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In listening again to Dr. Callender's taped lecture on MCS and classical disease, I decided to write down a few of his points. What follows are highlights, not totally in the original order: 1) Knowledge in medicine is compartmentalized, partly due to sheer volume of available info (ed. - this also occurs in my field of aerospace engineering, but as a systems engineer it is my job to look at the whole picture and how changes in one area affect another - hence the motivation behind all my varied postings). This needs to be remedied. As his background is in physics, he has a familiarity with some of the technologies available that many occupational/environmental doctors don't, even tho' these technologies are also often used in other specialties of medicine. (Includes PET scans and others) 2) Since these days, chemical exposure is commonplace, doctors need some basic minimum level of knowledge of their effects. 3) Despite evidence to the contrary (as in PET scans showing actual brain dysfunction after a known chemical exposure with known effects on humans) there is no money/interest in these issues. 4) People he has spoken with inn universities, industry and government, when shown data showing real brain dysfunction after some exposure, say that it's very interesting, but he'll have to pursue the research on his own - they can't themselves or else they risk losing all the $$$ from the other sponsors of the institution. 5) Many who are affected by toxic exposures are poorly trained in the safe use of the substance, simple safety measures are not instituted, workers are even sometimes misled as to the dangers involved, - and should they voice their concerns, they are told not to worry or that deadlines must be met. 6) Symptoms of toxic exposure are varied, but often include skin problems, asthma, autoimmune problems, vague to obvious psychological/neurological symptoms (depression/schizophrenia/movement disorders). Those involved in furniture stri pping were used as example. 7) In a magazine (Scientific American?), people polled view preventative medicine as a waste of time and not cost-effective, which he disagrees with (ed. same here - medical costs have to be worse for advanced, debilitating illnesses which could have been avoided with simple, cheap (relative) safety measures). 8) The area of the brain affected by chemical exposure could perhaps be determined by which portion active (i.e., more blood flow = more chemical) at time of exposure. This may help account partly for why different people exposed to same substance develop different symptoms and to varied degrees. 9) Doctors tend to diagnose something as Chronic fatigue/MCS/psychiatric problem, etc., according to their background/specialty without considering whole picture. 10) He's investigated populations near different toxic waste sites and with higher than national levels of certain diseases. (Including Bhopal, India in a related infamous incident of widespread exposure). 11) A database is needed with the national incidence of a given disease/symptom due to given chemical exposure. Without this data, can't defend one's position vs. those who say "show me other cases where this has happened." 12) The economic impact, human suffering, and impact on quality of life due to these toxic exposures is great. That's why he's spreading this news, cuz info is too segregated and many are unaware of these issues. 13) If he hadn't seen what he has first hand, he doesn't know which side of fence he'd be on, but he has seen alot. 14) One can see patterns to the dysfunction when these vague complaints, like depression,etc., are mapped onto the brain. 15) One guy exposed to high concentrations of carpet glue in a enclosed, not well ventilated space, developed sensory hallucations and other brain damage. PET scans showed damage to the part of the brain processing sensory data, and to the frontal lobes, where personality, etc. resides. 16) One man had been exposed to carbon bisulfide and ended up with what one would normally diagnose as psychiatric problems. This substance is so well known as being toxic that companies have been known to place bars on windows to keep workers from jumping out (it's also know to have caused numerous suicides). 17) Another man who's job involved obtaining samples of illegally dumped chemicals, himself eventually became a victim, with symptoms of depressions and speech problems. 18) He showed a video of a high school girl who had on/off pd-like symptoms after exposure to some sort of injection foam insulation. While waiting for her appointment with him, she went to taco-bell for a quick bite, and had an episode triggered by someone's perfume. He managed to capture this spell and the aftermath on video, which he showed. (Even on an audio tape like I've got, you can hear the difference in her voice during/after, altho' I'd really love to see the video. Can we get hm on Prime Time Live too?.) 19) He also displayed color slides of electroencephalograms showing how brain electrical activity varies in different areas and changes in these areas in response to food or chemical provocation. 20) As things stand, it costs hundreds of (?) millions of dollars and many years to prove a drug is safe for human consumption (ed. which is still not always safe for everyone), while if you want to avoid all that trouble, all you have to do is label your new chemical an industrial chemical, then you can shove it down people's throats with impunity, and more, they get to cover the cost and bear the burden of proving any adverse health effects. Those interested in a copy of the lecture could call/write the WMAGW (Well Mind Association of Greater Washington) at: 301-949-8282 WMAGW 11141 Georgia Ave. Suite 326 Wheaton, MD 20902. The tape costs a total of $10 ($8 for tape / $2 shipping costs). (I still want him to speak personally to this group, if possible, esp. if I've mutilated his previous lecture above!) Wendy Tebay