ABSTRACT
As a prerequisite for most lifescape effects of toxic exposure, victims must move from denial to belief that they have been affected. Perception, not reality, is the key. In short, what people experience as symptoms is medically invisible to the very professionals on whom they depend. Doctors' failure to "legitimize" toxic exposure as the cause of health problems renders victims' claims as irrational. Long-term health expectations also change after toxic exposure. The potential for long-latency health problems such as cancer clouds the future. Rather, the assumption of bad health found generally with toxic exposure is merely experienced with even more confidence, as expressed by this Ohio resident. Perceived loss of health in the face of toxic exposure causes a reinterpretation of life suggesting ill-being. In a further cultural modification, the merger of the abstract and ambient environments after toxic exposure forces a reassessment of the idea that the environment is a benign backdrop.
