AIZOME Is Not Organic as Proven by My VOC Meter

My Journey With Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS)

I have lived with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) for over fifty years.

For most of my life, I searched for answers to explain why so many everyday products gave me asthma. One day, everything suddenly became clear: the issue was Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs).

Then I realized something even bigger; many of the products causing these reactions were connected to petroleum and fossil fuels.

It felt like years of searching had finally come together.

When I looked back at the products I had reacted to over the years, a pattern became obvious.

My first severe reaction was to aspirin—yes, petroleum.

Fragrances, artificial colors, flavors, preservatives—again, petroleum.

Every product I clearly remembered reacting to contained petroleum.

I have learned that many medications contain petroleum and over 6,000 common products are petroleum-based.

This was a shocking discovery.

It means petroleum is not only affecting us through gasoline and heating systems, but through thousands of products inside our homes—off-gassing 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

When I research the products that trigger asthma for me, I consistently find they are harmful not only to me, but to everyone—to our families, our pets, and our Earth.

No wonder global warming is accelerating faster than predicted.

Every purchase we make is a vote for either health or illness.

Discovering VOC Testing Changed Everything

I began wondering if there was a way to actually detect VOCs.

I asked in my MCS groups, and only one woman told me she used a VOC meter. I contacted her and bought the same one: the Airthings View Plus 2960.

After the 7-day calibration period, everything changed.

Keith and I learned that instead of me trying products first and getting asthma and other symptoms, we could test them with our VOC meter.

If the result stayed at 250 or below, the product was safe for me.

If it went above that, it would trigger asthma so we returned the product or threw it out.

We also had our VOC meter in our home. This gave me clues to things affecting my health that I had no idea of.

Wow, I avoided so much illness.

The Search for Truly Organic Products

I could not find blankets, sheets, or clothing that were safe for me.

Almost everything caused asthma.

When tested, they showed high VOCs.

High VOCs mean the product is not truly organic—it contains chemicals.

I was living with products that made me sick because I simply could not find safer options.

I wrote to company after company and discovered that true 100% organic clothing are non existent. Why?

For example, many companies advertise “100% organic cotton,” yet they use polyester thread—which gives me asthma. Why is a petroleum ingredient in an organic product?

How can something be 100% organic if it contains polyester thread? Petroleum (synthetic) products last hundreds of years and endlessly off gas.

If they cut corners there, what else are they hiding?

Many use polyester waistbands, regular cotton pockets, or elastane in their products.

Elastane can contain latex, which causes me severe asthma.

This happened when I bought an “organic” dress from Pact.

It caused weeks of severe asthma before I finally learned it contained elastane. Only after endless calls did I find out this was the issue. Because elastane is a recycled product it can contain latex.

There was no warning anywhere.

Why not? Why does Pact not have any concern for their customers? Even after I wrote to the owner twice and told him about this issue. Even after I made so many phone calls.

I know people who cannot wear clothing or use textiles at all because of these issues.

I was afraid I would be one of them.

This is wrong. People believe they are buying 100% safe organic products and they are not.

Everyone deserves safe products.

I Learned that AIZOME Is Not Organic

People in one of my MCS groups referred me to Michel May, the owner of AIZOME.

He claims he makes textiles for the super sensitive. I found this is simply not true.

I contacted him and explained what I believe people with MCS and honestly all people need:

Truly 100% organic products.

He was kind, open, and willing to talk.

I believed everything he told me.

He sent me one of his blankets as a thank you for my time, even though I had called him and I also ordered a flat sheet to test.

I appreciated that he offered flat sheets because fitted sheets almost always contain elastane, “natural rubber,” or synthetic materials made from petroleum. Is it being fitted worth exposure to toxins?

Keith and I tested the blanket with our VOC meter.

It passed.

We were thrilled.

We were so excited that we both tried it before washing it.

Michel says washing is unnecessary because the product contains no chemicals.

His website states:

“Ready to use straight out of the box, no pre-wash needed due to absence of chemicals.”

What Happened Next

Later, while I was wearing the blanket, the VOCs in our home rose to 600, and my throat became irritated.

I immediately put it in the washing machine and started a wash cycle.

The next morning, I woke feeling extremely nervous, with low back pain and violent coughing. I thought one of the blankets on our bed was the problem, so I put it aside to be tested and went back to sleep.

When I woke again, I was coughing so violently, my sinuses were severely congested, and my right ear was ringing so loudly I could barely think.

The first blanket tested fine, so I moved the sheets and blankets from our bedroom, even the blanket that had tested into the garage.

I started wheezing and coughing. I felt certain that somehow one of them had become contaminated.

My right ear was still ringing so loudly.

Just to be sure, I tested the AIZOME blanket again.

It passed.

Later, while wrapped in the AIZOME blanket and talking to a friend, I became so congested, I started coughing violently, and my sinuses became so blocked that I could hardly get words out.

I had not experienced that level of severe sinus reaction in over twenty years.

That was when I finally realized the truth:

The AIZOME blanket was causing all of it. I was so disappointed to learn that AIZOME Is Not Organic

I removed it immediately and placed it in the garage.

The VOCs in our home rose to a maximum of 456 and stayed elevated until 3:10 a.m.

We were able to use the blankets and sheets from our bed afterward without any issues.

Another challenge I face is that when I test products, they often contaminate other items around them which is exactly what happened to those blankets and sheets. When I reordered replacements, the company had changed the product line, and the new versions gave me asthma. Suddenly, I had nothing safe left.

It should not be this difficult.

The Sheet Caused the Same Problem

A few days later the AIZOME sheet I ordered arrived and it too passed our VOC test.

I washed it three times using Dr. Bronner's Baby Soap, which is our standard process.

I folded it and used it like a blanket.

