MULTIPLECHEMICALSENSITIVITY SORROWOFJAILWITHOUT ATTRIBUTABLEFACT

HealthandEnvironmentConference. Huelva,Spain.5to6May2010 SpeechbyMaraJosMoyaVilln MariajoresidesinSpainandisalongtimeMemberofMCSNewsAustralia Postedwithpermission. TranslationfromtheSpanishtoEnglishbyHarryClark,MCSNewsAustralia.Jan 2011. LinktooriginalSpanisharticle

www.miestrellademar.blogspot.com/2010/12/sqmponenciamiestrellademarhuelva.html

Mariajo,isaffectedbysevereMultipleChemicalSensitivity.Sheisapartnerin variousmedia,andauthorofMIESTRELLADEMARapioneeringspacein SpanishonMCS. .....

Dearfriends,firstofallIthankAlteaSQM [EdNote:SQMisSpanishforMCS] forinvitingmeto shareafewwordswithsuchdistinguishedspeakersatthisfirstConferenceonHealthand EnvironmentconductedbythecityofHuelva.

IamsorrythatIcannotbepersonallypresent,Iwishedtobehere,butasIamseriously affectedbyMultipleChemicalSensitivityIfinditimpossibletomoveanywhere,letalone travel.

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 Togiveyouanidea, Iampractically confinedathome since2006 exceptforspecific occasions.Currently,onaverageIleavemyhomeonceeveryoneortwomonths.The goal is the cashier, so that the homehelp that I have been allocated for Social Assistanceand who is my link with the outside world has enough money to make purchasesformybasicnecessitiesforthefollowingweeks.Myoutingsarescarcelyafew feetandareplannedfortimeswhentherearefewpeopleonthestreet. Asyoucansee,the most restrictivesorrowofimprisonment isnothinglikethemore restrictiveconfinementthatpeoplelivewithwhentheyareseriouslyandnotsoseriously illwithMCS,andwithouthavinganythingofficially"attributable." To continue with the prison simile, we cannot go out into the courtyard to move our musclesorgiveusair.Wecannot seeourfriends,familyorotherprisoners. Wecannot study. We cannot work, toearn money tobuy supplies from thestoreof our particular prison.Andwecannotbuyoreatwhatwelike,orwhatourbudgetallows. Our whole existence 24 hoursa day, is an obligation and we are unable to take a vacation from this condition, is about chemicals, because any nonorganic product we aspiretoeat,drinkorbreathe,worsensussignificantly. And in our particular jail, in addition to our crisis, the strong and varied daily symptomswithwhichwecoexistandwhichbefallusseveraltimesaweek,evendaily,with dizziness; vertigo; headaches; malaise; cognitive problems; nausea; extreme fatigue; widespreadpain,andalonglistthatdisruptsallourlives. Itisdifficult,knowingthatallthisagonyandsufferingeverydaycouldbeavoided,butthey areNOTINTERESTEDtoprovidetheeconomicmeanstodoso. Thetitleofthisconference(HealthandEnvironment)correctlyleadsus,likeitornot,tothe truththatourhealthandthatoffuturegenerationsisincreasinglyrelatedtothechemical indulgence with which we live. Also, our own genetics are altered by these chemicals. However, economic interests continue to take precedence over citizens and their health,asyounotedthishasoccurredinHuelvaforyearswiththeinfamous"Chemical Pole" [see note 1 below], andweintheComunidaddeMadrid [EdNote:the'ComunidaddeMadrid' includes Madrid and surrounding region] experienced the concealed rejection of the Anti TobaccoLaw. Welivesurroundedby thousandsofsyntheticchemicals,somearesupposedlysafeat lowdoses,butwedonotknowtheircumulativeeffectsandinteractions,andothersweknow causedamagetohealthashasbeenstudied,amongothers,byDr.Olea,Professor of OncologyattheUniversityofGranada. Still,theycontinuetocoexistwithus,andtheyarestillconsidered"essential"inquotes, thankstothepersistentandeffectivemarketingeffortsofindustry,foroveracenturyby openingtheirchequebook. Meanwhile, the number of people affected by immunological disorders continues to grow,specificformsofcancer,allergies,asthma,multiplechemicalsensitivity,andgeneral
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conditions resulting from humans losing contact with nature plus their immersion in the overwhelmingandbrutalcocktailofsyntheticchemicalsinwhichtheyandthePlanetlive. Inthissense,theresolutionofthe EuropeanActionPlanonEnvironmentandHealth 20042010,expressedconcernabouttheincreasinglyevidentproblemsbetweenhealthand toxicsyntheticchemicals,andalsowarned,andIquote,"TheEuropeanParliament(...)asks earnestlytheCommissionto(...)not tounderminetheexistinglegislationunderpressure frominterestgroupsorfromregionalorinternationalorganizations." In this context, the pathology of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (an emerging chronic environmentalillnessthatisdisabling,affectingmultipleorganssystems,andwhichrequires thepatienttobeisolatedinthemostseverecasessotheirhealthdoesnotworsen),is more clearly and directly related in terms of cause and effect with toxic synthetic chemicals. Perhapsoneshouldpointthefingeratthisdirectrelationshiptoday,astheWorldHealth OrganizationstillhasnotofficiallyrecognizedMultipleChemicalSensitivity,whereasacase suchasInfluenzaAwasrecognisedofficiallywithinafewweeksdespitethegrowingcritical voicesthatwereraisedonthismatter Whatisclearisthatrejectingaproblemdoesnotmakeitdisappear,norpreventsthose affectedfromfightingforwhatisright,inourcasetheofficialrecognitionandthecreationof trulyeffectivepoliciesofprevention. Finally,Iwouldaskyouwhenyouleavethisconferencenottoforgetthoseofuswhoare affectedbyMCS.Manylivealmostcontinuouslylockedaway,eachaprisonerintheirown home,andyetwestrugglewithinthelimitsofwhathealthallows...butwithoutyourhelpand support(andmediaprofessionals, whocangoouttothestreetandnothavetheirskills diminished),wewillnotbecomevisiblenorbeprotectedbytheseinstitutionsthattoday refusetoofficiallyrecognizeMCSandtherebyclosethedoorstoourbasicrights,leavingus sick. ToFinish,Iwouldliketothankthosewhofightfortheplanetanditsenvironmentalpatients asprofessionalsorintheirowntime;andforwhatisright. Alsotoeveryone,foryourattention.Thankyouverymuch.

MIESTRELLADEMAR HealthandEnvironmentConference Huelva,Spain.5to6May2010

NOTE(28Dec2010):FromthedayIwrotethistext(May2010)throughtotoday,myaverageforoutingstothe streets has been reduced to two in the last six months. In late July and again on 15 October, both for administrativenegotiationsafewmetersfrommyhome.ForseveralmonthsIhavebeenforcedtogotothebank toarrangematterssoIdonothavetogototheATMtowithdrawcash. [1]EdNoteonChemicalPole

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ThereismuchpublicoutcryatthepollutionfromthechemicalindustriesinHuelva.Theseindustriesarecalled theChemicalPoleindustries.Anexampleofthepollutionandhealthproblemsarethephosphogypsumponds, whicharelocatedonekilometrefromthecentreofthecapital.GreenpeacestatesthatcancerratesinHuelvais thehighestinSpainandrecentlyreportedthatthephosphogypsumpondsemitradiation27timeshigherthan allowed.Thereisapublicplatformcalledthe"BureauoftheEstuary"whichmakesclearitsconcernaboutthe negativeeffectsof theChemicalPoleindustries,bothintheenvironment,andinthehealthofthepeopleof Huelva.

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