Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Carolyn McCuan. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Carolyn, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you share an important lesson you learned in a prior job that’s helped you in your career afterwards?
Thank you very much for having me! As a leader in the medical industry, it has been important for me to learn how to analyze data and evidence in an objective and systematic manner. In science for example, we approach our problems or questions by first developing a hypothesis, then researching and designing a systematic method to collect data which informs us to a logical conclusion. I use this evidence-based approach in my job all the time. Being able to understand technical information, clinical studies, and medical research is a valuable skill that I use daily. It serves as a valuable lesson for input to my medical writing and my job as a clinical consultant. Having this extensive experience has allowed me to thrive in the medical field and clinical research industry.
Thankfully, this experience has been crucial in some life situations too! My medical and clinical research experience has been a major factor in why I founded Toxic-Free OC (TFOC) last year. Toxic-Free OC is a non-profit organization with a mission to raise awareness and stop the dangerous practice of spraying toxic chemicals in vulnerable places, such as where people live, work and play. In our modern daily lives, we are already bombarded with so many toxic chemicals in our environment and we have to be mindful of minimizing our exposure to stay healthy. Unfortunately, for the residents of Aliso Viejo, CA where I live, this is quite difficult for us. Actually, it’s almost impossible. Most of the city is owned and managed by the Aliso Viejo Community Association (AVCA), a homeowner’s association whose landscapers have been chronically spraying toxic, synthetic herbicides in the public parks and residential slopes as a method for weed control.
These chemicals are sprayed every month, almost daily somewhere in the city, and sometimes right next to someone’s backyard without their knowledge. The frequent use of these toxic weed killers have made numerous residents and pets sick. This is actually occurring all throughout the county. It is also well-known that chronic exposure to these herbicides can cause cancer, autoimmune diseases, and destroy the ecosystem.
My clinical research experience has allowed me to analyze the chemicals used by the city and directly link their use to the harm they pose to human health and our environment. At a minimum, this research entails reviewing the chemicals safety data sheets, active and inactive ingredients in the products, review of the labels, scientific publications, clinical research data, and most importantly, medical data from community members who’ve been adversely affected. Coincidentally, I just read a recent article about Orange County leading Southern California in cancer rates among 18-49 year olds. One can’t help but wonder about this correlation. We are still working to raise awareness within the community and are still trying to get the city to stop using these toxic chemicals. Safer alternative landscaping methods exist and there ARE better ways to maintain beautiful landscaping without endangering public health and our environment. It comes down to finding a balance by using natural and mechanical methods, planting natives and ice plants in fire-prone areas, putting down weed nets or mulch, and more. It requires the development of a non-chemical integrated system that will work in our geographical location. This knowledge and level of expertise can be provided by specialists in organic and native landscaping. Neighboring cities in our county have successfully achieved this, and I know that one day, Aliso Viejo can too.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Oh yes, of course. My name is Carolyn McCuan. I run a medical consulting firm called CTM Medical Consulting and recently co-founded a non-profit organization called Toxic-Free OC. I’m also a wife, mother of two young children (and a dog!), an active member in our community, and former elite athlete. It sounds like a lot, and well, it is! And you might be wondering how I got into all of this!
After graduating from UC Irvine with a Bachelor’s in Biological Sciences, I went into a Ph.D. program at USC for Molecular Biology where I also worked extensively in protein chemistry and virology. A few years into the program, I soon realized that I didn’t want to be stuck in school for another decade, so I graduated early with my Master’s degree in Molecular Biology and moved on to become a lead scientist in research & development for molecular diagnostics and pharmaceuticals. I worked in protein purification, developed molecular diagnostic tests for detecting many different diseases and lethal viruses, specialized in RNA and DNA test development, and other scientific projects that were aimed towards helping healthcare practitioners properly diagnose their patients so that they may receive appropriate medical treatment for their illnesses.
After many years, I eventually hung up my white coat and got out of the laboratory scene. I could only handle so much pipetting! I then moved into lead roles in clinical & regulatory affairs with medical device companies, where I became focused on medical writing. The scene was fast-paced and dynamic, which I found to be very exciting. This experience later developed into my current consulting business, CTM Medical Consulting. Wow, I’ve been in this industry for over 20 years. Time really does fly!
My consulting firm works with medical manufacturing companies to help them navigate the clinical and regulatory hurdles necessary to market their medical products, hence the name: Clinical-to-Market (CTM). We also conduct clinical evaluations, scientific research, and the regulatory and medical writing necessary for compliance with the stringent requirements of the regulatory agencies, such as the US FDA and other global authorities. Europe has been a large focus in the recent years because their regulations have been significantly augmented. Our hard work and dedication has allowed us to work with many great medical companies, from small startups to Fortune 500s. The work that we do is rewarding because we are contributing to a thriving and innovative medical market, while also conducting the checks and balances needed to ensure that these therapies remain safe and effective for the patients who need them. We’ve been blessed with an amazing team at CTM Medical Consulting and also with inspiring clients that we truly enjoy working with.
