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.