European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 08, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Chemicals by Mary Esch the associated press Ike Thoreau Peggy Magidson went to the Woods because she wished to live simply. But she was driven by chemistry not philosophy. Even is autumnal nights chill to the 20s, Magidson lives in a campsite at frosty acres Campground about 20 Miles West of Albany . In the agrarian Hills above the Mohawk Valley. Swaddled in 12 layers of Cotton v clothing she sleeps in a Hammock Strung under hemlocks and beeches. She crawls into a Small tent when nights Are frigid. She has taken Refuge Here from the ubiquitous _. Chstr rivals of the civilized world. Like the tuberculosis patients who fled to the Pine scented air of the Adirondacks a Century ago Magidson says the fresh air on her windswept Ridge is letting her slowly recover from a debilitating affliction called multiple chemical sensitivity. One Day i m president of a company the next i m a derelict on the Street says Magidson 43, who ran a telemarketing firm from her new York City apartment until the illness struck three years ago and left her unable to enter her Home or any other building without becoming violently ill. F it was a Shock she  spent three nights wandering the streets. I Felt like something Between an animal and a guerrilla  multiple chemical sensitivity now under study by the environmental Protection Agency is a controversial  some doctors say it s psychological. And among those who consider it a physical disorder there is disagreement Over what causes it How to define it and How to treat it. For some new syndrome to gain medical credibility there has of be some scientific research done on it says or. Kelley brix a chemical exposure expert for the state health department so far there has t been much research done on  advocates like maty Lamielle president of the National Center for environmental health strategies in Voorhees n.j., say the illness afflicts Between 15 percent and a third of the population with varying severity symptoms Are triggered by perfumes cigarette smoke car exhaust photocopier Ink pesticides Mold plastics carpeting polyester dry cleaning chemicals floor Wax and other common substances. They include wheezing sinusitis sore throats headaches rashes nausea dizziness fatigue and impaired memory and concentration. The medical Community has been trying to discredit this says Lamielle herself a sufferer. / but the trend among researchers is that there does appear to be a physiological basis although there May be psychological aspects As  slitting on a Mossy Rock in the Woods Magidson looks like a Pale Gypsy. Her fair skin is lined and at times blotched with red. Her hair the soft Silver of a Squirrel s Tail brushes shoulders wrapped in a ragged beige and Salmon Navajo print Cotton Blanket. Her lean body is layered with flannel shirts sweaters bleach stained dungarees and worn leather shoes with broken knotty laces. /-. The clothing As Well As the pile of towels Magidson sleeps on is faded from elaborate cleansing in bleach vinegar and baking soda. She stays at least 10 feet from any visitor. She dons a filter mask if someone is wearing perfume or if she has to go into the nearby restroom Cabin or Campground office. She asks an interviewer to write with a Pencil because Ink makes her  oxygen tanks sit propped against a tree stump in Case she has breathing difficulty. The Only furniture is a Metal folding chair and a picnic table piled with supplies beneath a rain Tarp. Yellow leaves Drift into cases of bottled water and caffeine free Coke Staples of Magidson s special diet. I w i r which includes boiled Lamb Brown Rice and vegetables. I used to be a fashionable executive lady with designer dresses and High heels she says laughing at her Bohemian appearance. This is not a lifestyle i chose. It s what i have to do to  originally from St. Louis Magidson went to the University of Michigan and then the school of visual arts in new York. She worked As a photo stylist setting up fanciful Tableaux for and before she started a telemarketing firm specializing in the environmental cleanup Industry she was a polished professional. One of the most All about multiple chemical sensitivity Here s a look at multiple chemical sensitivity what is it that s open to debate. Some physicians and psychiatrists consider it an anxiety disorder or phobia other doctors scientists and advocates Call it a form of poisoning caused by chemical exposure which leads to an exaggerated sensitivity to a wide Range of substances. Symptoms vary with individuals but May include rashes sinus problems headaches fatigue gastrointestinal upsets weakness exaggerated sense of smell wheezing coughing sore Throat and impaired memory or concentration. Triggers air fresheners perfumes newsprint tobacco smoke paint pesticides Auto exhaust photocopiers disinfectants plastics aftershave fabric softeners dry cleaning chemicals adhesives inks carpeting floor Wax Potpourri laser printers. Advocacy groups human ecology action league . Box 49126, Atlanta ca., 30359. Publishes the human ecologist quarterly offers information and assistance to those injured by chemical exposures advocates nontoxic products. National Center for environmental health strategies. 