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We are a charitable, non-profit group started in 2004, presently with a membership of over 1,800. We help and support people who suffer from multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS) by providing resources, education, advocacy, and awareness. Our projects are aimed at addressing isolation and exclusion caused by MCS and creating an affordable, healthy, and ecological housing project in the Laurentians. We provide workshops on various topics, such as workplace accommodation, to ensure accessibility and employment. We advocate for the recognition, respect, and understanding of this disability, as well as promote this disability in the health field and in social services. We work with all levels of government, institutions, and industry to educate and inform the public about this disability. We also provide ecological solutions for everyday living and actively promote healthy spaces as a means of PREVENTION of multiple chemical sensitivities.
More than 1 million Canadians
aged 12 years and above have a medical diagnosis of Multiple Chemical Sensitivities
Representing
3.5% of the Canadian population
of which around
72% are women
with a significant number (around 49%) over 55 years of age.
(Statistics Canada 2020)
.
.
From conception to death, all humans are continuously exposed to and contaminated with a plethora of synthetic chemicals. This can change genes and how they function, and increases the risks of developing autism, allergies, and asthma in children, infertility and poorer pregnancy outcomes, some cancers, and chronic cardiovascular, respiratory, and neurodegenerative diseases as we age. Chemical contamination of the indoor environment poses a risk of developing sensitivities to multiple chemicals (MCS), which emanate from common scented products, such as perfumes, soaps, shampoos, cleaning products, and fabric softeners. Furthermore, these chemically sensitive people are also more likely than healthy people to develop many other chronic medical conditions (Statistics Canada).
Guide to healthy and ecological alternatives for daily living
Are you concerned about the environment, your health and that of your family? Would you like to switch the products you use every day to healthier alternatives, but you don’t know where to start? Then this guide will be very useful for you. You will find ingredients to avoid in common products and materials (construction, housekeeping, personal hygiene…) but, more importantly, you will find more suitable options that respect your health. This guide will guide you in your consumption choices and allow you to opt for simpler and more natural solutions. Become eco-responsible and take back control of your daily life! Share this guide with family and friends and post on your social media! Let us become the change we want to see!
People with multiple chemical sensitivities must avoid everyday exposures in the environment and describe themselves as canaries in the coal mine. What are they warning everyone else about?
The World Health Organization now states that pollution exposure is the 5th risk factor for developing chronic diseases, including cardiovascular, respiratory, neurodevelopmental diseases (autism) and neurodegenerative disorders (Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s).
Making the world a safer place by reducing pollutant exposures benefits everyone.
We need safer environments now. We are counting on you to join us and make that happen.
ASEQ-EHAQ welcomes you as a member whether you experience multiple chemical sensitivities, or not.
Come help us create healthier environments.
We have a stronger voice with greater numbers.
Do exposures to perfumes, chemicals from personal, cleaning, renovation products, newsprint, petrochemicals (gasoline, car exhaust, etc.), new products, mould, etc., make you ill with a variety of symptoms ranging from mild to severe – that make it impossible for you to live the life you had? Do you feel worse at home? Or do you feel worse in the workplace? Can you tell what triggered this problem? When did it start?
According to Statistics Canada (2020), 1 130 800 persons have a medical diagnosis of Multiple Chemical Sensitivities, and statistics show that this number is increasing! Around 72% are women, and close to 50% are over the age of 55 – this shows that the prevalence increases with age.
To suffer from multiple chemical sensitivities is a life-changing experience. Often the health support systems in place are unable to help, advise, diagnose or treat the individual. The person is left feeling very alone and confused, unable to understand why their condition cannot be taken care of – and why they are so strongly stigmatized. However, it is very important to know that you can manage your condition by taking appropriate and timely measures and by educating family and friends so that you can receive support. Having reliable information at this crucial time and acting on it is key to good management. Click here to read more on how to manage multiple chemical sensitivities.
Thank you for visiting our website to learn about multiple chemical sensitivities. If you are here for a family member or a friend: we commend you for wanting to help someone get better or to support them through a very difficult period of their lives.
