My career path led me to both photography and electronics.

I worked not only as a professional photographer and maintained a black and white darkroom in my home off and on for approximately 30 years, but also I worked periodically in commercial photo labs, both B/W and Color. Exposures to toxic chemicals were routine and just part of the job. Some of the workers were sick all the time with sinus and respiratory problems. Others developed serious dermatological problems. No one who worked around the developing equipment remained in "good" health, myself included.

My electronic career lasted approximately 20 years. If I could not find a decent job in photography, I went to work in electronic assembly and/or repair. Many, many toxic substances in the electronics world. I was exposed to carcinogens, neurotoxins, and other chemical sensitizers.

The final blow to my already failing health came during the beginning of the 21st Century. I was told that a machine that was put "into my space" was an "air cleaner". Two years after the fact, and when I was so sick I could no longer work, I discovered that the "air cleaner" was actually an ozone generator. I had been inhaling ground level ozone for approximately 2 years and didn't even know it.

My chemical Body Burden had become too much for me to handle. I toxed out. Fortunately for me, my family has stood by me and has been supporting me since early 2003. The Internet holds a plethora of invaluable information, resources, and contacts for the Chemically Injured. This mcs-global.org website is a wonderful resource for those who seek information and has links to even more information.

Toxins are all around us, all the time. Multiple Chemical Sensitivity changes lives forever. We are given many choices in life. Make your choices wisely so that you do not end up like me, living in isolation and never knowing if the next toxic exposure will be the last toxic exposure, re: death.