This episode discusses Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD), suicide, disability, chronic illness, and end-of-life decision-making. Please listen with care.

If you need support, call or text 988 in the United States or 9-8-8 in Canada (24/7).

Outside the United States and Canada, contact your local crisis line, healthcare provider, or emergency service.

If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call your local emergency number.

About the episode:

What can Sophia's story teach us about disability, housing, healthcare, and Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD)?

This episode features two conversations: one with disability ethicist Heidi Janz, PhD, and another with a Toronto woman living with severe MCS who was friends with Sophia, a woman whose 2022 MAiD death brought international attention to the challenges many people with disabilities and chronic illnesses face.

Together, they explore disability rights, healthcare, housing, social support, and the broader questions Sophia's case continues to raise.

Professor Janz participated in this interview with the assistance of a support person who repeats her words for listeners.

Listen now and subscribe:

Watch & subscribe on YouTube:

Professor Heidi Janz:

2025 paper - "First they came for the Physical Crips: The Eugenic Logic Driving MAiD." 

https://www.erudit.org/en/journals/bioethics/2025-v8-n4-bioethics010388/1121337ar.pdf

Faculty profile:

https://www.ualberta.ca/en/john-dossetor-health-ethics-centre/about/people/adjunctmembers/heidijanz.html

#MCS #MultipleChemicalSensitivity #DisabilityRights #MAiD 

Support the show

Thank you very much to the Marilyn Brachman Hoffman Foundation generously supporting the podcast!

If you find the podcast helpful, please consider becoming a monthly or one-time supporter:

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This episode marks the 100th episode of The Chemical Sensitivity Podcast!

Thank you very much to the Marilyn Brachman Hoffman Foundation for its support that makes this work possible.

Gratitude to  listeners and viewers around the world for being part of this journey. 

If you enjoy the podcast, please subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and on YouTube, and share it with others who may benefit from these conversations.

http://listen.chemicalsensitivitypodcast.org/

Here's to 100 episodes and more to come!

In this episode:

What can the history of lead exposure teach us about risk, regulation, and MCS?

Aaron Goodman speaks with Bruce Lanphear, MD, PhD, about lead as a model for understanding chemical harm.

Topics include:

• What lead teaches us about body burden and cumulative exposure
• Risk, regulation, and the precautionary principle
• Why listening to affected people matters—and lessons for MCS

Listen and subscribe: 

http://listen.chemicalsensitivitypodcast.org/

Watch & subscribe on YouTube: 

https://www.youtube.com/@podcastingMCS

Link: 

Dr. Bruce Lanphear
https://www.sfu.ca/fhs/about/people/profiles/bruce-lanphear.html

Support the show

Thank you very much to the Marilyn Brachman Hoffman Foundation generously supporting the podcast!

If you find the podcast helpful, please consider becoming a monthly or one-time supporter:

https://www.chemicalsensitivitypodcast.org/1970633/supporters/new

https://buymeacoffee.com/mcspodcast  

Follow the podcast on YouTube!  Captions available in any language. 

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What can the daily chemical exposures faced by nail salon workers teach us about MCS, chronic illness, and the environments many people live and work in every day?

Aaron Goodman speaks with Reena Shadaan, PhD, from the University of Toronto, about chemical exposure, worker health, body mapping, and chronic illness in nail salon environments.

Topics include:

 • The hidden chemical exposures faced by nail salon workers
 • What nail salon environments may reveal about MCS and chronic illness
 • Body mapping and citizen science as tools for advocacy and documenting lived experience
 • How marginalized workers are pushing back against unsafe environments

Listen & subscribe:
https://www.chemicalsensitivitypodcast.org/1970633/episodes/19262474-nail-salon-workers-chemical-exposure-body-mapping-mcs-reena-shadaan-phd

Watch & subscribe on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhaCO-FAYgU

Support the show

Thank you very much to the Marilyn Brachman Hoffman Foundation generously supporting the podcast!

If you find the podcast helpful, please consider becoming a monthly or one-time supporter:

https://www.chemicalsensitivitypodcast.org/1970633/supporters/new

https://buymeacoffee.com/mcspodcast  

Follow the podcast on YouTube!  Captions available in any language. 

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The Chemical Sensitivity Podcast has a new trailer!

Please share with anyone interested in learning more about Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS).

Listen to the podcast — new episodes twice a month!
http://listen.chemicalsensitivitypodcast.org/

Watch on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/8HJadAGuLaE

Support the show

Thank you very much to the Marilyn Brachman Hoffman Foundation generously supporting the podcast!

If you find the podcast helpful, please consider becoming a monthly or one-time supporter:

https://www.chemicalsensitivitypodcast.org/1970633/supporters/new

https://buymeacoffee.com/mcspodcast  

Follow the podcast on YouTube!  Captions available in any language. 

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Can public spaces ever truly be safe for people living with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS)?

