http://curezone.com/blogs/m.asp?f=92&i=279 "I was going to speak up about the poison chemicals that are being used in the local bakery to clean and are making
a sweet girl there I have met get headaches."

In another blog you posted that you wanted to ask me about the chemical cleaners this worker was using: Pine-sol and bleach.

Regarding the use of these toxic chemicals, I'd suggest the worker:

1) Tell her employer that she is getting the headaches from the chemicals she is using.

2) Approach the employer with information about environmentally friendly/non-toxic cleaners as an alternative.

3) Document that she had this conversation--write it down for herself on paper, date it and sign it, example: "May 21, 2005: I spoke with boss so and so about my headaches. I told him that I get headaches when I...He said...I said..." etc.

4) If the young woman is unable to get the employer to stop using the toxic cleaners that are causing her symptoms, she has a right to file for worker's compensation, that she is being made sick, and that she approached the owner and was rebuffed.

5) If she has to quit her job because of her health concerns, not only can she file for workers' comp, she can apply for unemployment compensation benefits. She needs to tell the EDD people (unemployment) that she was made sick on the job by potent cleaning solutions and her employer wouldn't switch to something less toxic. I received unemployment when I quit a job, when I told EDD the job sent me to nursing homes and that the cleaners in the nursing homes made me sick.

6) I'd suggest she document her symptoms, and

7) Go to her doctor and have the doctor document her headaches: when they occur, what type they are, how long they last; rate her headache pain from 0 to 10, with 0 being no pain and 10 being you are incapacitated with pain. Document other symptoms as well, such as fatigue, nausea, weakness, etc. She will need all of this if she files a workers's comp claim, and may need it if she applies for unemployment compensation.

This is very serious as the worker could be poisoning herself for life. She does not need to put up with this. The job is not worth her health. I would suggest she needs to quit, as a last resort, if things don't change.

If she is getting headaches from the toxic cleaners, she may be at risk for developing MCS/EI (multiple chemical sensitivity/environmental illness). I believe that my MCS/EI started when I used bleach and lysol daily to clean bathrooms when I was in my twenties and worked for a cleaning service to make money for college.

YOU'D BE DOING HER A GREAT FAVOR TO GIVE HER THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE DO IT:

1) Give her some information about MCS/EI. A good one I refer people to for basic information is: http://www.nau.edu/~ihd/aztap/mcs.html

2) Give her the websites to cleaning companies who sell environmentally friendlier, safer, nontoxic cleaning supplies. Some have "industrial strength" cleaners for businesses: a) Ist EnviroSafety, Inc (www.1stenvirosafety.com)
b) Bi-O-Kleen Industries (www.bi-o-kleen.com)
c) Ecover (www.ecover.com)
d) Planet (www.planetinc.com)
e) Seventh Generation (www.seventhgeneration.com)
f) Solutions-4-You (www.road-to-health.com/solutions_4_you.htm) This company has a product called Ultra-Safe + that is used to kill bacteria in hospitals, yet the product itself is environmentally friendly and biodegradable--if it can be used to sterilize a hospital, then it certainly is strong enough for a bakery!

More information about environmentally friendlier, non-toxic products can be found through an on-line catalog, National Green Pages, put out by Coop America (www.coopamerica.org). Go to this site, and click on the icon "National Green Pages".

3) Give her the name and number of the Green Restaurant Association. I do not have this information, but I know you do. They may be able to help her talk to her employer.

Now that you are aware of the situation, I feel it is your responsibility to provide this information to her, to do more than write about it in a blog. Ultimately, it is the worker's decision if she chooses to put any of this information to use.

Please write about the outcome. Tell her I care. Thank you for posting this story on your blog, as it gives people the opportunity to help each other.

Liora Leah