Barb Wilkie's EHN Website
Last updated 2008

EHN Board President Barb Wilkie was very ill from chemically-induced kidney disease for several years. She passed away May 31, 2011. EHN presents this site both as a tribute and as valuable information. Many links and references will be out of date but Barb's research holds up over time. We will be transferring the site page by page, with updated details, to EHN's main site. If you would like to reach an EHN staff person, please contact us directly.

EHN's General Links - B
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

 

Clicking on the alpha character above will take you to another page of links.

Quick clicks to a few topics on this page:

BacktoSleep | Baking Soda | Barrier Cloth | Dr. Bastien | Bats | Bau-biologie

Beauty | Bees | Benzene | Beyond Pesticides

Bills of Rights | Bio | Biofeedback | Bioneers | Blood | Blood PH

Bodega Bay | Body | Books | Boeing | Tim Bolen | Borax/Boric Acid | Bovine | Boycotts

Brain | Breast Health | Breastfeeding | Breath/Breathing

Betty Bridges, RN | Brochures | BSAEN | Building | Business | Buttons

Remember, you can use your browser's find command to locate much more information!


Outbound to Government LINKS

EHN does not endorse any product, service, or therapy and none is intended or implied.
We bring you this information as a service.
B

Babies, Naturally
Please do not use petrochemical-derived fragrance products while you are pregnant,
nor after your baby is born. And try not to breathe in the VOCs (volatile organic compounds) from
the products of others. Remember the adage: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

That means, look for safer personal care products, as well as safer cleaning and maintenance
products. Switch to safer, non petrochemical-derived detergents, do not use mainstream fabric
softeners. (Fabric softeners pollute for blocks around area of use and then continue to pollute the
air and bodies when worn or used.) Do not use perfume or perfumed personal care products
and ask for fragrance-free accommodation in your workplace, healthcare facility, school, place of
worship. Stay away from artificial flavors . . . did you know that artificial vanilla contains
benzene? No, well most people don't either, but I'll bet you all hear about benzene in connection
with tobacco smoke. Well, folks, you'll find benzene in the damnedest places including flavors
and fragrances, and medicines. It's a known carcinogen for openers. Besides, it is associated
with weight gain . . . and just look at all the information that comes out on fighting obesity,
without once looking at a cause like the toxic chemicals with which our most personal products
are made.

Plus a few other tidbits that I hope are of interest in the struggle for cleaner air . . .
Please remember all links do not always work, but hopefully there is enough info to get you
started on your search.

Personally, I believe fragrances are unreasonably unsafe, but that has yet to be acknowledged by
our US FDA, EPA, CPSC, the DOJ and OSHA. We are sujected to the workings of the
United Soup Alphabet agencies. They, thus far, are united with industry not with WE THE
PEOPLE. Corporations are the people in this era, and until that changes, We the people
will be ignored. At best. So, until such time that products have to be proved safe before
marketing, PLEASE be mindful of your body and the bodies of all others around you -- and if
pregnant, in you. Look for safer products that do not contain petrochemically derived flavors or
fragrances. In effect, vote with your pocket book. Organics are for us and the planet. -- barb


Baking Soda
Bandaides and Blackboards
When Chronic Illness...or Some Other Medical Problem... Goes to School


Banks: Know Your Customer Regulations Withdrawn
http://financeservices.miningco.com/library/weekly/aa032399.htm

Barnes & Noble


Barrier Cloth
Barrier cloth products seem to be expensive, but if it helps you avoid toxic reactions, it could be
well worth the investment. Here are but a few sources. If you find something really great and
affordable, please write (Barb's email is no longer valid, please contact EHN) and put
WWW: Barrier Cloth on the subject line. -- barb
Barriers





Bartlett's Familiar Quotations
(also see Quotes)


  • Base Station Antennae -- as in towers for cell phones . . . see EHN's section EMF/EMR
    http://ehnca.org/www/ehnlinx/e.htm#EMF

    SHEILA BASTIEN, Ph.D.
    PSYCHOLOGICAL CORP.
    2126 Los Angeles Avenue
    Berkeley, CA 94707-2618
    (510) 526-7391
    FAX 525-9601

