Sick Building Syndrome (cont.)
What Are the Symptoms of MCS?
People with MCS have reported a wide range of symptoms, including:
- Headache
- Fatigue
- dizziness
- Nausea
- Irritability
- Confusion
- Difficulty concentrating
- Intolerance to heat or cold
- Earache
- Stuffy head or congestion
- Itching
- Sneezing
- Sore throat
- Memory problems
- Breathing problems
- Changes in heart rhythm
- Chest pain
- Muscle pain
and/or stiffness
- Bloating or gas
- Diarrhea
- Skin rash or hives
- Mood changes
How Common Is MCS?
Many healthcare practitioners do not recognize MCS as a disorder and, therefore, do not make a diagnosis of MCS. For this reason, it is not possible to assess how many people actually suffer from MCS. One estimate suggests that 2%-10% of people suffer some disruption in their lives because of MCS, although other experts believe these estimates are too high. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reported that about one-third of people working in sealed buildings claimed to be sensitive to one or more common chemicals. More women than men claim to have MCS, and it appears to occur most often in people between the ages of 30 and 50 years.
What Causes MCS?
The cause of MCS is unknown. One theory suggests that chemicals traveling in the air enter the nose and affect an area of the brain called the limbic system. The limbic system plays a role in emotions, motivated behavior, and memory, which may make a person more sensitive to a chemical odor it previously encountered, a condition called cacosmia. However, this theory has not been proven.
Another theory suggests that the immune system is somehow damaged in people with MCS. Still another theory, called "toxic-induced loss of tolerance" (TILT), suggests that acute or chronic exposure to chemicals causes some susceptible people to lose their tolerance for chemicals they previously could tolerate. Again, there is little evidence to support this theory.
People with MCS identify many products as chemical triggers, including:
- Tobacco smoke
- Perfume
- Traffic exhaust or gasoline fumes
- Nail polish remover
- Newspaper ink
- Hair spray
- Paint or paint thinner
- Insecticides
- Artificial colors, sweeteners, and preservatives in
food
- Adhesive tape
- New carpet
- Flame retardants on clothing and furniture (such as
mattresses)
- Felt tip pens
- Chlorine in swimming pools
Next: How is multiple chemical sensitivity (sick building syndrome) diagnosed? »
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