In this episode of The Chemical Sensitivity Podcast, Aaron Goodman speaks with Aimi Hamraie, Associate Professor at York University whose work focuses on disability justice, accessibility, and inclusive design.

They explore:

• Why MCS is often overlooked in accessibility conversations
 • Remote access as a vital form of inclusion
 • How chemicals and fragrances can make public spaces inaccessible
 • Why some people with MCS leave cities
 • What truly MCS-inclusive public spaces could look like

🎧 Listen now: 

https://www.chemicalsensitivitypodcast.org/1970633/episodes/19185636-can-public-spaces-be-safe-for-mcs-aimi-hamraie-phd

▶️ Watch on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/thzV3GgBsHw

Subscribe for episode takeaways, research insights, and updates on Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS):

https://bit.ly/42N3Geh

Links:

• Aimi Hamraie
• Remote Access Archive – Critical Design Lab
• Fragrance-free resources compiled by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha
• Sick Building Syndrome and the Problem of Uncertainty by Michelle Murphy 

Support the show

Thank you very much to the Marilyn Brachman Hoffman Foundation generously supporting the podcast!

If you find the podcast helpful, please consider becoming a monthly or one-time supporter:

https://www.chemicalsensitivitypodcast.org/1970633/supporters/new

https://buymeacoffee.com/mcspodcast  

Follow the podcast on YouTube!  Captions available in any language. 

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This episode is great to share with your doctor or healthcare provider. 

We explore how medical visits could become more supportive for people living with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS).

We focus on listening, trust, and the responsibility clinicians have to support people with chronic illness. And how small changes can lead to more respectful, effective care.

Aaron Goodman speaks with Téa Christopoulos, PhD candidate and sessional instructor at the University of Toronto, working across the Faculty of Kinesiology and the Joint Centre for Bioethics. Her research explores narrative medicine and Chronic Invisible Disabilities, examining how lived experience can reshape care to be more ethical, responsive, and truly patient-centered.

🎧 Listen: 

https://www.chemicalsensitivitypodcast.org/1970633/episodes/19104690-from-dismissal-to-support-rethinking-care-for-mcs-tea-christopoulos-phd-candidate

▶️ Watch on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/m1txBxi03Bc

Subscribe for episode takeaways, research insights, and updates on Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS):

https://bit.ly/42N3Geh

2025 paper by Téa Christopoulos:

An Ethics of Care, Relational Suffering, and Contested Invisible Disability

DISCLAIMER: THIS WEBSITE DOES NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE
 
The information, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images, and other material contained on this website are for informational purposes only. No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health care regimen, and never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. No material or information provided by The Chemical Sensitivity Podcast, or its associated website is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. 

Support the show

Thank you very much to the Marilyn Brachman Hoffman Foundation generously supporting the podcast!

If you find the podcast helpful, please consider becoming a monthly or one-time supporter:

https://www.chemicalsensitivitypodcast.org/1970633/supporters/new

https://buymeacoffee.com/mcspodcast  

Follow the podcast on YouTube!  Captions available in any language. 

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What happens when people's lived experience with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) is dismissed in medicine? And how can it become a vital form of knowledge?

In this episode, Aaron Goodman speaks with Megan Moodie, a medical anthropologist and disability studies scholar at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Her work explores patient activism and how knowledge is produced in medicine. Megan also brings lived experience to this conversation, including Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and chemical sensitivities.

You'll hear Aaron and Megan discuss:

•  Why people with MCS are often dismissed or psychologized in clinical settings.
•  How lived experience becomes meaningful knowledge in medicine. 
•  What more equitable collaboration between researchers and affected communities could look like.
• And more!

🎧 Listen now:
https://www.chemicalsensitivitypodcast.org/1970633/episodes/19037045-mcs-when-lived-experience-becomes-knowledge-in-medicine-megan-moodie-phd

Watch on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/k4aNnImGMd4

The podcast has a new webpage!
http://listen.chemicalsensitivitypodcast.org/

Please share with anyone interested in learning more about MCS.  

DISCLAIMER: THIS WEBSITE DOES NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE
 
The information, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images, and other material contained on this website are for informational purposes only. No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health care regimen, and never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. No material or information provided by The Chemical Sensitivity Podcast, or its associated website is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. 

Support the show

Thank you very much to the Marilyn Brachman Hoffman Foundation generously supporting the podcast!

If you find the podcast helpful, please consider becoming a monthly or one-time supporter:

https://www.chemicalsensitivitypodcast.org/1970633/supporters/new

https://buymeacoffee.com/mcspodcast  

Follow the podcast on YouTube!  Captions available in any language. 

Please follow the podcast on social media:

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Long COVID has pushed millions into a reality people with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) have faced for decades: severe symptoms, disbelief, and no clear diagnosis.

This episode of The Chemical Sensitivity Podcast explores what these conditions share:

Medical dismissal.

Stigma and social isolation.

And epistemic injustice—when patients’ knowledge of their own bodies is questioned or ignored.

