Series:

Chemical Entanglements: Oral Histories of Environmental Illness

Topic:

Social Movements

Environmental Illness

Biographical Note:

Interviewed for the UCLA Center for the Study of Women’s Chemical Entanglements: Oral Histories of Environmental Illness series. Experiences Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS). Former artist, hairdresser, and retail worker. Active advocate for the MCS community, writing letters and articles to spread awareness of the issue.

Interviewer:

Kim, Kelsey and Nguyen, Lillian

Interviewee:

Dano, Rosie

Persons Present:

Dano, Kim, and Nguyen. Undergraduate researcher Miranda Le was present for Session I.

Place Conducted:

The interview was conducted by telephone.

Supporting Documents:

Records relating to the interview are located in the office of the UCLA Library’s Center for Oral History Research.

Interviewer Background and Preparation:

Session One was conducted by Kelsey Kim, graduate student interviewer, for the Center for the Study of Women; PhD student in Anthropology, UCLA. Kim’s dissertation focuses on gender and racial inequalities in the Silicon Valley high-tech industry. and Session Two was conducted by Lillian Nguyen, an undergraduate student researcher, for the UCLA Center for the Study of Women. A member of the 2019-2020 Chemical Entanglements Undergraduate Student Group, Nguyen majors in Anthropology.

Processing of Interview:

The interviewers prepared for the interview by reading Anthropology and Environment Society’s Engagement blog, as well as a pre-interview questionnaire completed by the narrator.

Length:

2.5 hrs

Language:

English

Copyright:

Regents of the University of California, UCLA Library.

Audio:

Series Statement:

Chemical Entanglements: Oral Histories of Environmental Illness is a collection of interviews with over seventy individuals living in the U.S. and Canada whose family history, occupation, art practice, or activism have brought them into direct contact with illness experience and disability related to chronic, low-dose exposure to toxicant chemicals. The procurement of this collection (from March 2019 through September 2020) was sponsored by the UCLA Center for the Study of Women under the directorship of Rachel C. Lee, with interviews conducted by six undergraduates, five graduate students, two career staff, and two faculty members at CSW.

Note:

Identifying information has been removed from the transcript and audio in order to protect the anonymity of the interviewee.

Introduction and early life--Childhood and living with blended family--Finding genetic markers for MCS--Parents’ work--Early sensitivities and allergies--Cleaning products used by mother--Exposure to mosquito spraying--Familial response to her MCS--Recognition of her MCS--Work experience--Symptoms becoming more severe--Bad experiences with doctors--financial difficulties and homelessness due to MCS--Relationship with ex-husband and son--work as an artist--Working on managing MCS--MCS advocacy--Learning to live her life with MCS--Issues navigating MCS symptoms--Experiencing brain fog and breathing issues, Heightened senses--Advocating for self

Connecting with people who have MCS--Dealing with limitations MCS has caused--Losing her home and savings--Support system for her mental health--Workplace accommodations--Advice for those with MCS--Staying single due to MCS--Impact of MCS on the body--accepting change--Therapeutic solutions--Previous work and life before MCS--Hope for legislation to protect people with MCS--Advocacy