Skip to page content
State of the Science Conference
September 15-16, 2005
Conference
Home
Improving Workplace Access and Accommodations for Chemically & Electromagnetically Sensitive Employees
Navigate Slides of This Session
Slides Index
Slides 1-15
Slides 16-31
Slides On This Page
- Improving Workplace Access and Accommodations for Chemically & Electromagnetically Sensitive Employees
- What is Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS)?
- What is MCS? (cont.)
- What are Electromagnetic Sensitivities (EMS)?
- Who is Affected by MCS/ES?
- Minimize or Avoid Exposures that Trigger Reactions
- Presentation Highlights
- Typical Recommendations for MCS Accommodations
- MCS Accommodations (cont.)
- MCS Accommodations (cont.)
- Incidents of Intentional Harassment and Discrimination
- Harassment and Discrimination (cont.)
-
Harassment and Discrimination (cont.)
- Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) Project
- Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) Project
Improving Workplace Access and Accommodations for Chemically & Electromagnetically
Sensitive Employees
Mary Lamielle, Executive Director
National Center for Environmental Health Strategies, Inc.
Workplace Accommodations: State of the Science Conference
September 15-16, 2005
What is Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS)?
What is MCS? (cont.)
- Symptoms:
- Neurological impairments:
- Headaches, migraines, difficulty thinking, seizures
- Respiratory involvement:
- Asthma, reactive airways, sinusitis, balance
- Muscular difficulties:
- Cardiovascular problems:
- Arrhythmias, hypertension, hypotension, edema
- Gastrointestinal complaints:
What are Electromagnetic Sensitivities (EMS)?
- People with electromagnetic sensitivities react to electromagnetic
fields (EMFs) from electrical devices and frequencies
- Reactions are triggered by:
- Electrical appliances and devices, microwaves, transformers, high tension
wires, cell phones, cell towers, fluorescent lighting
- Symptoms:
- Neurological: loss of muscle control, headache, seizures, fatigue
Who is Affected by MCS/ES?
16 % of Californians are “unusually sensitive” to chemicals
13% -16% of Americans have chemical sensitivities according to a national
survey
Up to 4% of the U.S. population is chronically ill with MCS based on
a series of state and federal studies
6% of Californians have a diagnosis of MCS
3% of Californians report electrical sensitivities
People with MCS/EMS Must
Minimize or Avoid Exposures that Trigger Reactions
Presentation Highlights
- Recommendations for MCS accommodations
- Harassment & Discrimination Against Persons with MCS and EMS
- U.S. Access Board Project on Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ):
- More accessible and healthier design and construction, furnishings, &
operations and maintenance
- Workplace Policies
- Designated Cleaner Air Rooms
- Assistive Technology
Typical Recommendations for MCS Accommodations
- Private office with a window that opens
- Employee option to clean and maintain the workspace
- Workplace free of tobacco smoke, pesticides, fragrances/fragranced
products, and toxic cleaning products
MCS Accommodations (cont.)
- Prenotification and posting for building events such as remodeling
or renovation, roofing, floor stripping or waxing, or pesticide applications
- Schedule options so that the affected employee can work when fewer
coworkers are present, when the ventilation system is working at its peak,
in surroundings that are less problematic
MCS Accommodations (cont.)
- Alternative workspace or workplace
- Option to work at home
Incidents of Intentional Harassment and Discrimination
Employee forbidden to use a charcoal mask or oxygen at work
Employee forbidden to open a window, even in a private office
Window(s) nailed shut to prevent opening
Signs that request a specific accommodation and name the disabled employee:
“Please refrain from the use of perfumes for Bonnie”
Harassment and Discrimination (cont.)
Intensified use of perfume or the use of perfume and other scented products
during the workday
Perfume poured on MCS-employee’s chair
Deodorizer sprayed on MCS-employee’s phone
Intentional use of candles, incense, or potpourri
Use of cell phones or microwave ovens in the vicinity of EMS employee
Harassment and Discrimination (cont.)
Employees “accommodated” by selecting worst possible/least accessible
worksite:
MCS-employee moved into janitor’s office
Teacher with MCS moved to copy center; another teacher moved to the
art room
EMS employee moved next to an electrical transformer
Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) Project
Funded by the U. S. Access Board
Collaborative project conducted by the National Institute of Building Sciences
(NIBS)
Purpose: make public and commercial buildings more accessible for people
with chemical and electromagnetic sensitivities and healthier for everyone
Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) Project
http://ieq.nibs.org
http://www.access-board.gov
Top of Page