H.E.F. CANADA QUARTERLYThe Human Ecology Foundation of Canada

r•

WINTER 1982

VOL. 5 NO. I

CONTENTS

EDITORIAL - The Total Allergic Load.

MOULD ALLERGY - by Sherry Rogers. M.D.

THE ALLERGIC CHILD AT SCHOOL - by Dr. Virginia R. Salares

THE HERBICIDE 2,4-0 - lts Effects on Health.

INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE - Can Food Allergy be Involved?

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COPYRIGHT© 1982 Bl" THE HUMAN ECOLOGY FOU,VDATlON OF CANADA

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THE HUMAN ECOLOGY FOUNDATION OF CANADA WINTER 1982.

The H.E.F. Canada Quarterly

The H.E,F. Canada Quarterly is a publication of The HumanEcology Foundation of Canada, a charitable organizationunder Canadian law, operating on a non· profit basis. TheQuarterly is for people who are interested in health and itsrelation to OUT environment. It deals primarily with research inthe field of clinical ecology, and also describes how people haveimproved their health by changes in habits. diet and environ­ment. As such. it does not offer medical advice. and we urgepersons wishing to experiment with changes in their lifestyle todo so with the help and guidance of a knowledgable physician.

The Human Ecology Foundation of Canada

One of the purposes of the Human Ecology Foundation is topromote the free exchange of information on the preventionand treatment of ecological illness. People who are ecologicallyill are no longer able to adapt well to common exposures intheir everyday environment. They may develop a variety ofchronic or acute symptoms that are brought on by substancesin the air, in food, or in water.

Natural inhalants such as pollens, dust and moulds, andeven natural foods may begin to affect people adversely. Thisaspect of the condition is often referred to as allergy. But themany synthetic chemicals that are now common around us canalso cause symptoms, and overexposure to these can triggerecological illness even in those with no history of allergy orother sensitivity to the environment. Symptoms may be mildand merely annoying, or they may become severe enough tointerfere with a person's daily activities, family life and career.

On a local basis, HEF Branches work toward findingsources of chemically less~ contaminated food. water, clothingand household furnishings, as well as providing counselling onchanges of lifestyle that may alleviate symptoms. TheFoundation and all its Branches would like to encourage othersto become involved not only in research on the effects ofenvironment on health, but in working toward a healthier, less­polluted environment.

Directors or the Foundation

Leonard Beeson Oakville. OntarioMary Campbell Toronto, OntarioNeil Fitzpatrick Ottawa. OntarioEric Gudgeon Milton. OntarioWaiter Hammant Hamilton, OntarioShirley Mertens Kitchener, OntarioVirginia Salares Ottawa. OntarioRan Vince Dundas, OntarioGladys Weaver Hamilton. Ontario

Officers of the Fouodation

President Eric GudgeonVice..Presidenr NeH FitzpatrickTreasurer Waiter HammantMedical Adviser John G. Maclennan, M.D,Quarterly Editar Bruce M, SmallPresident, Hamilton Branch Gladys WeaverPresident. Kitchener Branch ShirIey MertensPresident. Ottawa Branch Neil FitzpatrickPresident. Toronto Branch Bruce M. Small

Subscription and Membership

Membership in the Foundation includes a subscription to TheH.E.F.Canada Quarterly, which is produced four times peryear. Annual membership and subscription fee $15. CorporateSponsorship $1 00. Donations tax- deductible.

AdYertising PolicyThe Quarterly accepts business card advertising for a fee of$50 for four issues, payable to "The Human EcologyFoundation of Canada". Advertisements are for support of themagazine only and do not in any way imply that the HumanEcology Foundation endorses any particular products orservices mentioned therein. Readers with multiple sensitivitiesare advised to assess products carefully for personal compati­bility, since individual sensitivities vary widely.

H.E.F, Canada Quarterly465 Highway #BDundas, Ontario. CanadaL9H 4V9

Human Ecology Foundation (Ottawa)P,O, 80x 11428. Station HNepean, Ontario, CanadaK2H 7V1

Human Ecology Foundation (Hamilton)P.O, Box 4546, Station 0Hamilton, Ontario. CanadaL8V 457

Human Ecology Foundation (Toronto)R.R.# 1. GoodwoodOntario, CanadaLOC 1AO

Human Ecology Foundation \Kitchener)11 Drew AvenueCambridge. Ontario, CanadaN15 3R2

H.E.F. Canada (Head Office)465 Highway #8Dundas, OntarioL9H 4V9

EDITORIAL - The Total Allergic Load

HUMAN ECOLOGY FOUNDATION (CANADA) QUARTERLY V. 5 NO. I WINTER 1982

This issue of the Quarterly isshorter than usual so that the Foun­dation can catch up with the seasonsand concentrate on producing yourupcoming Spring 1982 Quarterlybefore the summer months aI'tive.

We have included several arti­cles that touch on the importance ofconsidering the total allergic load onan individual and managing health ina comprehensive rather than a piece­meal way.

Dr. Sherry Rogers has pointedout in our first article, on mouldallergy, that moulds are somethingthat have been and always will bewi th us. To ignore them in allergicmanagement is to ignore what mightbe a major factor in our health.

Knowing how to reduce andcontrol mould populations in ourhome can give us the upper handagainst many forms of allergy.Mould often represents one of thoseadditional overall loads that is capa­ble of tipping some of us completelyoff balance, affecting the way ourbody handles other inhalants as wellas foods and chemicals.

