I seem to have given the impression that I think people with MCS are
fanatics. That is pretty far from the truth. I have devoted my life to
healthy construction, especially to those with MCS. Anyone who has read
my books will realize that. However, I have worked with a few such
people who are irrational. This isn't surprising when you realize that
they represent a cross section of society, and there are some members of
society who are indeed irrational.
I would NEVER advocate any material universally for chemically sensitive
people. There are just too many variations among people for anything to
be universally tolerable. However, once it has had some time to air out,
silicone caulking is often well tolerated. But not universally. For
example. I have heard of some women who have had trouble with silicone
breast implants who can't be around silica sand. I would never suggest
that they even try to use silicone caulking.
One of the things that bothers me about people who want all-natural
materials is the fact that, based on 12 years of experience, I often
find that some synthetic products are better tolerated by sensitive
people. You mentioned lead and asbestos in your note. They are both
all-natural, yet far from healthy. I don't advocate either natural or
synthetic. I advocate what works for a particular individual in a
particular application.
Finally, I wasn't the first one to use the word "fanatic." I was simply
responding to someone else's query. I apologize for any offense given.
It certainly wasn't intended.
-- John Bower The Healthy House Insttute Visit our web site: http://www.hhinst.com/ email: healthy@bloomington.in.us430 N. Sewell Road Bloomington, IN 47408 812-332-5073 fax 812-332-5073 __________________________________________________________________ This greenbuilding dialogue is sponsored by Oikos (www.oikos.com) and Environmental Building News (www.ebuild.com). For instructions send e-mail to greenbuilding-request@crest.org. __________________________________________________________________