    • "Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS): What It Is, What It Is Not,
      And How It Is Manifested"
      By Shelia Bastien, PhD
      As it appeared by permission in EHN's The New Reactor, July - August 2001
      http://ehnca.org/www/newreact/sbastien.htm

       

    Bat

    Breast Milk /Breastfeeding



    Breath/Breathing


  • BREATHE EASY
  • Breathe through masks
  • I Can Breathe! air filter face masks
    http://www.icanbreathe.com/


  • Willson Half Mask
    Example on left of "Deck the Mall"
    http://ehnca.org/www/newreact/deckmall.htm

      from MCS Barbie

      Comes resplendent dressed in a canary yellow outfit, with her very own,
      well-outgassed, double-cartridge, Willson Half Mask.

      It looks similar to the one available through Lab Safety Supply
      http://www.labsafety.com/). Barbie's cartridges are a fetching chartreuse and mauve
      (product number 31311) on navy (silicon), for afterall, she is Barbie.



  • Breathing Better: Action Plans Keep Asthma in Check
    "...Common asthma triggers include dust, pollen, cockroaches, cold air,
    smoke, and other strong odors, such as paint, cleaning fluids, perfume,
    hair spray, and powder.     ..." [emphasis added]
    http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2003/203_asthma.html

    Breathing exercies


    -- end building --


  • Burning Issues - A project of Clean Air Revival
    http://burningissues.org/

    BURNT (Bring Urban Recycling to Nashville Today)
    http://www.aiconnect.com/~lindan/burnt.htm

    Business

    Remember, articles are often removed from the originating site. But you should be able to
    make contact, based on the info I've provided, to seek via purchase. Also, try checking the
    Internet for a mirrored version of something that strikes your fancy. -- barb

      See EHN's . . .
         Consumer Information
      http://ehnca.org/www/ehnlinx/c.htm#Consumer

         Take Heart!
      Access and Accommodation information, suggestions and links for cities,
      hospitals, schools, workplaces, worship . . .
      http://www.ehnca.org/www/ehnhompg/takheart.htm

         The Word IS Out!
      http://ehnca.org/www/ehnhompg/wordout.htm


      MCS/CI Business Directory
      http://www.naturescountrystore.com/links/links.html

       

    • Allergy, Sensitivity & Environmental Health Association - ASEHA
      http://www.asehaqld.org.au/

       

    • Boston Globe - YOUR HEALTH
      Are fragrances making some people sick? By Joan Axelrod-Contrada, Globe Correspondent, 7/8/2003 http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/189/science/Are_fragrances_making_some_people_sick_+.shtml

       

    • Business & Health
      http://www.businessandhealth.com/

       

      • Allergic Rhinitis, Top 10 Tips for Addressing
        Business & Health
        Action Items for Employers
        Corporate and clinical experts who participated in a Business & Health roundtable agreed
        on 10 practical tactics for employers who recognize the impact of allergies on job performance.
        "... 4. Establish a policy addressing strong odors from such sources as perfumes.
        Even if such odors contain irritants rather than allergens per se, some employees
        may have a low threshold for distress. ..."
        http://www.businessandhealth.com/hostedfiles/features/allergiesatwork/consumer/article01.htm

         

      • Allergies: Sniffles, Sneezes and Suffering
        The effects of allergies and their treatment go way beyond sneezing and a
        stuffy nose, impacting many aspects of sufferers' personal and professional lives.
        By Rebecca Voelker
        http://www.businessandhealth.com/hostedfiles/features/allergiesatwork/physician/article02.htm

         

      • Allergens in the Workplace
        Allergens can emerge in settings that appear clean, well maintained and
        chemical free...at home and at work.
        By Helen Lippman, Contributing Editor
        "... The next time you encounter the guy down the hall who always seems to
        have a runny nose and red, watery eyes, don't assume it's an intractable cold,
        a bout of seasonal hay fever or a stubborn case of the flu. Office workers
        may not be exposed to heavy chemicals in spray paints, enzymes in
        detergents or the red cedar dust in lumber, but allergists now recognize that
        office buildings can harbor a number of allergens or irritants. A sneezing,
        sniffling employee could be reacting to copy machine toner, a colleague's
        perfume,         airborne spores from mold and fungi in the circulation system,
        cockroaches or other indoor irritants or allergens. ...

