Government Interest in America

Federal and state government interest in MCS has a relatively long history, as documented by Hileman (1991), from which Table 3 is adapted. Selected legal cases are also included in Table 3 because they have occasionally led to action by government agencies. Although not intended to be all-inclusive, the list gives examples of how MCS has been addressed in legal and governmental forums.

Definitions

The most basic disagreement surrounding the study of MCS has been how to define the condition in ways acceptable to the many interested parties. In 1987, Mark Cullen, M.D., a professor of medicine and epidemiology at Yale University, edited an issue of Occupational Medicine State of the Art Reviews entitled "Workers With Multiple Chemical Sensitivities" (Cullen, 1987). He described the case of a middle-aged man who had developed sensitivities to a wide variety of chemicals, including common household products. This occurred after the patient had developed pneumonia following exposure to a chemical spilled at work. Cullen reported his lack of success in treating the patient and noted that there were other patients in whom the same symptoms developed following similar situations. From this experience, Cullen proposed a definition that has become the one most commonly referenced, and is, for some, the de facto definition of MCS.

Terminology

Many other names have been applied to the condition called MCS. Among them are environmental illness (EI), ecological illness, total allergy syndrome, the 20th Century disease (e.g., Hileman, 1991), and idiopathic environmental intolerances (IPCS, 1996). The last term, which is discussed in Section VI, was recommended by a MCS workshop that was organized by the International Program on Chemical Safety (a program cosponsored by the United Nations Environmental Program, the International Labor Office, and the World Health Organization).

Until more is known about the etiology of the condition, it is not possible to determine what name would be both descriptive and physiologically correct. The workgroup has elected to use the most commonly applied term "multiple chemical sensitivity" ("MCS") throughout this report.

Background and Historical Review on multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS)

The condition now most commonly known as multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) was brought to the attention of the U.S. medical establishment when the late Theron Randolph, a physician trained in allergy and immunology, reported that a number of his patients reacted adversely to chemicals in their environment (Randolph, 1952). He compared the condition to Selye's stress-oriented general adaptation syndrome (Kurt, 1995) and linked the adverse effects of this "petrochemical problem" to contact with chemicals found in commonly encountered substances such as cosmetics, auto fuels, exhaust fumes, and food additives. He also observed that many of his patients reacted to many industrial solvents found in small amounts in manufactured products such as construction materials, newspaper and other ink-related products, furniture, and carpet.

Although Randolph and other physicians who shared his theories published articles in the medical literature during the 1950's and early 1960's, his views were not widely accepted among physicians, particularly those trained in allergy and immunology. In 1965, in response to this lack of acceptance within his specialty, he founded the Society for Human Ecology and invited physicians of all specialties (who were later often referred to as clinical ecologists) to take part. In 1985, the Society changed its name to the American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM, 1992). Today, members are referred to as environmental physicians. However, the term clinical ecologist remains in use.

Nutritional insulation

A lot of people think that multiple chemical sensitivity is, in essence, not a case of chemical isolation but of nutritional insulation. Until we have cleaned up the world, you had better toughen up your body. Here's a fast-working approach that is worth a fair therapeutic trial: saturation of vitamin C.

People with multiple chemical sensitivity have no practical choice

People with multiple chemical sensitivity have no practical choice. Certainly, reducing environmental pollution and ones exposure to known irritants has my complete support. But we live in a strikingly imperfect world, not in a bubble, and that is the way it is likely to stay until we make our governments change it. We do well when we strengthen our personal defenses against a hostile environment.

American Academy of Family Physicians website

Actually, the "American Academy of Family Physicians" website is probably the most supportive "official" medical website an MCS sufferer will come across. For instance, it lists some 30 common chemical exposures from air fresheners and asphalt to tile cleaners and varnish, all of which may "precipitate" MCS symptoms. But then, AAFP goes so far as to advise alleged MCS sufferers to avoid "unproven therapies" including "rotating diets" and "extreme avoidance of chemicals." In my opinion, behind this one may sense unwritten industry-friendly assumptions that chemicals are our friends, whether in your food or in your environment.