Your new car smells BAD

Yay for science again! Andy Brunning, a chemistry teacher in the UK blogs about chemistry on Compound Interest.  He wrote a recent blog about new car smell - http://www.compoundchem.com/2014/06/16/newcarsmell/  and Andy has also written some other interesting blogs about the smell of books and the effects of catnip on cats.

As part of my life style to avoid migraine triggers, I avoid 'new car smell'. 

Studies have isolated some of the most common VOCs found in the interiors of new cars. Many of these are aromatic compounds – that is, compounds containing a benzene ring, a structure based on six carbons bonded together cyclically. These include toluene, xylenes, styrene, and trimethylbenzenes. Additionally, simpler carbon-based compounds are also found – these include alkanes, which are composed simply of long chains of carbon atoms, bonded to hydrogen atoms.

For my house, I realize I also need to be careful about paint, but that won't be an issue till there's walls.  

Writing Wise

I thought I should do a writing post prior to a downer of a  'remember I had a fire?' post.

I participated in National Novel Writing Month in November after the initial delay because I was given 18 hours to move and then went to sleep.  Then I woke up moody that my life has many things outside of my control, and then wrote a lot to 'show them'.  I don't think 'them' care, but hey I write more words when I think someone says I can't do it.

That was more Vanna (End of the World Sucks series).  I did bring a couple sections to my regular writing group for critique, but then switched back to Neferseshotep because I find that more escapist than zombies and a vampire. 

So Neferseshotep is moving along, and then after dithering I got a membership to the Liberty State Writers' Conference - Create Something Magical in March, I bought one and attended.

The conference was fine.  I was unable to determine ahead of time what the lunch was so I packed one.  I worry a lot about migraine triggers and blogged about that before.  The coffee smell got heavy towards the end because that seemed to be the only drink offered after lunch during the speaker's talk.  

I did well with my appointments to pitch, but during the weekend the insurance company needed some things tout de suite (I love the way toot sweet sounds) that was going to take me hours to assemble so I owe synopses and manuscript pages still.  Which might be why I'm writing a blog post, after I completed my new tsunami of paperwork.

And I'm not totally unhelpful.  One of my dining companions at the conference mentioned what her daughter studied and was now a French pastry chef.   Imagine my lower lip thrusting out at that because the week prior to the conference, I assisted my daughter while she was home for spring break collecting moss. 

French pastry > snow-covered moss in cemeteries

Psychological Claptrap, not Science

An interesting article regarding Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) from the Cleveland Clinic -

http://my.clevelandclinic.org/disorders/multiple_chemical_sensitivity/hic_multiple_chemical_sensitivity_fact_or_fiction.aspx

Since the body (I guess mine is inferred here) does not produce antibodies then it must be a psychological problem?   

I am a migraine sufferer since early childhood.  It was not until my 20s that it was officially diagnosed because it is rare for children to have migraines.  Throughout my life, I’ve also gotten sinus headaches, which were usually triggered by my crying over the pain of a migraine.  For years, I was told I was ‘faking it’ so I could crawl under my bed to be in the dark, or lie face down on the cool tile floor in the bathroom waiting for my headache to reach the point where I could throw up.

Within the field of migraine medicine, it is known that olfactory triggers are possible.  My migraine does not produce antibodies either, but when I was at the doctor’s office for something else, I had a migraine and enough physical symptoms at the time to get the diagnosis I had waited for years to validate I was not ‘faking it’.

Even when I do not have headaches, I have olfactory auras at times.  It’s odd things that I smell when it’s not present - like waves of vinegar scent at my local Petco while I’m sitting at cat adoptions.

I know my migraines can be triggered by chemicals such as benzene, lead, acetone, benzyl whatever, oxybenzone, diethyl phthalate,  acetate, carbon monoxide, paraffin, and probably at least a dozen others – not natural smelly things like skunk odor or scooping the cat pan.  I’m sensitive to the chemicals that cause central nervous system disorders or hormone disruption.

Why are people that notice these in their environment being labeled as having a psychological disorder? 

And if someone really needs a physical symptom, I got petechia (blood vessels bursting leaving pinkish red dots, mostly beneath my eyes and also on the whites of my eyes) when I was pregnant and avoiding all medication.  How do I fake that shit?  Some of those dots are still on my body.

So I think the so-called experts don’t want to admit that there is a growing number of unsafe chemicals in the everyday environment that will effect some people quicker than others – wait, I’m in the canary group? – and will say ‘oh no, who knew?’ when there’s extensive chromosomal and nervous conditions that can be linked back to these same chemicals that are considered unsafe and banned in other countries.

Just remember, there’s still groups out there lobbying that second hand smoke poses no health risk – Heartland Institute, the same non-profit that says climate change is not occurring, hydraulic fracking is perfectly safe, genetically engineered crops are progress, endorses no regulation or inspection by government agencies, privatization of public services, deregulation of health care, free-market environmentalism, supporting ideas that empower people, and financing political campaigns if the results could cause a major setback to their national effort ($612k for pro-Walker in Wisconsin recall).

That last bit should have been left up to the people of Wisconsin.

I do enjoy living in a bi-partisan state, where even Chris Christie and Cory Booker can appear in the same YouTube video.  They are both capable of saying more than 'no' and 'never'.  One says it plainly, while the other tweets back 140 characters of poetry.

Everyday Chemicals

Another serious post because I had a major migraine caused at my second job yesterday by two different substances – I was monitored by a young man wearing cologne, and I was then assigned to work with sealed bottles of lotion and ointments.   I can frequently smell the products inside.

I am sensitive to chemical smells, and it’s not just things that smell bad because there’s many pleasant-smelling substances that bother me.  I’m also not bothered on a physical level by disgusting smells from things like skunks and my pets.

How I wish I could not work a second job that sometimes puts me in the position of choosing whether to tough it out or go home.  Yesterday, I had the aggravation of getting to the work site at 5 am, and if I left, my teen would need to leave with me because I was her ride.  If I had known she hadn’t had her driver’s license to get us home earlier, I might have insisted we leave while I was somewhat functioning.

So what’s my problem?  Besides the migraines, I am frequently in pain from sinus and tension headaches, neck, shoulder and back problems due to being rear-ended by another car while I sat at a red light three times, and I also sometimes score an earache. I can get pretty cranky when someone gets in my vicinity that can cause me pain because they douse themselves with chemicals.

The scented products are the main culprits, and from trying to research what specifically gives me problems, I found that cosmetic companies are not required to list the ingredients on the packaging.  When labs test them, they find hormone inhibiting and carcinogenic substances, perhaps some benzene. Are these harmful to less sensitive people?  Maybe they are, and it appears that it could be long-term health risks.

http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/myths-on-cosmetics-safety/