Toxic remedy

By Tania Martin
A SILVAN woman allergic to the outside world could soon be homeless.
Katherine McIntosh, 35, is now calling for help to find a home that is safe for her to live in.
She has multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) which is incurable.
It’s now dangerous for her to leave her house for long periods of time for fear of a chemical induced reaction.
But soon Ms McIntosh will have no choice because she has to leave her rented house in Silvan.
Ms McIntosh can only work up to six hours a week as a violin and piano teacher because of her condition.
“I don’t know what I am going to do,” she said.
“I need to find somewhere that is safe but I can’t afford much.”
The list of chemicals Ms McIntosh is allergic to is staggering.
It includes, perfume, household cleaners, soap, shampoo, paint, glue, photocopier fumes, cigarette smoke, petrol, rubber, vinyl, particle board, carpet and treated timber.
Ms McIntosh first started experiencing MCS in 2007 but had no idea what was happening to her.
She had been exposed to farming chemicals but never connected it to her illness.
Ms McIntosh had trouble breathing, suffered with headaches and soon discovered her lungs and throat were continually inflamed.
But it was the diagnosis that would change her life for ever.
Ms McIntosh moved into her current home shortly after being diagnosed.
She has been working on making it as safe as possible to live in ever since.
But Ms McIntosh now has an uncertain future with nowhere to go and the threat of a chemical reaction.
A group of parishioners from St George’s Church in Monbulk has formed into a group to find Ms McIntosh a home which is safe for her to live in.
The group’s Nigel Crunden said the hardest part was finding a house that was safe.
“If there is someone out there with a house or land they could donate for not much money and we could make it safe,” he said. “We are trying to come up with different ideas but we only have until June.”
The committee is also looking for land and for funds to build a house or renovate an existing property to make it safe.
Anyone who may have a solution to Ms McIntosh’s plight should contact the church on 9756 7115.