When your child or young adult has environmental illness (MCS or EHS)

 

Linda’s Airstream in the yard of the rooming house in 2002.

 

Multiple chemical sensitivity and electromagnetic hypersensitivity can strike kids, teenagers, and young adults. That causes extra problems than if it happens later in life.

 

Keywords:    children, teenagers, young adult, multiple chemical sensitivity, MCS, electromagnetic hypersensitivity, EMR syndrome

 

 

Multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) and electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS) usually starts when people are in their thirties or forties. But they can start much earlier too.

 

When people get sick that early, that causes several additional problems.

 

Will they grow out of it?

The good news is that people who get the illness early seem to have a much higher chance of recovering than people who get sick in their thirties or later. They may not go out and live the full toxic lifestyle, but they can live what to others look like a normal life.

 

This has not been studied scientifically, so we do not have any statistics. We only have observations.

 

We also do not know why younger people are more likely to recover. Perhaps it is simply because of a more youthful “life force,” just as young people recover from injuries much faster than older people. Or it may be because their bodies are still developing and somehow becomes better at dealing with the onslaught.

 

Schooling

School can be really difficult. Kids can be little Darwinian monsters that pounce on a classmate that appears to be “weak” or “different.” Particular trouble spots can be the school bus and the locker room after gym class, where kids can feel more free to be rowdy. The locker room is also particular toxic because of the soaps, shampoos, and other products.

 

Some parents may be willing to stop perfuming their kids, while others will see any such request as an attack on their personal freedom.

 

It may be possible to negotiate some accommodations at the school, such as seating your child around “safe” classmates or at a separate table. This would also be needed at lunch, though if the school already has a peanut-free lunch table, the other kids already there may also be sensitive to chemicals and/or radiation.

 

Many schools do ban cell phones, but they will likely be very resistant to turning off their wireless network – even for just one classroom. There have already been a lawsuit on that issue (G. v. Fay School, 2019). It went to the federal First Circuit Appeals Court and did not prevail.

 

One British teenage girl, Jenny Fry, committed suicide because she was forced to endure Wi-Fi in her school, and her teachers were nasty to her when she asked for help.

 

Kids with EHS can have a hard time dodging electronic
gadgets, and feeling excluded. Illustration by Scott K.,
using Google Gemini Imagin AI

 

Some parents have moved their kids to other schools where they were more welcome. Some alternative schools, such as Montessori, tend to have more open-minded parents and teachers, and we have heard about families who have had better luck there. In some cases, the families had to move long-distance to find such a school.

 

We have heard of one Montessori school in Sweden that accommodated several kids with EHS by not using computers in the classroom.

 

Homeschooling

Sometimes it simply won’t work sending your kid to a school. Some families have had to do homeschooling instead. This worked out well in cases where one parent had MCS or EHS and had to stay at home anyway.

 

In America, homeschooling is commonly done for religious reasons, by parents who do not want their child exposed to secular thinking. It is also done for kids with various other disabilities, where the needs are simply too great for a local school to handle.

 

Some countries do not allow homeschooling, as the parents’ abilities to be good teachers vary and can make the child disadvantaged for life. The logic is that “every child” who is disabled will be accommodated, except this does not include MCS and EHS. This has been an issue in Sweden.

 

In America, there are a lot of resources to support homeschooling, including books and other teaching materials. There are websites offering online tutorials for kids to do self-studying. Some of it is sectarian, but much is secular. There are also social media sites that support parents doing homeschooling.

 

In Australia, homeschooling is standard for children living on remote ranches. They use short-wave radios to attend classes (grades 1 through 8). It may be possible to be accepted for such a program, if within reach of a station, though the kids are gathered once a year to meet each other in person.

 

If you need to homeschool in a language where few materials are available, consider using American materials. Teaching partly in English could provide a useful skill for your child.

 

Isolation

Kids and teenagers are programmed by nature to seek out their peers. They want to fit in and be part of a group.

 

Interaction with other children, and a variety of adults, are important for them to mature. It must be in person to be effective, too much is lost when just communicating through a screen.

 

Play-dates may be possible for younger kids, if the other parents will be cooperative. One way to do this is for the visiting kid to shower just before leaving home and then upon arrival change into a set of non-toxic clothes you keep. This can work if the other parent refrains from using highly scented products at home (those don’t just wash off). You may need to consider how the kid is transported too, as hair can pick up fumes from newer cars, and the driver.

 

It may work to visit other kids if they have a porch or a yard to be outside in. It needs to be close by, so you can get home quickly when your child needs to use the restroom.

 

Try to provide safe things the kids can play with together, so the other kid would want to visit again.

 

Young girls like to play with cosmetics. Most of that is simply too toxic, but there are non-toxic brands available. Do make sure to test beforehand, as what is labeled as “non-toxic” may not actually be safe.

 

Girls want to experiment with cosmetics. Better to supply something
non-toxic than take chances on what a buddy may have on hand.
Illustration generated by Scott K., using Google Gemini Imagin.

 

For older children, there are many forms of outdoor activities, where they can be with others and still keep a safe distance from their perfumes and laundry chemicals. This includes ball games, bicycling, and hiking. It is best to avoid situations that involve showering in a locker room, as the other children will surely bring perfumey shampoos and soaps.

 

Combating inactivity

The worst is to allow your child to become inactive, such as spending all day on social media, watching television or online video. It is far too easy to fall into that habit. And as time passes, it will become harder and harder to get out of that hole.

 

It breeds a passive mind, addiction, depression, anxiety, and other mental illnesses. It can also cause an unhealthy fascination with conspiracy theories and extreme beliefs.