        "... The first indication that something's amiss usually comes when employees
        report what they believe to be allergicãand job-relatedãsymptoms. But
        just getting workers to the point where they're willing to come forward
        requires deliberate action. 'Employers need to educate supervisors and other
        employees,' Grammer emphasizes. 'They need to be told that if they
        develop teary eyes, wheezing, sneezing or other related symptoms, they may
        be allergic to something in the workplace and need to tell someone. And tell
        them they don't have to worry about being fired,' she adds.

        "Keeping workers quiet or dismissing tentative complaints is a highly
        ineffective strategy that's likely to deflate employee morale. Delay also
        significantly boosts health risks and subsequent costs. ...
        "... 'If workers with allergic symptoms are removed from the site or the
        offending substance is removed within the first six months to a year,'
        Grammer reports, 'they're unlikely to get permanent asthma. If exposure is
        much longer than that and they develop abnormal pulmonary function, only one
        in four cases of asthma will go away.' ... "
        http://www.businessandhealth.com/hostedfiles/features/allergiesatwork/physician/article04.htm

         

      • The Hidden Cost of Allergies
        The greatest productivity loss from allergic rhinitis comes not from employees
        taking sick days but from reduced performance among those who come to work.
        By Shelly Reese; Business & Health
        http://www.businessandhealth.com/hostedfiles/features/allergiesatwork/physician/article03.htm

         

      • Back to basics: Caring for the newborn's skin
        By Anna K. Mendenhall, MD, and Lawrence F. Eichenfield, MD
        "... Most parents choose a "baby" soap in the belief that it is gentler than other soaps.
        In general, this is true. Some commercial baby soaps have additives and perfumes
        that may be irritating to young skin, however. It is best to use a soap that is
        hypoallergenic and has few perfumes. ..."
        http://www.Businessandhealth.com/be_core/search/show_article_search.jsp?searchurl=/be_core/content/journals/k/data/2000/0800/keichenfield.html&navtype=b&heading=k&title=Back+to+basics%3A+Caring+for+the+newborn%26apos%3Bs+skin

         

      • A Medical Economics Web Exclusive
        10 things your staff would love to tell you
        A veteran medical assistant has some good-natured advice for physicians.
        By Jacqueline Wilson
        "...10. Go easy on the cologne and perfume. We're talking about anything we can still
        smell moments after you've left the room or that clings to the phone. Patients have been
        heard to comment, "This room smells like a department store perfume counter!"
        This should be number 1 on their list for reasons other than just the odor. Perfume, cologne
        and other fragrance products are volatile organic compounds that pollute the air for all, regardless
        of pre-existing health conditions. -- barb
        http://www.Businessandhealth.com/be_core/search/show_article_search.jsp?searchurl=/be_core/content/journals/m/data/2002/1025/w_dontell.html&navtype=b&heading=m&title=10+things+your+staff+would+love+to+tell+you

         

    • Business Leadership Network
      Includes info on people with disabilities, INCLUDING MCS. Take note Human Resource managers! -- barb
      http://www.usbln.com/index.html

       

      • INFORMATION EMPLOYERS CAN USE
        Chemical Sensitivity in the Workplace
        " ('Fragrance Sensitivity Can Be Considered a Disability and Require Accommodation,'
        HR News, April 2001) Like any disability, sensitivities to chemicals and fragrances
        require reasonable accommodations in the workplace.         [emphasis added]
        http://www.usbln.com/tools/sitemailing_2001_06.html#employers

         

      Business Week
      Is Your Office Killing You?
      Sick buildings are seething with molds, monoxide--and worse
      "...The culprit: a stew of largely undetected dangers--from the carbon monoxide and other contaminants sucked into a building when air-intake vents overhang exhaust-filled loading docks and parking garages, to the volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) seeping out of building materials, furniture, office equipment, carpet, paint, and pesticides, to the molds and bacteria funneled through muck-filled heating, ventilation, and cooling systems (HVACs). Even the smoke from those puffing away at entrances gets sucked back into the building, chimney-style, because of the suction from revolving doors (what engineers call ''the stack effect''). ...