1100 Rural ave., Voorhees n.j., 08043 Telephone 609 429-5358. Publishes a newsletter acts As an information Clearinghouse lobbies on pcs issues in Congress International Institute of research for chemical hypersensitivity . Box 879, Alto n.m., 88312. Sponsors research and publishes informed consent Magazine . Box 1304, Minot n.d., 58702. The associated press dynamic people i know says James Trillinger owner of a new York City telemarketing firm that subcontracted work from Magidson. Her reverse metamorphosis from Urban social Butterfly with a growing business to Hermit cocooned in Cotton in the Woods began in 1991. I was hit with a biological and a chemical contaminant in my Coop apartment she says. After spending More than $30,000 to have private testing laboratories investigate the contaminants were identified she says. She won t specify them publicly however because she has filed lawsuits. The toxic exposure caused damage that left her extremely sensitive to a wide Range of common substances says Magidson and her physician or. Steven Colby chief of infectious diseases at Brooklyn interfaith medical Center. I could t see straight. My sense of balance was off like i Vas walking on jello she says. I had a Raspy cough burning in my lungs and nasal passages and a wild crazy heartbeat. And it did something weird to my sense of smell like it was  having abandoned her contaminated belongings Given up her business because she could no longer run it and spent All her Money 6n doctors and investigators Magidson was dependent on Charity. She lived in a Friend s apartment for two years in a Safe room sealed from irritating chemicals. When floor care products in that building made her sick she appealed to Friend John Fridholm who let her set up a Metal shed i his Lakeside property near Schenectady. She lived outside Here for a while and was making Progress Fridholm says. But  town came by spraying malathion for mosquitoes and she had to  Magidson who is on welfare has asked the Schenectady county department of social services to provide her with a trailer furnished to specifications in a 82-Page statement on her medical condition from Colby. We looked into special housing but there is no provision in our regulations says Richard Staszak the social services commissioner. The Agency offered to Send Magidson to a Dallas facility that specializes in chemical sensitivities but she declined citing Legal work she must attend to and tests and treatment continuing with her own doctor. The perfumes and poisons of modern life have sent Peggy Magidson fleeing to the Woods where she Hopes to recover from multiple chemical sensitivity. Magidson is still hoping to persuade state and local officials to make an exception for her and build a special trailer at frosty acres. There she can pass the Winter organizing medical and Legal papers sketching and writing a Book about her experiences using a Crow Quill pen and Ink she made from Walnut shells and beets. I want people to know that people who have this Are not freaks nor Are they crazy Magidson says. I just want to recover and go Back to real life. And up Here i m slowly getting  cbs1 i Anthony Edwards played a character on Northern exposure whose Many allergies forced him to Wear a space suit so he could move about freely. Corn could become a valuable chemical source. Better living through Corn by Bill Virgin Seattle Post intelligencer o you it s an ear of Corn. To Terry brix it s a petrochemical refinery. Locked within the Corncob s Humble kernels Are the Basic components of such chemicals As ethylene glycol propylene glycol and Glycerine chemicals used to make everything from toothpaste to moist dog food to Antifreeze. It s the Mission of brix and the company in Heads International to fool chemicals inc. In Redmond to free them. International Polpol is developing and comm Ernali my to technology to make petrochemicals from carbohydrates the starches and sugars found in crops such As Corn and  Cane. Doing so brix says would give the world a plentiful and renewable source of chemical feedstock and free it from Petroleum dependence. This is no test tube dream. The company has already cooperated in the construction of a Pilot Plant in the Midwest that proves the technology works. That Success in turn has attracted the interest and backing of significant players. The alternative agricultural research and commercialization Center a . Department of agriculture program has invested $300,000 in International Polpol. And the department of Energy a Corn growers association and an engineering company have All committed Money. Questions about International Polpol s future brix says Are business and financial now not  and brix is hoping to have within the next six months some answers for the financing to build two plants one in the United states and one in South Africa. A single Plant to produce poly ols the generic term for chemicals such As ethylene glycol from 100,000 tons a year of Corn starch would Cost about $100 million. The United states is a logical place for such a Plant irix says because it s the world s largest producer of Corn starch. The us a s entire alternative agriculture program is based on the notion of replacing the hydrocarbon based Economy with a carbohydrate based Economy says Bob Armstrong with the research Center. The . Is the persian Gulf of  the pressure to find Oil alternatives would t seem to be great Given the relative stability of Oil prices Over the past decade. But brix says Oil is still a nonrenewable resource with environmental problems. He says his company could become the first Green petrochemical project in the  16 the stars and stripes tuesday november 8, 1994 the stars and stripes 17