This issue is being published(albeit late) at a time of year whenwe are now accustomed to receivingmore calls from other members of the'Foundation and from prospectivemembers. As soon as the snow beginsto melt and the local soil moulds areagain exposed, some people beginagain to feel the total load on them­selves reaching their own personallimit.

Chemicals too can sometimesrepresent the "straw that breaks thecamel's back" for some people withmultiple allergic sensitivities. Every­thing will be fine until some accidentadds a significant chemical exposurefor the body to handle.

Or. Virginia Salares illustratesthis concept well in her article onherbicides, in which she stresses theimportance of avoiding exposure tothese potent chemicals that seem socapable of triggering or worseningour sensitivities.

In her article about allergic chil­dren at school we are reminded againof the many hazards that susceptible

children can encounter in daily life asthey attempt to do what all otherchildren are doing. What school of­ficials have not in general understoodis that the capacity of allergic chil­dren to withstand chemical insultsand other allergens is more limitedthan that of other children. Theycannot take on the same total loadwithout being affected severely bysymptoms.

Some parents have found thattheir children can survive the manyexposures at school and at play if theytry very hard to compensate withinthe home itself. Strict control of diet,avoiding food additives and pesticidecontamination, and careful control ofthe home environment to avoid un·necessary cleaners, synthetics andother pollutants, can often give achild a good strong base - two-thirdsof his or her day in a relatively goodenvironment. With the stability thatcomes of this degree of control, somecan withstand many exposures out­side the home that might otherwisehave posed a problem.

But what of those who cannottolerate school exposures even withstrict environmental control athome? And why must the otherchildren be placed at risk of develop­ing such sensitivities by overexposingthem? Many of the examples that Dr.Salares discusses within the schoolare totally avoidable chemical expo­sures.. It is important for us to beginto change at least what we can.Children will have enough troubleadapting to our changing world with­out having to process the environ­mental poisons they are exposed toconstantly.

We have begun to test a newconcept in our home to try to turn thetables on this allergic load and giveour daughter a reserve for later life.Who knows whether allergic expo­sure has a cumulative effect or not?Why should we waste our children's"quota" of allowed chemical insultsand allergen exposures early in life"

The approach is this. We arewatching many young people who ineffect may be squandering their

health needlessly, by excessive chem­ical exposures in the air, in the water,and in their highly processed food.We also see their food base narrow­ing as the processed foods containmore and more of the same basicfoods - corn, milk, soy, and sugar,for example.

Many of us know that our healthslowly declined during a very similarkind of existence. We were the iellogeneration, growing up with wonder­ful new inventions like coloured des­serts, sugared breakfast cereals, longshelf-life bread and squeeze-it-your­self margarines. The air near ourhomes gradually deteriorated as cit­ies built up around us and as carsbecame more and more numerous.

And we can see the effects on theyoung ones now - the ones that are alittle more hyperactive than most,that may have trouble learning, andthat have those dark eyes and fre­quent stomachaches. Perhaps thesechildren are approaching their totalload early in life. Will they haveenough tolerance left later to handlea career and be able to ride throughthe pollution levels that seem alwaysto be on the increase'?

What we are doing instead isappearing like over-protective par­ents. Dr. Salares cites similar exam­ples with her family. The parent of anallergic child, being aware of the

'dangers, can compensate in theirchildren's early years .by helping tokeep the total load as far down aspossible. We are hoping that this willhelp give such children the kind ofstability that will in fact allow themto venture out freely into the world inlater life (without the problems thatmany of their peers may by then beexperiencing in full force).

Do you want your children tothank you now for the cookies, can­dies and smelly magic markers. andcondemn you later in life for theillness that may hamper their everyefforts" Or would you rather put upwith a few struggles now, and watchyour child handle the world loterfrom a position of strength '?

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EDITORIAL - The Total Allergic Load (continued)

HUMAN ECOLOGY FOUNDATION (CANADA) QUARTERLY V. 5 NO. I WINTER 1982

The decisions are certainly noteasy ones. They are also personalones. and each family will find theirown particular combination that suitsthem best. We hope that the informa­tion in this issue will be useful to youin understanding how the total loadcan affect you and your family, and inmaking these kinds of decisions onhow best to handle it.

As some of you may know, youreditors are stepping down as of thisQuarterly issue. and we will see new

editors and contributors starting inthe Spring 1982 magazine.

We appreciate having had theopportunity to participate in theFoundation through the Quarterly,and we firmly believe that providinginformation must continue to be aprime function of the organization.

Our best wishes to the upcomingeditor, who will be announced in thenext issue. Anyone wishing to volun­teer for this position or to assist in anyway with the publication is invited tocontact Eric Gudgeon, President,

HEF Canada, 465 Highway 8, Dun­das. Ontario L9H 4V9.

We should add too that therewill be a number of changes in someof the Branch executives over thenext month, and these along with anydecisions arising from the AnnualMeeting on May IS, 1982 inKitchener, Ontario will be reportedin your next Quarcerly copy.

Bruce and Barbara Small

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MOULD ALLERGY - By Sherry Rogers, M.D.

HUMAN ECOLOGY FOUNDAnON (CANADA) QUARTERLY V. 5 NO. I WINTER 1982

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Oftentimes. with an ecologicalillness, we become so absorbedwith avoiding specific chemi­cals or with the rotation dietthat we lose sight of the con­cept DJ total antigenic load.Very seldom does one have thegood fortune to be intolerantof only one or [WO foods.chemicals or inhalants.Rather we have varying levelsof hypersensitivity to a mll/Ii­lude ofantigens.