Within a short time, I began feeling sick again.

The VOCs in our home rose.

I moved the sheet to the laundry room and felt better almost immediately.

Then I moved it to the garage.

The VOCs in the laundry room rose to 407 and stayed elevated until 11:15 that night.

Why the VOC Test Passed

Later, we realized why these products had passed our testing.

Because I could not find safe products and had been reacting so strongly to clothing, blankets, and sheets, we kept our home at 67 degrees.

Our dining room, the testing area, had two large air purifiers running on high and bowls of Bob’s Red Mill baking soda placed throughout the room to absorb VOCs.

Only when body heat was introduced did VOCs rise enough to reveal the truth.

That taught us something important:

Our testing process needed to change.

We learned:

• No baking soda near testing areas

• Only one air purifier on low

• 67 degrees is too cold for accurate testing

• Always do our testing for 8 hours minimum unless it is clear the product is toxic, then abort the test. If a product is off gassing at an unsafe level it takes time for it to overcome our air purifiers although we have had products fail the test very fast even in this condition. It is frightening the amount of toxic VOCs we are all being exposed to every day. High VOCs are harmful to everyone.

We had been working so hard to protect my health as well as keeping our home safe during testing that we interfered with the results.

Why This Matters

My greatest concern is that these products are being sold as chemical-free and organic and are promoted within MCS communities as safe for chemically sensitive people.

Buyers are told there are no chemicals and that washing before use is unnecessary.

That is simply not true.

For people with MCS, this is not a small issue.

It can mean asthma attacks, anaphylactic shock, severe inflammation, pain, and days of illness. Many people will never realize the cause of their symptoms.

I trusted these claims because I wanted so badly to believe I had found something safe.

Unfortunately, I cannot recommend these blankets or sheets.

They caused me significant harm and even triggered a symptom I had not experienced in 20 years.

My Hope for the Future

I truly wish this review were different.

I want this company to succeed.

I still hope they choose to become truly 100% organic and fully transparent, because that is what customers believe they are purchasing and it is what sensitive individuals like me, and our Earth, desperately need.

We need truly organic products.

We need less off-gassing in our world, not more.

Right now, too many companies are adding to that burden while claiming the opposite.

Michel told me that people in the textile industry often call it the “Wild West” because there are so few laws and so little accountability.

Another textile company owner told me that as long as the main fabric is 100% organic, they can legally label the entire product as 100% organic regardless of chemical treatments, coatings, adhesives, or other hidden ingredients.

This is wrong.

We need stronger laws with real consequences when companies mislead buyers, leave out harmful details, or hide ingredients that can cause serious health issues such as latex or chemical treatments.

We need full ingredient disclosure for all products. I was told there isn’t enough room on labels. If that is true, then the full ingredient list must be clearly available on the company’s website.

And why are Google reviews unavailable for so corporations? This allows businesses to control what customers see and often highlight only favorable reviews while hiding the full picture.

America is not protecting its people the way it should. Why not? We are the voters, the buyers, and the builders of this country.

I should not have to risk my health just trying to find safe products.

Businesses know people want truly organic, non-toxic products, yet most are still not providing them.

I have not found a single textile or clothing company that is truly 100% organic from start to finish. We need major change.

I have found one clothing company I do not react to, and I am deeply grateful. I will be writing about them soon.

I have also found truly organic, safe towels.

But I still have not found safe sheets or blankets.

If you know of truly safe products, please let me know. But first, please send them the sample letter I’ve placed below to make sure they are truly a 100% organic company.

Please Take Action

This matters. For me, for you, your family and our Earth.

These are the questions to send to an organic clothing or textile company:

 I Have Questions!

Thank you so much for your time. Here are my questions:

Do you have pants and bras that do not contain elastane or any type of elastic?

Is every ingredient in your organic cotton clothing organic?

Is the thread organic cotton, the pockets, the interfacing?

Is there any latex in your products?

Is your facility fragrance free?

Do you use elastane? Elastane is a recycled product and can contain latex which is very dangerous for people who react to latex. This has happened to me.

Do you have any pure true 100% organic clothing?

Do you have any 100% biodegradable clothing?

Are your dyes organic? What are your clothes washed with?

If your answers are no to these questions do you know any company that can solve my problem of safe clothes for my husband and I and our grandson?

Sincerely,

This is the letter to email to Michel at AIZOME:

Email:

michel@aizome-textiles.com

Hi Michel,

I want you to know that I want 100% organic biodegradable cotton clothing.

I want cotton because it offers the best quality, comfort, and durability.

I want only organic cotton thread.

I do not want synthetic elastic or “natural rubber,” which are not necessary for comfort and often create health problems.

I would prefer fitted clothing or clothing made with organic cotton ties instead.

This is what is best for me, my family, my pets, and our Earth.

I do not want any part of my clothing to last for hundreds of years off gassing as synthetic materials do.

I want this clothing to be fragrance-free.

I want these changes so there will be safe clothing for people with MCS and for everyone.

Are you aware there are people who cannot wear clothing, or use blankets, sheets or other textiles because they cannot find anything safe?

Please make these changes now.

I will not buy from you until you do, I will let others know your company is not truly organic.

Please let me know when this becomes available.

Sincerely

_________________

Stay Connected

If my story resonated with you, I'd be grateful if you could give it a heart at the end of my blog or stars! Your support means the world to me. I also always love to hear from you; please leave me a comment below.

I have had miracles happen, so many miracles and I am so thankful. I am working to share with you what I have learned with my blogs, social media posts and YouTube so that you can also heal.

Yet now, I find myself faced with increasing toxins in America that is making it so difficult for me to stay healthy and this is true for each of us and our Earth. 

We need to work together to solve this issue. Our lives and our planet depend on this.

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