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Log inWoman in "The Bubble". She claims she's "chemically sensitive" and needs it.
Woman in "The Bubble". She claims she's "chemically sensitive" and needs it.
Rottweiler on Mon Oct 20, 2008 8:25 pm
The town says it's an illegal structure that has to come down.
This AP story--"Pa. woman ordered out of chemical-free 'bubble' "--appears to be a case of a "heartless" municipality who is pestering a very sick woman and forcing her to leave her "chemical-free" 'sanctuary'.
The "Bubble" is a galvanized-steel-and-porcelain shed. Aluminum foil covers the one window. Inside there is a toilet, a metal cabinet, a bed with its boxspring's springs exposed, and organic-cotton blankets. It's a place described as "austere as a prison cell". Elizabeth Feudale-Bowes lives in it ten hours a day, hiding out from her nemesis, "environmental illness"...allergies to just about everything that may have "chemicals" in it.
She likes it. The neighbors in South Whitehall Township, PA (in the Allentown area) don't; they call it an 160-sq.ft. "unstable" "eyesore" that could "drag down their property values". A judge agrees and has ordered it taken down.
The fact that her husband "overlooked" some important details when he put the "Bubble" up also has something to do with the court's decision, no doubt:
Building permits were not secured to begin with. "Overlooking" that important detail when putting up a $10,500 (
) structure is not too smart, is it? Me thinks that trying to "correct" the "problem" by invoking the "Americans With Disabilities Act" is justified. After all, if her illness is this severe...
The "ADA" can apply, but not for the reasons she thinks. Why? After all, for her to live any time at all outside of the structure should be in essence impossible. And what about the, eh, chemicals in the steel, porcelain...even the ORGANIC cotton sheets? "Chemical sensitivities" my sweet ass.
Her disability almost certainly stems from another cause....
Only "some doctors" question "environmental illness" as coming from physiological causes? It seems the ones who do see it as an "allergy" to anything (but, let's say, being useful and not a lazy s.o.b) have forgotten some of their medical training...and a lot about chemistry.
In short, the "diagnosis" this "nutcase" got is bogus and the one who gave it to her? Dr. William Rea of Texas, who has been referred to by the Texas Medical Board of "promoting pseudoscience".
In everyday language, the Texas Medical Board is calling Dr. Rea a "quack". A "fraud". A seller of "snake oil".
Is it possible that this "chemical sensitivity" disease actually can exist? If one believes in the Tooth Fairy, yes; the science says otherwise: NO legitimate allergy known is so universal in scope and covers so many different potential "triggers"/allergens. Also, a true "sensitivity" or "allergy" calls for total AVOIDANCE of the offending substance(s)...24/7...and the negative reactions to exposures will NOT stop at chronic illnesses but can and WILL usually be life-threatening at some point in time. NONE of her claimed ailments meet that requirement. In short, ten hours a day in "isolation" WON'T "cut it".
But this "drama queen" thinks otherwise and claims that she HAS to live this way:
Translation: "If I believe I am sick, I am sick...and besides, ten hours a day (which also happens to correspond with...regular business hours?) in my "tinfoil shed" is not a bad way to "goof off". NO I DO NOT NEED a "shrink"..."
(Fair Use claimed for all quotes.)
This AP story--"Pa. woman ordered out of chemical-free 'bubble' "--appears to be a case of a "heartless" municipality who is pestering a very sick woman and forcing her to leave her "chemical-free" 'sanctuary'.
The "Bubble" is a galvanized-steel-and-porcelain shed. Aluminum foil covers the one window. Inside there is a toilet, a metal cabinet, a bed with its boxspring's springs exposed, and organic-cotton blankets. It's a place described as "austere as a prison cell". Elizabeth Feudale-Bowes lives in it ten hours a day, hiding out from her nemesis, "environmental illness"...allergies to just about everything that may have "chemicals" in it.
She likes it. The neighbors in South Whitehall Township, PA (in the Allentown area) don't; they call it an 160-sq.ft. "unstable" "eyesore" that could "drag down their property values". A judge agrees and has ordered it taken down.
The fact that her husband "overlooked" some important details when he put the "Bubble" up also has something to do with the court's decision, no doubt:
The couple also hooked up electrical, water and sewer service without securing permits.
Building permits were not secured to begin with. "Overlooking" that important detail when putting up a $10,500 (
) structure is not too smart, is it? Me thinks that trying to "correct" the "problem" by invoking the "Americans With Disabilities Act" is justified. After all, if her illness is this severe...Feudale-Bowes says fabric softener, nail polish, perfume, new sneakers, upholstery and many other items can make her body go haywire. She says she has suffered from a range of chronic ailments, including migraines, joint pain, bladder inflammation, seizures and temporary paralysis. Her insides, she says, have sometimes felt like "fire with ground glass in it."
The "ADA" can apply, but not for the reasons she thinks. Why? After all, for her to live any time at all outside of the structure should be in essence impossible. And what about the, eh, chemicals in the steel, porcelain...even the ORGANIC cotton sheets? "Chemical sensitivities" my sweet ass.
Her disability almost certainly stems from another cause....
Some doctors question whether environmental illness is a genuine physical disorder and suggest it is psychological.
Only "some doctors" question "environmental illness" as coming from physiological causes? It seems the ones who do see it as an "allergy" to anything (but, let's say, being useful and not a lazy s.o.b) have forgotten some of their medical training...and a lot about chemistry.
In short, the "diagnosis" this "nutcase" got is bogus and the one who gave it to her? Dr. William Rea of Texas, who has been referred to by the Texas Medical Board of "promoting pseudoscience".
In everyday language, the Texas Medical Board is calling Dr. Rea a "quack". A "fraud". A seller of "snake oil".
Is it possible that this "chemical sensitivity" disease actually can exist? If one believes in the Tooth Fairy, yes; the science says otherwise: NO legitimate allergy known is so universal in scope and covers so many different potential "triggers"/allergens. Also, a true "sensitivity" or "allergy" calls for total AVOIDANCE of the offending substance(s)...24/7...and the negative reactions to exposures will NOT stop at chronic illnesses but can and WILL usually be life-threatening at some point in time. NONE of her claimed ailments meet that requirement. In short, ten hours a day in "isolation" WON'T "cut it".
But this "drama queen" thinks otherwise and claims that she HAS to live this way:
Feudale-Bowes said: "If I don't live like this, my pain level is so severe that I can't function, I can't live, I can't survive. It's excruciating."
Translation: "If I believe I am sick, I am sick...and besides, ten hours a day (which also happens to correspond with...regular business hours?) in my "tinfoil shed" is not a bad way to "goof off". NO I DO NOT NEED a "shrink"..."
(Fair Use claimed for all quotes.)
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