Dr. Sherry A. Ragers ofSyra­(use, New York cautions thatonly through minimizing thetotal anligenic load can wehope to attain maximumhealth. We are grateful to herfor the following review ofmould allergy. which will helpto kup us from losing sight ofcomprehensive allergicmanagement.

Because we cannot see them, wetend to forget that moulds are ubiqui­tous. You know if you left a piece ofbread where you are right now andreturned in three weeks, it would becovered with moulds. In hundreds ofhome cultures, we have never seen ahouse without mould growth nor onewithout bacteria and yeast as well.

The antigenicity of moulds andfungi has been questioned in the past,but it is now recognized that mouldscan cause any allergic symptom youcan think of. In fact, often otherantigens are blamed. Sneezing whiledusting is blamed on the house dust.Wheezing in September is blamed onragweed when it may be due to anAlternaria peak. Nasal congestion orheadaches upon ingestion of fruitmay be secondary to surface mouldresulting from storage.

Mould is everywhere and in astate of constant change. Mouldshave seasonal fluctuations in quantityas well. as quality. Excavation intro­duces new moulds or fungi into theatmosphere. Tightening up ourhouses for winter and turning up theheat encourages the growth of mould.

Since it's microscopic, how canyou know it is present? Sniff formusty smells in cupboards, bath­rooms, basements or closets. Lookclosely in dark, infrequently in­spected corners for colored powderypatches. The best way to detectmould is to obtain a sterile petri dishwith malt agar (Sabaraud's is secondbest) and expose it opened for anhour in your rooms at home, the officeor wherever you suspect mouldproblems.

How do you get rid of mouldonce you have identified it? Depend­ing upon your level of chemical intol­erance and the density of mouldgrowth. washing down with five timesdiluted chlorox, zephiran or justborax and water removes the mould.This must be done every few months,however, since it regrows rapidly.

To attempt to retard growth,never put objects (sneakers, campinggear) away until they are thoroughlydry, air out closets and include ventsin any new building plans. Washdown areas periodically, reduce mois­ture to 30% with the dehumidifier insummer and vent cooking, bathroomand laundry moisture with fans. Nat­ural fabrics such as wicker and cottonhelp reduce our chemical loads butserve as a nutrient source for moulds.For afterall, the purpose of moulds isto decay organic matter and return itto dust.

What else should a person withmould hypersensitivity know? Thatyeasts are a member of the mouldfamily. Ingestion may give symp­toms. Raised dough, vinegars, pick­led or aged foods, fermented bever­ages (alcohol), cheese. malt. soysauce and mushrooms all containmould antigens. Commonly over­looked sources are flour and cereals(that are enriched with B vitamins).B vitamins are derived from yeastsources. Dried fruits, dried flowers,leftovers in the refrigerator. pottingsoil, stored fruits and vegetables andeven monosodium glutamate intro­duce fungal antigens into the body.

Candida albicans (monilia. or"yeast infection") is a normal inhab­itant of the skin, intestinal tract. andvagina but periodically grows exces­sively. It has been demonstrated tocause difficult-to-diagnose allergicsymptoms, especially when it hasbeen the cause of cerebral symptomssuch as depression.

In a recent study of homes thatwe did in the Syracuse area, the top12 organisms recovered were thefollowing in order of prevalence:Cladosporium (Hormodendrum),bacteria, Aspergillus, Penicillium,yeasts (not including Rhodotorulal.Basidiomycetes (a group of fungithat have to do with wood rot in thehome). Rhodotorula, Trichoderma,Epicoceum, Alternaria, Microsphae­reopsis and Aureobasidium(Pullularia).

IJ you wish to determine 'whatmoulds are present in yourenvironment, consult your al­lergist, who has access to lab­orator.v testing services. Forthose who do not have ade­quate local facilities for de­tecting mould growth. Dr.Rogers' laboratory will supp(vplates (petri dishes with maltagar) and instructions fortheir exposure. at $10 ([,/5)per plate.

Within four weeks after ha~'­

ing mailed hack the plates.you will receive the results ofthe type oJ mould that grewand the number of coloniespresent. If the lab recei ...·es theplates in too poor a condition(broken in transit. overgrownby contaminant) new ones willbe mailed to you at no charge.Likewise, If you receive platesthat have growth on thembefore .1'011 expose them, re­turn them for new ones that..... iII be sent at no charge.

The address for obtaining theplates is Mould Service, doSherry A. Roger,<;, At.D., P.c.,2800 West Genesee Street,Syracllse, ,.....'ell· York. USA/3219.

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THE ALLERGIC CHILD AT SCHOOL - by Virginia R. Salares

HUMAN ECOLOGY FOUNDATION (CANADA) QUARTERLY

Members interested in work­ing towards a goal of bringingmajor problems at schools tothe allention of the Ministryof Education are invited lacommunicate with the Edllca­rion Committee. Human Ecol­ogy Foundation (Otta»'al,

P.O. Box 1/428. 5,al;01/ H.Nepean, Ontario. CanadaK2H 7VI.

V.5 NO. I WINTER 1982

THE ALLERGIC CHILD AT SCHOOL - by Virginia R. Salares (continued)

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HUMAN ECOLOGY FOUNDAnON (CANADA) QUARTERL Y V. 5 NO. I WINTER 1982

The author of this article.Virginia R. Salores a/Ottawa,has a Ph.D. in Chemistry andis also on the Board of Direc­tors of the Human EcologyFoundation.

Controlling Allergies Early

Many parents do not pay muchattention to the environment atschool. For parents, however, whostruggle to keep their childrenhealthy, there is a need to improvethe school environment. Throughthese allergic children, parents ofhealthy children could learn a lesson,for the allergic are the ones affectedfirst.