Earlier, I mentioned having recently co-founded Toxic-Free OC. With my busy life, this was not something I had planned on doing. However, last year I was in a dire situation that endangered my life, and my entire family’s, so it is very important that I do share this story. While living and working at my home in Aliso Viejo, CA I didn’t know that I was being chronically exposed to toxic herbicides that were being sprayed by my home month after month. What many people don’t know is that herbicide drift (or pesticide drift) causes these chemicals to spread in the air. These chemicals can travel for miles, and since we can’t see or smell the chemicals, we end up breathing them in. The chronic exposure through inhalation and skin absorption eventually left me disabled last year as I was suffering from a myriad of adverse health symptoms that severely hampered my daily life.
My home is nestled on a slope adjacent to a public park that is heavily sprayed with toxic chemicals that the city’s landscapers use frequently to kill weeds. The targeted areas for spraying are the public parks and residential slopes in the city. At the time, I was unaware of this, as were the majority of residents. Because I work from home, and was spending time running at the park, gardening at home, or taking my kids to play outside, we didn’t realize that we were chronically exposed to these toxic herbicides. I developed severe adverse health symptoms, so did my husband, young children, and even our dog. I had it the worst because I was outside more than everyone else. My symptoms included chronic fatigue, headaches, debilitating brain fog, rashes, tremors, joint pain, impaired thyroid and kidney function, and more. The cumulative exposure to the herbicides had gotten so bad, that at one point I was not able to get out of bed or think or speak clearly.
After taking several medical tests with negative results and no diagnosis, my doctor finally ordered a toxins test. This test was crucial, because it finally revealed that my symptoms were due to the increase in toxic herbicides being sprayed in the city association’s landscapers. Thankfully my medical detox treatment slowly helped me improve. I’m better, but I’m not 100%. I am just thankful to be alive right now. My entire family was being treated, including my 5- and 3-year old children. I then started speaking with neighbors about this and spreading news to others about what happened to me and my family. As I connected with more and more people, I soon learned that there were many others in our community with similar symptoms and experiences. Even worse, there were people who had developed cancer or lost their dogs. I felt compelled to do something. After alerting and communicating with the Aliso Viejo Community Association, they continued to advise that the products were safe and continued to use the toxic herbicides in the city’s parks and slopes. Soon after, I formed Toxic-Free OC with two neighbors, Tracy Blum and Melissa Christian who are both long-time residents of Aliso Viejo and cancer survivors.
Our organization has grown tremendously and continues to grow. We are now connected with other similar activist groups, and have worked with other homeowner’s associations in Orange County to help them adopt safer landscaping methods for their communities. Unfortunately, we are still working towards urging the Aliso Viejo Community Association to stop using the toxic, synthetic chemicals that are still being sprayed in our communities today. One of the most popular chemicals is glufosinate-ammonium, which is an alternative to glyphosate, better known as Roundup. These two herbicides are chemically equivalent and have the same modes of action in how they wreak havoc on the human body. Glufosinate-ammonium is banned in 29 countries, but is approved in the U.S. and our city association uses this chemical everyday. It has been an uphill battle, but we are confident that positive change will come to our community one day. We can also celebrate that our ongoing efforts are bringing our community members closer together.
Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?
I would definitely NOT change my profession! I love what I do. The medical field is exciting, innovative, and always changing. Clinical research is always evolving and it is rewarding to be able to contribute to the growing wealth of scientific knowledge. In all therapeutic areas, it is also a great blessing to have this knowledge and experience which can be used to shape the medical industry. At the same time, we can use it to work towards protecting public health, our environment, and local wildlife.
Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?
I think it is important to share knowledge with others so that we can continue to learn from each other, but I also think it’s equally important to listen to each other. Oftentimes, we can learn so much by just taking time to listen. In my experience, reaching out and listening to other people in our community has been eye-opening and life-changing. Hearing from others about how toxic herbicides exposure has negatively impacted their lives had truly sparked a fire in me. Their stories continue to fuel me, and it’s all of our stories that motivate me to keep working towards getting the truth out about the dangers of these chemicals.
Another important factor is that there is a major deficiency in pesticides/herbicides regulation that needs to be addressed. The current regulations and guidances are centered around agriculture and protecting the workers, who are already protected since they are instructed to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) while spraying the toxic products. What about the citizens, children and pets who are exposed while playing at parks and fields or being at home? None of us are in PPE! These urban and residential settings are not even considered in the current regulations. Stronger legislation needs to be written, more oversight needs to be provided, and I strongly believe that this crucial gap in pesticides monitoring needs to be addressed immediately.
As a group, we will continue to educate and positively influence our community. I am hopeful that one day we will be able to work together with our local governments and regulating authorities to implement better practices so that we can better protect public health and our environment.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://toxicfreeoc.org/
- Instagram: toxicfreeoc
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/toxicfreeoc
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolynmccuan
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ToxicFreeOC
Image Credits
Joe Kim