Multiple Chemical Sensitivity

• What is multiple chemical sensitivity (sick building syndrome)?
• Is multiple chemical sensitivity (sick building syndrome) a real disorder?
• What are the symptoms of multiple chemical sensitivity (sick building syndrome)?
• How common is multiple chemical sensitivity (sick building syndrome)?
• What causes multiple chemical sensitivity (sick building syndrome)?
• How is multiple chemical sensitivity (sick building syndrome) diagnosed?
• How is multiple chemical sensitivity (sick building syndrome) treated?
• Can multiple chemical sensitivity (sick building syndrome) be prevented?

What Is Multiple Chemical Sensitivity?

Multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) is the name given by some to a condition in which various symptoms reportedly appear after a person has been exposed to any of a wide range of chemicals. The exposure may occur as a major event, such as a chemical spill, or from long-term contact with low-levels of chemicals, such as in an office with poor ventilation. As a result of exposure, people with MCS develop sensitivity and have reactions to the chemicals even at levels most people can tolerate.

Other names for this condition are "environmental illness" and "sick building syndrome."

bIs MCS a Real Disorder?

Many recognized medical groups and societies, including the CDC, the American Medical Association, and the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, do not consider MCS a distinct physical disorder. There are several reasons for this.

First, there is a lack of clinical evidence to support a physical cause for the symptoms. In addition, people with MCS do not develop antibodies in response to chemical exposure, as is the case with an immune system, or allergic, reaction. Further, people with MCS also have high rates of mental health disorders, including depression, anxiety, and somatoform disorders -- mental disorders that are expressed through physical symptoms. About 50% of people with MCS meet the criteria for depression and/or anxiety disorders. Much of the controversy, then, centers on whether the symptoms associated with MCS are caused by physical or psychological factors.

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