My older daughter is now inGrade 2 at a French immersionschool. We are fortunate she has notmissed much school this year. Inkindergarten, she had numerouscolds and respiratory problems,which we blamed partly on a muchtoo sheltered life previously. She wasalways stuffed up but at that time wedid not recognize the differencebetween a real cold and stuffiness dueto allergies. As a young child, she hadalways seemed to get out of breathand tire easily, so we discouraged herfrom running.

The following summer was whenwe first noticed her wheezing andwhen her complaints of stomach­aches became more frequent. In firstgrade after she had recurring bron­chitis and two bouts of pneumonia,we were sent to a pediatric allergistwho tested and found her to besensitive to eight of the ten allergensnormally tested. We were told thather previous ill nesses were allergy­related; the continuous presence ofmucus in her nasal passages madeher vulnerable to infections.

At this time too, we confirmedher food allergies. Finally we couldaccount for the stomachaches thatcontinually bothered her. We elimi­nated milk, wheat flour, eggs andchicken from her food.

The house underwent a thor­ough cleaning, and even nooks andcrevices I never envisioned cleaningbefore were not left out. At the same

time only cotton bedsheets andclothes were retained. There were notthat many chemicals to throw out ofthe house. I have had such an aver­sion to strong smelling or perfumedcleaning agents, that I simply did notbuy any of these. The controls weplaced on her food, clothing andenvironment were beneficial too forher younger sister who had severeeczema since birth.

With my daughters' allergies,we look at everday life froI)1 a differ­ent perspective. They are taught to beon guard for things that could harmthem, though the same things appearharmless to others. Take for examplecar exhaust fumes. :rhe engine isalways turned off before we get in orout of the car to minimize exposure tothe fumes. Also when driving, the caris maintained at a distance from thecar ahead. They are taught to moveaway from fumes or when this is notpossible to hold their breathmomentarily.

Diesel Fumes in the Schoolyard

All winter at the school, thethree school buses have kept theirengines running ten to fifteen minutesbefore the students are even out ofthe building. Since the schoolyard issmall, the fumes not only fill the air,but also many of the children have towalk through the fumes. I have seenmany children stop and chat or playright in the midst of the fumes. Someof the buses have their exhaust pipesin the curb side, blowing diesel fumesto the queue of kids waiting to getinto the bus, and allowing fumes toenter the buses.

I suggested to our Home andSchool Association that it would bedesirable if the engines were turnedoff and started only after the buseswere loaded, citing at the same timethe recent Japanese studies likingdiesel fumes to lung cancer. The busdrivers argued that the buses wouldbe cold and parents would complain,and that the two-way radios operateonly when the buses are running. Itwas clear that onc parent simplycould not ask the drivers - thedirective has to come from the school

board when the next bus contractsare given out.

Painting the School During Classes

The school had not been paintedfor the last seven years, and the paintwas visibly flaking in many places.One day in April last year. a motherphoned to tell me that workmencarrying pails of Varsol and oil paintwere walking back and forth past mydaughter, who had been told to spendthe noontime indoors because of arunny nose. The painting had startedwith no warning given to parents!

I phoned to get her out of thebuilding immediately, and shortlyafter, she was taken home. Theweather was not warm enough yet tokeep the windows open and the smellof the paint was intense. I asked theprincipal why the school was beingpainted at that time instead of duringthe summer. If the school was notpainted as scheduled, it would takeperhaps another five years.

I expressed my concern that theoil paint would be detrimental tohealth, particularly to those who haveallergies or respiratory problems. Iwas told I could elect to keep her athome or bring her to another schoolfor the time being.

My daughter's class spent theday at the library while their class­room was being painted. The follow­ing day, they were back in their room.Before noon, I went to the classroomto assess how tolerable the smell was.To my horror, the painter had beenthere touching up while the class wasin session. painting three feet awayfrom the nearest child. The pails ofpaint were still lying on the floor asthe painter was to resume painting inthe afternoon. My daughter's eyes\',.'ere red and showing signs of irrita­tion, and at that point, J decided tokeep her home for the next fourweeks.

I phoned the maintenance per­sonnel at the Board to inquire whythe schools arc painted during theschool vear. The staffmember Italked ';ith lVas not that happy tohear from me again or from otherparents of the same school. as I \vas

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THE ALLERGIC CHILD AT SCHOOL - by Virginia R. Salares (continued)

HUMAN ECOLOGY FOUNDAnON (CANADA) QUARTERLY V.S NO. I WINTER 1982

instrumental in having 2,4-0 bannedin the schoolyards and our victoryhad come just a few days earlier.

Two painters are hired by theboard to work all year round and theBoard's seventy or more schools can­not all be painted (once in five years)if painting is done only during thesummer. Why do they use oil paintwhich is much more noxious thanwater-based paints? The latter, re­portedly, does not last as long anddoes not take smudges as well as oil­based paint.

It took five weeks to finish paint­ing the school - a ten-room buildingand two portables accomodatingabout 280 students. When mydaughter went back to school, thepaint smell had not vanished yet andpersisted to the end of the schoolyear.

Windows could not be openedyet during school hours, nor couldthey be left open after hours becauseof possible vandalism problems. Irequested that the custodian open afew windows in the corridors to venti­late areas that were painted last.However, nobody seemed to recog­nize the need for airing, as I ended upopening windows in the corridor my­self when I brought my daughter toschool.