 

Getting out of the house is important, just to see something different. There are likely some safer places to go, such as a city park on a weekday when there are few people. Many museums have pretty good air quality inside, when there are few visitors. They tend to have large rooms with high ceilings that dilute chemical fumes, and many have no carpeting. The zoo may also work.

 

Having a variety of hobbies is a good way to beat the inactivity trap. Art is a common way, such as painting with water colors, photography or quilting. Gardening is another wholesome activity. There are many other possibilities.

 

It may look impossible, but some young people do recover from the illness after some years. It makes sense to prepare for that possibility, by building job skills. That also gives a sense of accomplishment, which helps self-esteem, and staves off depression. Even just actively doing things help build basic job skills.

 

Some sort of volunteering may work for a teenager or young adult, if done outdoors or in a rather safe building (such as one with high ceilings). Volunteering can be a great skill-builder and will look good when applying for a job later in life.

 

If you have other children

Children who do not have the sickness themselves will rebel against any restrictions, and be upset if they can’t have friends visit. This is especially so when they are teenagers and want to fit in with their peers, including using the same toxic products.

 

Creative solutions may work better than blanket restrictions. In any case, there will be “mishaps” that have to be dealt with, whether accidental or not.

 

You can issue them clothes that are only used at home, and clothes only used when outside the house. When they return home, they shower and change clothes.

 

Consider dividing the home into a fully pristine section, and one not quite as pristine.

 

Teenagers want to use the internet. Providing them with a laptop computer and a corded non-wireless connection should suffice, though they’ll likely prefer what their friends are using.

 

Allowing any wireless gadget inside the house can be trouble. Even if it is okay to use in one end of the house, it will find its way to the rest. Teenagers are scatterbrains.

 

A cell phone “corral” of steel wire mesh, which both reduces
any radiation and allows you to see the contents from a distance.

 

You could have a metal basket by the door, that they have to deposit their gadgets in. They will still need to fully power down, but when they forget, the basket will provide some shielding. It directs the radiation upwards. A wire basket will allow you to eyeball compliance.

 

You can check whether the electronic gadget is on by holding an AM radio next to it. This is an easy and foolproof method. The gadget cannot turn itself on if it passes this test (not even by some spy agency).

 

Housing

You will need to make your home safe for your child. How involved that is depends on how severe the illness is. This website has much information on how to do that (see at end).

 

What some families have done with older children and young adults is create a separate little apartment. This allows the child to live more independently, and gives the rest of the family a break.

 

This has been done by turning a garage into a living space, by finishing the walls with safe materials.

 

Others have put up a camping trailer in the yard, though trailers are notorious for getting moldy. It may be impossible to find one that will work, as they are very toxic when new.

 

Financial problems

When people get sick early, they may not ever hold any jobs. And it may also have limited their schooling. This causes life-long financial trouble.

 

In some countries, it is necessary to have worked for several years to qualify for disability benefits and health care coverage.

 

In the United States, people who have not worked much can only qualify for Supplemental Social Income, which doesn’t pay enough to live on. As the name suggests, it is only “supplemental.” And in old age, Medicare costs more for people with few work credits.

 

When people get sick early, they often become dependent on their parents for many decades. And what to do once the parents are no longer able to provide for them?

 

Recovery

Your child may recover after a few years, a decade, or even longer. That is a joyful time, though it also means new challenges.

 

Recovery likely means a need to join the work force. That can be a brutal experience. Employers prefer to hire people with job experience, even for entry-level jobs. They know people who have not worked or been in school for a long time tend to lose basic job skills, such as showing up on time, being productive, and following the boss’ directions.

 

Employers are not going to be enthusiastic about a job applicant who is over thirty years old and have never had a real job. It may help to demonstrate that the years of illness were not totally lost, if the time was spent doing some sort of volunteer work or other skill-building activities.

 

Remember the parents

Being a parent of a kid with any disability is difficult. There is both the extra effort it takes to manage the situation, and the guilt many parents feel.

 

Parents with a child who has MCS or EHS often blame themselves. It is easy to think “I have bad genes” or “what if I hadn’t used a cell phone while pregnant” or “what if I had eaten organic foods instead of junk,” or so many other recriminations.

 

The basic fact is that we still don’t know what actually causes these diseases. And the health authorities have not issued any guidelines about how to prevent them, or even anything that might lessen the odds. And so many parents have fully healthy kids, despite doing all sorts of things that don’t seem healthy.

 

I’m sure you know all this, and it won’t just wave away the guilt, but it needs mentioning: It is not your fault. Things do happen.

 

It is also important to remember that mom and dad also need a break now and then. There must be some downtime, to relax, to do something enjoyable, or just do nothing at all. It is better for the kids too, that their parents are not overly stressed.

 

Try to find other parents in the same situation. It can be immensely validating to talk to someone else who knows exactly what you are going through.

 

Look for a social media group. If you can’t find one covering your area and language, create one and announce it on social media or newsletters. It is not difficult to do.

 

Summer camp

The Swedish group of parents whose kids have EHS has organized summer camps. The camps were held at a sort of wilderness lodge, deep in a forest where there was no electricity, and cell phones got no reception. Any sort of electronic gadget was banned.

 

The kids did traditional camp activities, such as singing, ball games, theater, and swimming in a lake. The parents networked about their common concerns.

 

 

More information

The pediatrician Doris Rapp has written multiple books about children with MCS..

 

For articles about coping with MCS and EHS, go to www.eiwellspring.org.

 

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