They had me cleaning parts that used Cellosolve. I’d stand over the vats and scrub, like washing dishes. You could smell the fumes.
My face got flushed, my breathing was heavy and I started getting headaches. I complained and they said, ‘People have been doing this for a long time. It’s never hurt anybody.” I trusted them.
The headaches got really bad. Then my hands started shaking. My doctor said it was the Cellosolve. I told my supervisor I’d do anything but clean these parts. She said, “Are you refusing to do this job?’ I told her, “No, I’ll do It I don’t want to lose my job.” But I’d end up crying because of the bad headaches.

   People don’t want to believe they are getting sick from things they work around. They have kids and house payments and they are caught in those jobs.
      One day I got a sudden pain in my head. I burst into tears. By the time I got to the clinic I was dragging my left leg and my mouth was hanging on one side. I was scared.

   The brain scan showed I had a stroke. The chemicals have done damage to my central nervous system. They don’t know if it’s permanent.
     My doctor wrote a note saying I should be provided an environment free of toxic fumes. They walked me out the door and said, “Sorry, you can’t work here anymore.”
   It was just a matter of putting in the right ventilation, but that’s expensive. The worker has to prove it’s from chemical exposure. It’s cheaper to have somebody get sick.