Arts and Crafts Can be Hazardous

Craft days are usually heldbefore Christmas. Last year, the gymwas subdivided into areas for variouscraft activities, and the classes tookturns filling the gym. One of thecrafts was making Christmas treesout of cotton balls glued to a card­board cone shape. The finishing tookthe form of spray painting the surfacegreen with car paint in aerosol con­tainers. My daughter's Grade 2teacher, aware that at least five kidsin her class had allergies of somekind. did the spray painting herselfby an open window. However. kids inother classes did the spraying them­selves with no attention paid to thelack of ventilation.

The felt-tip marking pen is stillvery much used in the classroom.Even just one pen emits enough

solvent vapour to be easily detectedby smell. My daughter was only threeand one half years old when shestayed very briefly (four weeks) in aday care centre. She came home oneday with blood-red, swollen eyes. Itdid not take long for us to find thatthe culprit was one of these pens,which she had used to 'paint' with.

Controlling Lice with Chemicals

In September last year, therewas an outbreak of lice in many of theschools. The school nurse from theRegional Health Unit sent out in­structions to use a shampoo, calledKwellada, containing the toxic pesti­cide lindane, on children's headswhich are found to contain lice or thenits.

A school in our schoolboard hada serious outbreak. On Thanksgivingweekend, a private pest control com­pany was contracted by the board tofumigate the school and the twentyschool buses going to that school. Thepesticide used on the baseboards wasdiazinon, a garden insecticide, andpyraphyrines were used as thefumigant.

The value of the exterminationprocedure resorted to is questionable,as lice thrive on heads and not onfloors, walls and ceilings. A scrupu­lous cleaning and scrubbing of desks,and keeping the infected children athome until the lice are eliminated,would have been preferable. It isevident that the current approach topest problems is chemical control.

Allergies to Classroom Pets

Many children delight in bring­ing their pets to the classroom. Mydaughter has seen gerbils, hamsters,mice, cats and puppies brought to herclass. Before I was aware of herallergies, I did not make a fuss and atthe time I did not know how tocorrelate the wheezing with theseexposures. As we learned her aller­gies. visits to homes with pets weredeclined.

I took the subject of pets takento the classroom as a triggering factorin asthma attacks to the Home and

School Association and to the princi­pal. The majority of the members ofthe Home and School scoffed atdepriving other children from enjoy­ing or learning about animalsbecause of one or two allergic kids.One mother emphasized that thehighlight of her son's year was bring­ing his pet to school. The principalexpounded on the benefits of bringinga dog obedience school or a zoo to theschool premises at certain times.

As I was very much outnum­bered by the pet proponents, myrecourse was to deal with mydaughter's teacher on a one-ta-onebasis, I typed a list of the differentthings we know our daughter is aller­gic to, and requested her to inform usif anyone is bringing a pet so we Cankeep her at home, Fortunately, she issympathetic to the allergy problemand she does not favour animalsbeing brought to class, in view of thechildren who have allergies andbecause she finds pets distracting.

Smoking in the SchoolS

It is fortunate that no staff­member smokes at the school. Itwould even be better if no smoking isallowed at all in the school premisesat any time, I have seen heavy smok­ing at parties. meetings or otheractivities held at the schools. I do notknow just how efficiently the ventila­tion system can flush the smoke fromthe air within a period of time. At aplay held at a school auditoriumrecently. although smoking is notallowed in the auditorium, the smokefrom the halls readily found theirway inside,

Hazards will always be foundand the only way for those withallergic children is to try and mini­mize these hazards, It will take a longtime yet for the public to recognizethe needs and problems of allergicchildren. In the meantime the onlyway to start the educational process isto effect change where it is possible.

THE HERBICIDE 2,4-D - Its Effects on Health

HUMAN ECOLOGY FOUNDAnON (CANADA) QUARTERLY V. 5 NO. I WINTER 1982

7

We are grateful to Dr. Vir­ginia R. Sa/ares of Ottawa,for the following article onherbicides.

The weedkiller 2,4-D first cameto my attention in 1976 when wemoved into our house. In our subur­ban community, there are fewerweedy lawns than manicured ones.Many of the residents are also near­ing retirement and tending their lawnhas become a pastime.

To my next door neighbour, hislawn is his obsession, mowing orrather scalping it two or three times aweek, spending endless hours with hismachine. Between mowings. the lawnis fed with generous amounts ofWeed'n'Feed and when some dande­lions manage to survive the on­slaught, the Killex is sprayed on.

Each spring, homeowners acrossthe country rush to their gardencenters to buy dandelion killers eithermixed with fertilizer, as a liquidspray or weedbar. The major ingredi­ent in these preparations is the chem­icaI2,4-D.

2,4-D is perhaps the most widelyused herbicide today. It is closelyrelated chemically to the other her­bicide 2,4,5-T. Both 2,4-D and 2,4,5­T are components of Agent Orange- the defoliant used massively inVietnam. The tetra-dioxin impurityof 2,4,5-T has been blamed in thehealth problems of Vietnam veterans.

In recent years, miscarriages inAlsea, Oregon were linked to spray­ings of the adjacent forests with2,4,5-T. Many uses of 2,4,5-T arenow restricted in the United States,although Dow Chemical is fighting tore-instate its use. AgricultureCanada maintains that 2,4,5-T issafe, if properly used. Ontario andtwo other provinces banned 2,4,5-T,and here 2,4-D has taken over most ofthe previous applications of 2,4,5-T.

2,4-D is a major agriculturalherbicide. It is used to control weedsin crops like wheat, rice, oats, etc. Butmillions of pounds each year are alsoused to clear roadsides, railroad andhydro rights of way, ditches, golfcourses, schoolyards and backyards.

