About EI Wellspring

We are a small, non-profit think tank. Our primary purpose is to provide practical information for people with severe multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) and electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS/ES). MCS and EHS are closely related illnesses, which together are referred to as environmental illness (EI).

We started in 2007 and are based in the United States. Most of our readers are in North America, but our site is accessed from more than a hundred countries each month. We therefore try to make our articles globally relevant. We are aware that building codes, practices and product availability can vary by country.

We specialize in articles about how to modify the home environment so people with MCS/EHS can live a life in dignity. We prefer to write about methods that have proven themselves to work and we usually avoid untested ideas. We provide enough details to make it possible to do the projects successfully, though that means our articles tend to be long and may be overwhelming to some — sorry, there are few one-page answers to difficult issues!

We do not cover treatments, since we have no medical qualifications.

The information presented reflects the experience and opinions of individuals who wish to help others. Naturally, what works for one person may not work for another. The reader should evaluate the information in the context of his or her own situation, and apply good judgment and common sense before following suggestions presented.

Read our story.

About environmental illnesses

Environmental illness is an intolerance to something at a level that does not affect healthy people. It may even be at such a low level that healthy people are not even aware of it. Multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) is an intolerance to chemicals such as fragrances, pesticides, food additives, solvents, ink fumes, etc. Electrical sensitivity (EHS) is an intolerance to radiation from power lines, wireless devices, computers, etc. Some are also affected by extremely low levels of mold, sunlight or sound.

People's levels of sensitivity vary dramatically. The vast majority have the mild form where they are able to live normal lives as long as they reduce their exposures. Their family and co-workers may not even be aware of it. Those with the severe versions have great trouble functioning in normal society. They have to make major modifications to their lifestyle and struggle to hold on to their jobs or have had to stop working.

Since there is a social stigma, many people prefer to keep their illness secret.

The information here may seem extreme to people who do not have severe environmental illness. We do not suggest these measures be used by those who do not need them. Of course, common sense is always a good idea. Children and pregnant women should avoid toxic chemicals and wireless gadgets — even though this presently may seem like a tall order.

Buyer Beware

It is our opinion that some products advertised to people with environmental illnesses are of very dubious value. We have also heard many credible stories where a product has been helpful to some and harmful to others. We thus urge caution and healthy skepticism. Try a little of a product first before committing yourself, especially if a failure will be expensive or have severe consequences. Some people have literally lost their homes because they didn't test a "safe" product first.

We also suggest a healthy skepticism towards any consultant in this area, whether paid or not. Some consultants lack sufficient educational background to fully understand the issues. This is especially a problem with EMF mitigation, which is a complicated area with many common myths. A college degree in engineering, physics or related fields is often necessary to give competent advice. Be especially skeptical when the consultant sells a particular product, as it is easy to promote it as a solution to "all" problems.

No advertising or other commercial influences

This is a non-profit organization completely focused on serving the MCS/EHS community.

We do not accept any advertising. We have no ads, no sponsored content, no sponsored links, no product placement, no "free" infomercial articles, etc. The management of this site does not offer any paid consulting services, and does not have any commercial interest in any product.

We do not have any corporate sponsors.

About our authors

The vast majority of our articles are written by people with a degree in engineering or other scientific backgrounds (our editor has a Master's degree in engineering). Most articles are about the author's personal experience, or otherwise about an area the author has experience in.

Our authors are not paid for their work, they simply want to help others.

We do not believe any of our authors have conflicts of interest, unless one is stated.

Some of our authors wish to remain anonymous, but their identity is known to the site management.

Services

We are not able to help individuals. We are a very small operation with many more worthy projects than we can do as it is.

If you have a question or can't find what you are looking for, try the search function at the top of this page.

For our readers with electrical sensitivities

Many people with severe EHS are unable to use a computer and the Internet, yet unfortunately there doesn’t seem to be a good alternative way to make the information available inexpensively. To help those who can't use a computer, the site and its articles were designed so that a helper can print out the menus and articles for the EHS sufferer to read and select from. Most documents are available in Acrobat format (PDF), which should be universally printable.

Due to staffing and funding limitations, we are unable to offer paper copies through the mail. There are individuals in the disability community who will print out articles from the web and mail them to you for a reasonable fee.

The issues facing people with EHS are sometimes more complex than the issues that pertain purely to MCS. Consequently, many of the articles pertaining to EHS are more technical in nature.

Readers with slow internet service

Some of our readers have slow internet service, so we try to make the HTML version of our documents fast to download. Some web browsers have the option to not download pictures, unless they are clicked upon. Choosing this option can help.

Legal disclaimer

See our legal disclaimer.