      "... All this may signal the day when owner-operators make it a priority to choose
      building materials that are safer, companies demand air-quality reports before signing
      leases, and employees are as aware of their office's health as their own. Just like stock
      options and signing bonuses, workers are certain to start demanding fresh air and
      sunlight once they find out that other employees are getting them. Perhaps one day
      the office will even have its own annual checkup. If not, many American workers
      may not be around to complain. They'll be at home--sick.

        When you read about VOCs (volatile organic compounds), remember that all synthetically
        derived fragrances belong in that category. They are created to be highly volatile, to become
        one with the air we all must breathe, and to last longer on the ambient air (thanks to phthalates).
        NIEHS informs us that fragrance products and pesticides are
        "COMMON INDOOR AIR POLLUTANTS." -- barb
      http://www.businessweek.com/2000/00_23/b3684001.htm

      From Business Week, you can click out to other links that pretain to this story.

      It is mirrored also, but alas, these don't contain the extra pages linked to from the article.

       

    • CM Cleaning and Management Institute
      http://www.cmdistribution.com/

       

      • Celebrity spouse Imus drives green cleaning
        By Robert Preuss
        "...The wife of one of the United States' most familiar media personalities is driving a
        green cleaning initiative from a New Jersey pediatric hospital center outward...."
        http://www.cmdistribution.com/News.asp?mode=4&N_ID=41148

         

        • Deirdre Imus Environmental Center for Pediatric Oncology
          Hackensack University Medical Center (HUM)
          http://www.dienviro.com/

           

          • Greening the Cleaning
            http://www.dienviro.com/Index1.asp?BD=6325

             

          • Greening Your Home
            Pay close attention to #3, which spells out for you just what to avoid when shopping for
            cleaning products. Always remember that your modern synthetic scents are no longer mainly
            squished plants and animal parts, they are derived mostly from petrochemicals. -- barb
            http://www.dienviro.com/index.asp?lobid=426&qstr=

             

          • Sunlight Converts Common Antibacterial to Dioxin
            AScribe Newswire 14 Apr 03
            "Minneapolis - Sunlight can convert triclosan, a common disinfectant
            used in anti-bacterial soaps, into a form of dioxin, and this process may
            produce some of the dioxin found in the environment, according to
            research at the University of Minnesota. The researchers said that
            although the dioxin was a relatively benign form, treating wastewater
            with chlorine could possibly lead to the production of a much more toxic
            species of dioxin. The study is in press in the Journal of Photochemistry
            and Photobiology A: Chemistry            . ..."
            http://www.dienviro.com/index1.asp?id=6608

             

    • Fragrance: Emerging Health and Environmental Concerns
      Published by the Wiley's Flavour and Fragrance Journal
      An article by Betty Bridges, RN, worthy of your time and attention. -- barb
      http://www.fpinva.org/FragranceReview.htm

       

    • Health Care Without Harm's info on Fragrances, Disinfectants, Cleaners and Pesticides
      http://www.noharm.org/pesticidesCleaners/issue

       

    • How to Be Fragrance Free
      By Peggy Munson
      http://www.peggymunson.com/mcs/fragrancefree.html

       

    • (Job Accommodation Network) for Canada and the U.S.
      "A free service of the Office of Disability Employment Policy of the U.S. Department of Labor"
      http://janweb.icdi.wvu.edu/

    • National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
      "Common Indoor Air Pollutants" -- Fragrance products and pesticides are recognized.
      http://www.niehs.nih.gov/external/faq/indoor.htm

       

    • NewScientist;
      Chemical warfare at work
      By Howard Baker; NewScientist; 21 June 1997
      "... Humans are contributing to the problem in a big way.