It is interesting to note that thesolutions used to kill dandelions inlawns are twice as concentrated asthose used on agricultural crops.

The effects of 2,4-D on healthare known perhaps more than anyother herbicide. The results of experi­ments on animals and the reactions ofpeople exposed to it suggest that it isnot the safe chemical it is thought tobe. 2,4-D is weakly mutagenic andcan cause changes in the geneticmaterial. It has been shown to beteratogenic or birth-defect causing infour different animals.

There is still a question whetherit is carcinogenic or not. Experimentsdone in the early sixties suggestcarcinogenic activity, but these re­sults are criticized because they donot meet present standards of testing.While it is not yet established to be acarcinogen, Health and WelfareCanada continues to promote its use.

The reactions suffered by indi­viduals who have used it or beenaccidentally exposed to it vary fromheadache, nausea, dizziness, and lossof taste, to skin rashes, convulsions,tingling, flu-like symptoms, loss of co­ordination, swollen eyes, nerve dam­age and paralysis.

Two years ago, we asked theCarleton Board of Education to stopusing 2,4-D in its schoolyards. Briefsand presentations made to the Boardsucceeded in suspending its use in ourown school only in the summer of1980.

At the same time efforts weremade to stop local and regional mu­nicipalities from spraying parks androadsides. Ottawa responded by ban­ning its use temporarily, followingthe City of Toronto ban, while Ne­pean refused to ban it, conceding onlyby posting signs at park entrances fora few days after the spraying.

Last year with the 2,4-D issuevery much in the public eye, weapproached the Ottawa Board andthe Carleton Board simultaneously,and we succeeded in having 2,4-0banned by both Boards. The issuewas also taken to the Ottawa-Carle­ton Board of Health, and the region's

medical officer responded with guide­lines such as using it only when theneed is justified. The City of Ottawaagain debated whether to use it ornot, but chose to defer the decisionfor a year. Meanwhile, the parksmaintenance staff were furious,claiming that our beautiful city isgoing to weeds!

In May last year, I was verydistressed to hear that a resident inOttawa South had been sprayed with2,4-D. Maureen Harvey, a memberof the Foundation and who has chem­ical sensitivities, was inside hertownhouse when a private pest con­trol company contracted out by themanagement of the housing complexsprayed the grounds around theapartments. The strip of grass rightnext to the Harveys' open kitchenwindow was being sprayed whenMaureen started to shake and cryuncontrollably. The Harveys' 3'/,year old son, Devin, and a friend werewatching and chatting with one of themen spraying. Some of the spraysolution soaked into Oevin's shoesand pants.

The symptoms felt by the Har­vey family were multiple, and thefamily was forced to leave the apart­ment. After a few days when thefamily attempted to go back,Maureen lost her coordination andcollapsed on the floor. They had toleave again and had to live elsewherefor six weeks! Reports of the inci­dent were sent to local politicians, tothe Minister of the Environment andto the Regional Board of Health.However, no formal investigation wasmade. The men who did the sprayingdenied getting any of the spray intoOevin's clothes.

Two weeks after the incident,some Pollution Probe summer stu­dents, staff, Maureen Harvey andmyself contacted about a hundredhouseholds in the sprayed area to seeif anyone else had been affected.Thirty one individuals were found tosuffer the known acute toxic effects of2,4-0. The results of the survey wereas follows, with the number followingeach symptom corresponding to thenumber of times that symptom was

8

THE HERBICIDE 2,4-D - Its Effects on Health (continued)

HUMAN ECOLOGY FOUNDATION (CANADA) QUARTERLY V. 5 NO. 1 WINTER 1982

reported:

headaches (10); watery, burningor itching eyes (10); nausea (9);skin rashes (6); stomachaches(6); burning or itching skin (5);loss of appetite and taste impair­ment (5); dizziness (4); tiredness(4); breathing difficulty (4);weakness (3); diarrhea (3); blis­tered feet (3) and loss of motorcoordination (2).

Many of the people who re­ported suffering these symptomswere not in the area at the time of the

spraying but were out on the groundssometime after the spraying. Thepreliminary results were submitted tothe Regional Board of Health and tothe Minister of the Environment.However, neither department fol­lowed up any of the reported cases.

In recent weeks, the region'smedical officer announced starting aneducational campaign detailingsafety guidelines and recommenda­tions in using 2,4-0. Our previousyears' efforts in restricting the use of2,4-0 in urban areas have finally paidoff, with our Regional Board ofHealth's full support. However, until

the provincial Ministry of Health orHealth and Welfare Canada take thesame stand, citizens have to fight thisissue at their own schoolboards ormunicipal councils.

Meanwhile, I do not bring mychildren to parks or lawns which Iknow are sprayed, and I caution themto run into the house when my nextdoor neighbour is out with his spraycan.

Readers wishing to get moredetailed information on 2,4-Dcan send for a booklet fromPollution Probe- Ottawa,54-53 Queen SI .. Ottawa. On­tario KIP 5e5, enclosing 50for postage.

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INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE - Can Food Allergy Be Involved?

9

HUMAN ECOLOGY FOUNDATION (CANADA) QUARTERLY V. 5 NO. I WINTER 1982

We are grateful to Sherry A.Rogers. M.D.. F.A.CA. oJSyranlse, New ['ark Jor the[ai/owing contribution on therole of food allergy in in­flammatory bowel disease.

