Pa. woman ordered out of chemical-free 'bubble'

[ThoughtCriminal]

Pa. woman ordered out of chemical-free 'bubble'

ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) - Ten hours a day, every day, Elizabeth Feudale-Bowes confines herself to a galvanized-steel-and-porcelain shed outside her house. Inside are a toilet, a metal cabinet, a box spring with the metal coils exposed, and a pile of organic cotton blankets. Aluminum foil covers the window. The place is as austere as a prison cell - but it's also her sanctuary from an outside world that she says makes her violently ill.

She and her husband call the structure "the bubble."

This bubble, though, may be about to burst: A judge has ordered it taken down by the end of the month.

Some of the couple's neighbors in suburban South Whitehall Township complained that the 160-square-foot building is unstable and so unsightly it could drag down their property values. The couple also hooked up electrical, water and sewer service without securing permits.

"For the wife's medical problems, there is sympathy. For the owner's defiance of the township's lawful directives, there is no excuse," Judge Carol McGinley ruled earlier this month.

Feudale-Bowes, 52, says she was diagnosed several years ago with "environmental illness," described as extreme sensitivity to everyday substances.

Some doctors question whether environmental illness is a genuine physical disorder and suggest it is psychological. Feudale-Bowles says she was diagnosed by Dr. William Rea of Texas, who has been accused by the Texas Medical Board of promoting "pseudoscience." He vigorously disputes the charge and continues to see patients.

Feudale-Bowes says fabric softener, nail polish, perfume, new sneakers, upholstery and many other items can make her body go haywire. She says she has suffered from a range of chronic ailments, including migraines, joint pain, bladder inflammation, seizures and temporary paralysis. Her insides, she says, have sometimes felt like "fire with ground glass in it."

A couple of years ago, the couple settled in South Whitehall, moving into a Lustron house, a 1940s-era prefabricated home made of porcelain-enameled steel that serves as their main residence. They paid an additional $10,500 for the bubble.

The zoning board has recommended the couple explore other options, such as an addition to their house.

"We're just asking them to comply with the same safety codes that every other person in the community has to comply with," said Township Manager Jerry Gasda.

The couple are threatening to sue the township under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.

"My wife's not a lawn mower, and I didn't put up an illegal shed just to mess with the township," said Craig Bowes, 52, who owns a company that cleans supermarket floors.

Some neighbors question whether her ailment is genuine. But they and others say the main issue is the couple's disregard of the zoning rules.

Thomas Kelly, 53, who lives across the street, said that while he feels sorry for Feudale-Bowes, her husband "just did whatever he pleased."

"We don't live like that," he said. "We live in a society governed by laws."

But Feudale-Bowes said: "If I don't live like this, my pain level is so severe that I can't function, I can't live, I can't survive. It's excruciating."



While I understand they are in violation of "zoning laws", WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS IN THIS COUNTRY?

[Exbiker]

I get to see both sides as I`m on the zoning hearing board. Sometimes when things like this come up if the petitioner has the support of the neighbors and nobody contests it a variance can be granted.
Problem is that in neighborhoods like that what one person does has a direct reflection on other peoples rights and property values.

[ThoughtCriminal]

I get to see both sides as I`m on the zoning hearing board. Sometimes when things like this come up if the petitioner has the support of the neighbors and nobody contests it a variance can be granted.
Problem is that in neighborhoods like that what one person does has a direct reflection on other peoples rights and property values.

Can you please inform me how this woman is infringing on other people's rights?

[PisnNapalm]

She's no affecting thier rights directly but possibly the value of their properties.

Also... They install electrical and sewage service without permits. That could be a potential fire hazard waiting to happen.

I side with the neighbors. The lady is seems to be a hypochondriac wacko.

EDIT:: tin foil windows... LOL!

[Exbiker]

ThoughtCriminal, I`m asking this not to be condescending but to get some idea of your perspective. How old are you and have you ever owned a house. Not a town home or condo but a detached house?

[stinkymcdoober]

She's no affecting thier rights directly but possibly the value of their properties.

Also... They install electrical and sewage service without permits. That could be a potential fire hazard waiting to happen.

I side with the neighbors. The lady is seems to be a hypochondriac wacko.

EDIT:: tin foil windows... LOL!

Yes, and we all know how the housing market is BOOMING right now.

No offense meant to you personally, Pisn, just a bit cynical right now.

But seriously, if this is how this lady controls her "condition", then whatever, let it be, just get the sewer and stuff up to code. I worked in the Mental Health field for most of my college "tenure", and sometimes, i just felt like looking at the patients and saying "okay, cut the crap, you don't really hear GOD talking to you." I had moments of "this is total b.s. conditions", but I mean come on, maybe this little metal house is stopping her from going on a killing spree.

[s.vermeire]

...snip

While I understand they are in violation of "zoning laws", WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS IN THIS COUNTRY?

It's the first plank in the Communist Manifesto: Abolition of private property.

10 Planks of the Communist Manifesto

ThoughtCriminal, I`m asking this not to be condescending but to get some idea of your perspective. How old are you and have you ever owned a house. Not a town home or condo but a detached house?

Just curious why this is relevant??

[Exbiker]

It`s extremely relevant.


"It's the first plank in the Communist Manifesto: Abolition of private property."

The beauty and the freedom of living in this country is you can choose to live where things suit your needs. The house I have now I chose 30 years ago because I built it before zoning laws in the township so I could keep my tractor trailers here. Since I had them prior to zoning I was grandfathered in. We are a nation of laws. That is a necessary evil.
Supposed you spent your life savings to buy your dream house and I decided to put pig farm next door and my feed silo blocked the view of the mountains that you once had out your picture window. So even though you followed regulations, you now live next to a pig farm with no view and lots of stink because it`s my personal property and I didn`t follow rules. You can`t sell it because nobody wants it and the value is down by 30%.

[ThoughtCriminal]

ThoughtCriminal, I`m asking this not to be condescending but to get some idea of your perspective. How old are you and have you ever owned a house. Not a town home or condo but a detached house?

I have never owned a house, and I never will. It is because of BS like this that I choose not to own a house, the truth is nobody actually OWNS their house anyway. People should be able to whatever they want with their own property. As for your pig farm example, unfortunately things like that happen in a free society. You do not have a right to not be offended and you do not have a right to protect the value of your property. My .02

[billamj]

You do not have a right to not be offended and you do not have a right to protect the value of your property. My .02

If that is the case, do you have a right to protect your property in any other manner? If I invest $300K in a property and everything is done legally. Then someone comes along after the fact, breaks multiple laws, and adversely affects my property, I should have no recourse? Methinks you needs think this through more thoroughly. Your rights end where you infringe on the rights of others.