With the advent of the internet, signing petitions has become a whole new way of life! But although not all of those that get launched are successful, there is no doubt that many are – and that it is a very cheap and relatively painless way of gathering support for causes that you believe in. So, can I beg your indulgence for a few more?…..
As you know, electrosensitivity comes high up on my list of ’causes’ so I was bound to look kindly on a request from Dave Ashton to publicise three petitions, one to the WHO via Avaaz and two via the Towards Better Health blog, to the UK and French governments.
The Avaaz petition calls for the WHO (World Health Organisation) to recognise both electromagnetic and chemical sensitivities as real diseases. This would be a really major step in getting both conditions taken seriously and even though we wouldn’t expect instant success, every bit of awareness raising helps.
They first of the Towards Better health petitions is to the UK Government calling on them to ‘Support Individuals with Electrosensitivity and Multiple Chemical Sensitivity’; the second is a Change.org petition to the French Ministry of Health (but those in the UK can still sign it) calling on them to ‘Urgently recognize electro-hypersensitivity as a disability’.
And – do air fresheners make you feel ill?
Do they affect your breathing if you are asthmatic? Do you dread going into a public toilet because of the blast of ‘pine freshness’ that will greet you? Annali certainly does and she has written about her sensitivities here on the Foodsmatter site.
She has started a 38 Degrees petition to the Minister for the Environment to have the use of air fresheners banned in public places – and you sign this one right here.
Yes these air fresheners are a problem for me as I have MCS, and also the highly perfumed soap in public toilets and I think they can do away with the air fresheners and have sensitive hand lotion. I carry a small tin with my hand made soap.
How about U.S. Citizans/residents. Shoul we sign or look for or start othe petitions.
Please do sign if they will allow you (I know that a number of US petitions will not accept signatures unless you can give a valid ZIP code but I don;t think that applies to European ones) – but maybe you would also like to start petitions in the US? All awareness raising is good – and petitions are a great way of raising awareness, even if they never each their target numbers or achieve immediate change.