Food allergy presents undermany guises. One of the ways inwhich I have seen it masquerade is asinflammatory bowel disease. The fol­lowing are a few brief case histories.

I. P.S. is a 27 year old whitemale who was already known to thisoffice and was on inhalant injectionsfor control of his asthma. He also hada fifteen year history of Crohn'sdisease. At times he had as many asfourteen bloody bowel movements aday and had been on so much steroidthat when he coughed he fractured arib.

On several occasion his colitiswas uncontrollable and he eventuallyhad three small bowel resections. Inother words, a section of bowel wasremoved when the bleeding and ul­ceration could not be controlled withdrugs. He was advised the next timehe required surgery he would alsohave to have a colostomy for life.

2. J.R. is a 53 year old man whohad sinusitis, headache, dizziness andasthma for over twenty years. He alsohad many chemical hypersensitiv­ities. He had frequent, loose mushystools daily with a very foul odour tothe stool and passage of much gasthrough flatus and belching. This gaswas also foul smelling. He also com­plained of frequent soiling of hisunderwear. Bowel X·rays were re­portcd as "hyperirritable colon com­patible with spastic colon".

3. E.C. is a 72 year old womanwho had over twenty years of severeasthma and presented three yearsearlier for injection therapy. She wasmarkedly improved with serial dilu­tion titration as compared to conven­tional therapy that she had under­gone in many places around theworld. She was a well travelledwoman and had sufficient financialresources to enable her to go any­where she thought she might getrelief.

She also had an over twenty yearold diagnosis of ulcerative colitis. Shehad four to six bloody bowelmovements a day. She had had innu­merable bowel X-rays, sigmoidosco­pies, colonoscopies, and each timewas told that there was nothing morethat could be done for her.

All three of these patients un­derwent food testing via the provoca­tion~neutraJization technique of Dr.Miller. Within three weeks all threewere delighted to announce that theyhad one or two firm bloodless stools aday.

We have to be careful whenthese dramatic improvements occur,because the opponents of this methodof allergy treatment will at first saythat such improvement is coinciden­tal. We can prove that it is not, bytaking them olf their injections andolf the four-day rotation diet, andthey will resume their bloody diar­rhea. We have already done this.

Again the opponents will saythat we were just lucky and saw anormal remission of the disease inthree people simultaneously threeweeks after they began foodinjections.

On the other hand, we ourselveshave to be very careful that we do notmake the assumption that all peoplewith Crohn's disease, spastic colon, orulcerative colitis are told that theymerely have food allergies. I thinkone tip-olf that food allergy may be atthe root of the trouble, is that ifindeed the person has asthma, asthese three did, then he should defi­nitely undergo evaluation for foodsensitivities. If the person also hasfrequent earaches. sinusitis. postna­sal drip, or eczema, then evaluationfor foods is also warranted.

We have no trouble with theconcept that a person can smellfreshly mown grass and have a spasmof the bronchial smooth muscles.This we call asthma. Why thenshould we have trouble envisioning aperson ingesting a member of thegrass family, such as wheat, andhaving spasm of the smooth muscle ofthe intestinal tract resulting in diar­rhea and cramps, gas and bloating"It is really strange that we did notthink of food allergies sooner.

Instead, what do we do whenpeople have these inflammatory dis­eases of the bowel" We cut out partof the bowel and throw it away. Weput them on cell poisons or chemo­therapeutic agents. And, we try tocontrol them with steroids, whichhave a multitude of deleterious sideelfects. Should the condition notwarrant such drastic treatment mea­sures, we tell the patient that it iscaused by their nerves and we tellthem to try to calm down and learn tolive with it.

Meanwhile, is it not exciting toknow that there are a number ofpeople around who have a diagnosisof Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitisor spastic colon, who can be totallyimproved within 2 to 3 weeks'?

10

ANNOUNCEMENTS

HUMAN ECOLOGY FOUNDATION (CANADA) QUARTERLY V. 5 NO. 1 WINTER 1982

100% Cotton Styles at LessThan Retail Prices

I am launching a small clothingbusiness on a trial basis from myhome. Hopefully, by the time thisnewsletter reaches you, I'll be sellingladies' high style, good quality sport­swear at below retail price. I hope tohave 100% cotton blouses and skirts,corduroy dresses, and jeans, Anyoneinterested please call JackieSchwartz in Downsview at 638-9103after 5 pm, Business hours will be 1-3pm. and 7-9 pm, Monday to Thurs­day, or by appointment.

Magic Markers That Don'tSmell

We are grateful to HEF Toron­to's expert artist Ken Nice for tellingus about the Series 68 marker pensby Stabilo. These resemble magicmarkers in quality and colour but donot have the usual strong smell.Carolyn Small has tested about adozen different colours and does notseem to react adversely to them at all.

The pens are available in Toronto atCurry's Art Store on Yonge St.

U.S. Air Depollution Unitsnow in Canada

Frank Simpson of FrankSimpson Supplies Limited of Dun­das. Ontario has written to announcethat the Air Depollution Units pro­duced by Air Conditioning Engineersin Illinois will now be availablethrough his company. For furtherinformation on these air purifierswrite or call Frank at 9 PrincessCourt, Dundas, Ontario L9H 322,Te!: (416)-627-3895, A number ofecology patients in Canada havefound these units beneficial for re­moving air pollutants both in thehome and the automobile,

New Organic GardeningBusiness Starting inSpencerville

We will be planting approx­imately 10 acres of organic producein 1982, and will also have home­grown chickens, We are interested in

selling to people mai'nly in the Ot­tawa area, but would consider mak­ing some arrangements for deliveriesin Toronto at one main collectionpoint if there is sufficient interest.

