Oral Histories

Interview of Orrie Gartner

Interviewed for the UCLA Center for the Study of Women’s Chemical Entanglements: Oral Histories of Environmental Illness series. Jewish man living with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS). Fragrance-free building advocate. Founder, Environmental Illness, Thrive. Activism brought fragrance-free spaces to University of Colorado, Boulder.
Series:
Chemical Entanglements: Oral Histories of Environmental Illness
Topic:
Environmental Illness
Social Movements
Biographical Note:
Interviewed for the UCLA Center for the Study of Women’s Chemical Entanglements: Oral Histories of Environmental Illness series. Jewish man living with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS). Fragrance-free building advocate. Founder, Environmental Illness, Thrive. Activism brought fragrance-free spaces to University of Colorado, Boulder.
Interviewer:
Ramineni, Shreya
Interviewee:
Gartner, Orrie
Persons Present:
Gartner and Ramineni
Place Conducted:
This interview was conducted in person at Center for the Study of Women, UCLA.
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:
The interview was conducted by Shreya Ramineni, an undergraduate Student Researcher for the UCLA Center for the Study of Women. Ramineni is in the Department of Human Biology and Society and a part of the 2019 Spring Chemical Entanglements Research Group.
Processing of Interview:
The interviewer prepared for the interview by reading a pre-interview questionnaire completed by the narrator.
Length:
1 hr
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.
Morristown, New Jersey--Parents’ background--Spending the summers in Israel--Speech therapy--Israeli Lebanese War--Living in a dual world--Family’s perception of illness--Health effects of premature birth--Penicillin--Immune system and cup analogy--Digestive system--Effects of penicillin--Not sensitive when young--Flooding in Boulder, Colorado--Black mold and antimicrobial spray--Initial health effects--Being diagnosed--Initial impression--Perception by others--Accomodations at work--EI Thrive--Barriers around fragrance-free spaces--Strategies tackling these barriers--Petroleum and fragrances--Changes at CU Boulder--Advice for advocates--Mental health counseling--MCS support group--Effects of support group on advocacy--Hopes for the future