What happens when you get ill? All you want to do is heal so you can get back to life. You will do everything to get better. That is the same for people who suffer from this health condition.
To best manage multiple chemical sensitivities, one has to avoid all the triggers that cause the person to have symptoms. Very often this translates to having clean air, clean water, organic food and an extremely healthy lifestyle.
Why is the image of a canary used to represent people with environmental sensitivities/multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS)?
Until the advancement of modern technology, coal miners would work underground accompanied by canaries because they are particularly sensitive to carbon monoxide. Any sign of distress from the canary was a clear signal warning to the otherwise unaware miners that the environmental conditions in the mine were unsafe and that they should be evacuated.
People with ES/MCS are like the canaries in the coal mine. They are sensitive and have reactions to substances or phenomena in our environment at levels that are tolerated by people who do not have ES/MCS.
Their condition may be invisible, but it is real, and they are warning others that common environmental exposures can negatively impact many chronic medical conditions and pregnancy outcomes.
People with MCS can identify the effects of these exposures immediately, but you don’t have to have MCS to still be harmed.
The human canaries are warning that the environment is pushing us along a continuum leading to the emergence of more and more cases of common chronic diseases, starting at birth.
ECOASIS is an affordable, healthy housing project that will be built on 25 acres of land in the Laurentians. It consists of 40 units, a community hall, organic gardens and trails. ASEQ-EHAQ thanks our partners and supporters who have worked diligently alongside us for many years, giving of their time, energy and expertise, for the realization of this much-needed housing, for people who are ‘homeless’ and in dire need of healthy housing.
Multiple chemical sensitivities cause extreme isolation and exclusion to the individual. To counter this, there will be online education and support for members. These meetings will cover the illness in depth and offer good management strategies to manage the condition.
The month of May is the month for awareness and education on multiple chemical sensitivities and May 12 is multiple chemical sensitivities day.
Visit this page to see the events for the month of May and how you can join to participate.
The Impacts of COVID-19 Health Measures on the Quality of Life of Adults with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity – A Qualitative Study
ASEQ-EHAQ is presenting a qualitative research study on the challenges faced by individuals with Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study aims to explore the pandemic’s physical, medical, and social impacts, as well as coping strategies. The research aims to raise awareness, inform policymakers, and promote accommodation measures to improve the lives of those affected by MCS.
ASEQ-EHAQ experienced a 33% rise in phone support requests due to COVID-19. The MCS/COVID-19 project aims to raise awareness and educate stakeholders on the challenges faced by people with multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS) during the Pandemic.
Funded in part by Accessibility Standards Canada, and with ethics approval from Women’s College Hospital, Toronto, this research project seeks to enhance indoor air quality (IAQ) and accessibility for individuals with multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) and other disabilities. Focusing on built environments – spaces for human activities like buildings and urban areas – the study examines how design, practices, and materials impact IAQ. As Canadians spend around 90% of their time indoors, IAQ significantly affects well-being and accessibility. Barriers to employment, programs, and services arise for those with certain disabilities due to indoor air quality issues. The research targets five main areas: establishing links between built environment features and IAQ, understanding IAQ policy interpretation by administrators, exploring the connection between comfort and IAQ, assessing stakeholder knowledge on IAQ maintenance, and improving policymaking through attitude insights. The study includes Indoor Air Quality Analysis, Building Characteristics, Policy, and Occupant Surveys. Participants share opinions on barriers limiting access and their impact on daily life. A pre-screening questionnaire determines eligibility, and eligible individuals participate in focus group sessions later.
Email: IAQreaearch@aseq-ehaq.ca
Telephone: (514) 332-4320
ASEQ-EHAQ, collaborated with UQAM, the Service aux collectivités de l’UQAM and TELUQ to develop a project on multiple chemical sensitivities funded by the Ministry of Education, Québec (Ministère de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport). Thirty people were trained from eleven regions of Quebec, and workshops were held on the biological and legal aspects of ES, covering ten regions of Quebec.