If we could find a guaranteedmarket of people willing to contractin advance for good clean produce,perhaps even a year's supply, wecould concentrate more on growing ofvegetables and raising chickens, andless on the problems of distribution.Please place orders or make enquiriesby contacting: Jolene's Organic Gar­den, R.R.#5, Spencerville, OntarioKOE 1XO, Tel: (613)-658-2377.

A Toronto Fish StoreWith Clean Fish

We are grateful to BarbaraMowat of Inglewood, Ontario, forteIling lis that at least one fish storedoes not use antibiotics and otherpreservatives on their fish - UnionFish Store at 1101 Yonge St. (atDavisville Ave.) in Toronto. Call(4 I 6)-968-2265 to enquire abouttypes of fish available and to confirmthat their no-chemical policy is still ineffect.

Charter Class Fare to SCE Seminar in Banff, October 1982

Dr. John Maclennan has advised us that Travel Emporium of Dundas, Ontario has quoted a fare of $249 (plus$19.95 Canadian tax and $12 cancellation insurance) for a charter flight Toronto-Calgary return for the October 1982Advanced Seminar of the Society for Clinical Ecology, Banff, Alberta.

The flight will be on a Nordair Boeing 737, with free meals, leaving Toronto October 2nd and returning from Calgaryon October 9th. Anyone who wants to take advantage of this flight should contact Travel Emporium. 3 Church St.,Dundas. Ontario L9H 2X8, Tel: (4/6)-627-927/. The rate quoted is more favourable than Air Canada's 'Skysaver' fare,which is $283 plus $23 Canadian tax.

Dr. Maclennan notes that the Directors of the Society for Clinical Ecology have agreed to allow lay people to attendthe seminar. The registration fee for H.E.F. member> will be $75, and will include a copy of the syllabus for the meeting.SC E is currently investigating the availability of accomodation outside the Banff Springs Hotel, for persons with peculiardietary and ecological requirements.

Watch your Quarterly for further announcements about this important event.

J 1

COMICS

HUMAN ECOLOGY FOUNDAnON (CANADA) QUARTERLY V. 5 NO. 1 WINTER 1982

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12

PUBLICAnON AND MEMBERSHIP ORDER FORM

HUMAN ECOLOGY FOUNDATION (CANADA) QUARTERLY V, 5 NO, 1 WINTER 1982

publications available price

A Sublingual Method of Testing (Quarterly,Summer 1978) $ LOO

Arthritis and Food Allergy (Quarterly, Fall10~ 1~

Brief on Special Education Needs of ChildrenSensitive to Foods and Chemicals ne

Can Chemical Overexposure Trigger Sensitiv-ity? (Quarterly, Summer 1979) LOO

Canada's First Experimental Ecological House(Quarterly, Summer 1978) 1,00

Candida Albicans - Yeast Growth and Chemi-calSusceptibility (Quarterly, Fall 1980) LOO

Cleaning Out Pollutants in the Home (Quar-terly,FaIl1978) 1,25

Clinical Testing for Environmental Illness(Quarterly, Summer 1979) 100

Dear General Foods - by Ross Hume Hall,Ph,D, (Quarterly, Spring 1980) LOO

Ecological Housing for AlIergically SensitivePeople (HEF Canada Survey) LOO

Ecology, The Unborn Child. and Infant Feeding(Quarterly, Summer 1978) 1,00

Environmental Learning Centre - by AnnHilton (Quarterly, Winter 19801 LOO

Environmentally~ Triggered Heart Disease(Quarterly, Summer 1979) LOO

Food Allergens in Alcohol (Quarterly, Fall19~ l~

Food and Chemical Susceptibility (Quarterly,Fall 1980) LOO

Herbicides - Special Hazard to the ChemicallySensitive (Quarterly, Winter 19801 LOO

Hidden Allergens in Modern Food (Quarterly,Fall 1978) 1,50

High Technology Pizza - by Ross Hume Hall.Pb,D, (Quarterly, Summer 1980) LOO

Human Ecology and the Future (Quarterly,Spring 1980) 1,50

Hyperactivity and Its MaliY Causes (Quarterly.Fall 1978) LOO

Indoor Air Pollution - What Can People BeSensitive To? (Quarterly, Winter J979) 1.50

total Insulation - The Formaldehyde Nightmare(Quarterly, Winter 1980) LOO

Madeleine Dalcourt - Fighting for Rights inOHIP (Quarterly, Winter 1980) LOO

Mental Illness - A Link to Allergy (Quarterly,Spring 1979) 1,50

Pregnancy and Allergies (Quarterly, Winter1979) 1,50

Principles for Managing Food Sensitivities(Quarterly, Spring 1978) and the RotatingMenu - Key to Figuring Out Your FoodAllergies (Quarterly, Winter 1979) 3,00

Psychological Stress of Clearing From FoodAllergies (Quarterly, Spring 1979) 1,00

Rotary Diet - A Personal Experience by ElaineNaves (Quarterly, Spring/Summer 1980) 1,00

SCE Seminar 1980 - Water in Allergy, Arthri-tis. and Reasons for Success and Failure(Quarterly, Fall 1980) 1,50

Smoking - Is There an Easy Way to Quit?(Quarterly, Spring 1979) LOO

Taking Your Own Allergic History (Quarterly.Winter 1979) 2,00

Quarterly Back Issues Winter 1981 to Present(specify ) ea2,50

Common Sense for the Sensitive (HEF Canada,/98/,' member price $7.50, non-members$9,00)

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