      "For example, freshly dry-cleaned clothes emit a stream of trichloroethane, the solvent
      used by dry-cleaners. On a more personal note, after a good wash and freshen-up our
      bodies give off the scent molecules and other chemicals left by shampoos and
      soaps, as well as the pleasant smelling chemicals in deodorants and perfumes such as
      limonene, terpinene, camphene and alpha-pinene. Some perfumes contain as many as
      100 different ingredients providing potent additions to the office soup. On top of
      this, we contribute acetone and isoprene which our bodies produce naturally. ..."
      http://www.newscientist.com/
      OR,
      http://www.geocities.com/fragranceallergy/NewScientist21061997.html

       

    • San Francisco Business Times

        Kaiser Permanente California settles disability access lawsuit - April 12, 2001
        "Oakland-based hospital chain Kaiser Permanente announced today a collaborative
        agreement with Disability Rights Advocates, an Oakland-based non-profit law center, to
        improve health care delivery and accessibility for members with disabilities.

        "The partnership and mprovements stem from the resolution of a Disability Rights
        Advocates lawsuit filed last year against Kaiser Permanente's facilities throughout
        California.

        "Under the settlement agreement, Kaiser Permanente agreed to make its facility medical
        equipment accessible to people with disabilities, by adding scales that a person in a
        wheelchair can use, examination tables that lower and similar items. ..."
        Ah, HA! so they say. But truth be told, Kaiser still is not truly accessible to the already
        chemically and electromagnetically injured. Despite reports in 2004 about a fragrance-free policy,
        Kaiser's staff are still wearing scents to the workplace and Kaiser still uses scented cleaning
        and maintenance products . . . as well as soap doctors are supposed to use just before
        examining patients. DUMB! Not to mention, HARMFUL. There's nothing like having to see
        one's doctor and being put in harm's way. Does the fragrance and flavors industry plot health harm as did Philp Morris and its infamous: Czech govt. can save money by killing off people? -- barb
        http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2001/04/09/daily41.html

         

    • Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal
      email: sanjose@bizjournals.com
      IN DEPTH: HUMAN RESOURCES
      What's that smell?
      Your perfume or cologne can be hazardous to your co-workers' health
      "... So is wearing fragrance a right?

      "Melony Massa, president and chief operation officer for Affinity Companies, a San Jose
      human-resource consulting firm, says just like dress codes and rules of conduct,
      fragrance policies have their place in the corporate rule book.

      " 'If somebody doesn't know the appropriate boundaries, as an employer you have
      an obligation to step in and correct that behavior just like you would correct any
      performance behavior,' she says. ..."
      By Michelle Hofmann
      I couldn't have said it better myself. Notice that OBLIGATION word. Had my former employer
      taken steps to just curtail the use of heavy scents, heavily applied, I believe -- of course, there is
      no proof! -- I'd have NOT been forced from gainful employment. Those toxic chemical products
      used by some staff could be smelled throughout a block-long building. Some of the users of these
      toxic chemical brews, had fragrance-related illnesses themselves and they certainly caused other staff to suffered their various facets of environmental illnesses.

      Fragrances contain chemicals that are known or suspected carcinogens (capable of causing cancer),
      hormone disrupters (phthalates are commonly used in fragrances to make the scent last),
      irritants (defined as POISON in my Oxford dictionary), neurotoxins (adversely affects
      brain and nervous systems), sensitizers (as far back as 1977, fragrance chemicals were
      known to be lung irritants and sensitizers) and teratogens (capable of adversely affecting
      embryonic and fetal development). That's a heady brew to unleash upon an unsuspecting public. -- barb
      http://sanjose.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/2003/06/02/focus1.html

       





    Butterfly site for kids, USGS
    Buttons to print out for cleaner air
    Jacki and Gordon's site
    http://www.ourlittleplace.com/buttons.html

    Jacki includes a poster at the bottom. For more posters, also visit EHN's page P, Poster -- barb
    http://ehnca.org/www/ehnlinx/p.htm#Posters



    To top of page.


    EHN's homepage www.ehnca.org

     


    • Barb Wilkie's EHN Website, last updated 2008. For more current information, please go to EHN's main site.