Aaron Goodman speaks with Professor Deborah Lupton, a leading sociologist of health and medicine at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, and editor of the recent book, Long COVID and Society: International Perspectives.

It's always great to hear from people who listen and watch the podcast!

Please share your experiences with MCS, Long COVID, or about anything you hear on the podcast.

Listen now:

https://www.chemicalsensitivitypodcast.org/1970633/episodes/18945867-mcs-long-covid-shared-struggles-stigma-endurance-deborah-lupton-phd

Watch on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/pN6UGkaddis

The podcast has a new webpage!
http://listen.chemicalsensitivitypodcast.org/

Please share with anyone interested in learning more about MCS.  

DISCLAIMER: THIS WEBSITE DOES NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE
 
The information, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images, and other material contained on this website are for informational purposes only. No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health care regimen, and never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. No material or information provided by The Chemical Sensitivity Podcast, or its associated website is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. 

Support the show

Thank you very much to the Marilyn Brachman Hoffman Foundation generously supporting the podcast!

If you find the podcast helpful, please consider becoming a monthly or one-time supporter:

https://www.chemicalsensitivitypodcast.org/1970633/supporters/new

https://buymeacoffee.com/mcspodcast  

Follow the podcast on YouTube!  Captions available in any language. 

Please follow the podcast on social media:

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Brain fog is something many people with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) experience.

In this episode, we explore what brain fog is, how it affects thinking, memory, and what research reveals about its links to distress and quality of life.

Aaron Goodman's guests are researchers Tara Packham, PhD, and PhD candidate Ronessa Dass from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

It's always great to hear from listeners!

Please share your experiences with brain fog and MCS or about anything you hear on the podcast.

Listen now:

https://www.chemicalsensitivitypodcast.org/1970633/episodes/18821290-brain-fog-mcs-ronessa-dass-and-tara-packham-phd

Watch on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/j4PulfsHX_U

The podcast has a new webpage!
http://listen.chemicalsensitivitypodcast.org/

Please share with anyone interested in learning more about MCS.  

Links:

Ronessa Dass - email: [email protected]

Pain and Movement Research in the IMPRinT Lab, McMaster University:

https://painmovementresearch.healthsci.mcmaster.ca/people-2/

Understanding the Experience and Impacts of Brain Fog in Chronic Pain: A Scoping Review - Ronessa Dass, Tara Packham, et al. (2023):

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37441085/

DISCLAIMER: THIS WEBSITE DOES NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE
 
The information, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images, and other material contained on this website are for informational purposes only. No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health care regimen, and never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. No material or information provided by The Chemical Sensitivity Podcast, or its associated website is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. 

Support the show

Thank you very much to the Marilyn Brachman Hoffman Foundation generously supporting the podcast!

If you find the podcast helpful, please consider becoming a monthly or one-time supporter:

https://www.chemicalsensitivitypodcast.org/1970633/supporters/new

https://buymeacoffee.com/mcspodcast  

Follow the podcast on YouTube!  Captions available in any language. 

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Listener advisory: This episode includes discussion of suicide.

Many people with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) trace the start of their illness to exposures like pesticides, fragrances, mold, smoke, or chemical fumes.

Others say their symptoms began after taking prescription medications, especially antibiotics.

In this episode, Dr. Stefan Pieper, a functional medicine physician in Germany who specializes in mitochondrial medicine, discusses Fluoroquinolone-Associated Disability (FQAD).

People with the condition develop long-lasting neurological, cognitive, and physical symptoms after taking fluoroquinolone antibiotics. Some also develop chemical intolerance that closely resembles MCS.

Could medications trigger long-term chemical sensitivity? And what might this reveal about MCS?

Listen now:
https://www.chemicalsensitivitypodcast.org/1970633/episodes/18803337-antibiotic-injury-mcs-dr-stefan-pieper

Watch on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4Mjn-ggsZA&t=1s

The podcast has a new webpage!
http://listen.chemicalsensitivitypodcast.org/

Please share with anyone interested in learning more about MCS.  

Link:

Stefan Pieper — Fluoroquinolone-Associated Disability (FQAD): Side-effects of Fluoroquinolones
Springer Nature, 2026

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-72123-0

DISCLAIMER: THIS WEBSITE DOES NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE
 
The information, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images, and other material contained on this website are for informational purposes only. No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health care regimen, and never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. No material or information provided by The Chemical Sensitivity Podcast, or its associated website is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. 

Support the show

Thank you very much to the Marilyn Brachman Hoffman Foundation generously supporting the podcast!

If you find the podcast helpful, please consider becoming a monthly or one-time supporter:

https://www.chemicalsensitivitypodcast.org/1970633/supporters/new

https://buymeacoffee.com/mcspodcast  

Follow the podcast on YouTube!  Captions available in any language. 

Please follow the podcast on social media:

Facebook
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BlueSky
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