is an organophosphate. I personally have a very low tolerance for it in my air. It is highly likely that many individuals with a deficiency of the enzyme PON Q will have problems detoxifying this poison. Please note that scientist have known since around 1976 that a PON 1 deficiency predisposed one to an inability to detoxify organophosphates. We are just now learning who those people are who carry this genetic predisposition.
Professor Michael Aviram, a biochemist, head of the Lipid Research Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and at Rambam Medical Center in Haifa, Israel has the following to say about paraoxonase: 'The real function of the enzyme has been something of a mystery since it was discovered more than 40 years ago. Its previously known function was to break down organophosphates, chemicals that are used as insecticides and poison gases. That activity was obviously not the complete story of paraoxonase, as humans do not normally contain these substances in their blood, Aviram realized." [Doesn't it make you wonder why it was not a problem before? Probably because for millions of years there were not many naturally occurring pesticides and nerve gas agents.]
I had hoped that I could help convince the County Council to be ahead of the curve and find safe alternatives to Roundup and the many other toxic chemicals used to maintain our public roads, parks and buildings. It may be likely that my warnings about this toxic chemical will go unheeded. That will not deter me from telling as many people as possible about what this toxic chemical is doing to me and many other people.
When the reality of the consequences of this ecologically unsound practice of using toxic poisons is realized, I wonder who will assume the liability for the damage to millions of people and the environment that has been caused. I hope you will take leadership on the Whatcom County Council and be ahead of the curve on the issue of using safe alternatives to toxic poisons. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Don Richard Paladin
cc: Aubrey Cohen, newspaper reporter
Pete Kremen, Whatcom County Executive
Attachment: DNA Testing Flags Risky Drugs (http://www.cbs.com/flat/story_172752.html)