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JUST A WHIFF of perfume, pesticide, or tobacco smoke could make a
person with MCS sick for hours, days, or longer. |
Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS)
SEVERE REACTIONS AT LOW DOSES
People
with MCS can have severe and sometimes life-threatening reactions to
chemicals found in many common products. A long list of everyday products
(including perfumes and colognes, pesticides, tobacco smoke, vehicle exhaust,
air freshener, and fabric softener) can trigger immediate or delayed
symptoms. Headache,
trouble breathing, trouble concentrating, dizziness, fatigue, muscle and
joint pain, irregular heartbeat, and seizures are just some of the symptoms
that can result from even minute exposures (see Are Chemicals Affecting
Your Health?) MCS is an
invisible disability: sufferers may
appear healthy even when very ill - see But You Look Fine.
Specially trained doctors can diagnose and treat MCS, although at present
there is no cure for this debilitating illness. The 20
page booklet “Multiple Chemical Sensitivities” by Ann Mc Campbell, MD is
a very good overview of MCS, who gets it, what can be done, and other common
questions people have about this condition.
Copies are available from Heal of S. AZ. Definitions of MCS… A Brief Overview of MCS from the Chemical Injury Information Network
What is MCS from MCS for Beginners
MCS as defined by Ecology House
Two Definitions of
MCS from Dr. Mark Cullen, Yale School of Medicine, quoted by most
Occupational and Environmental Doctors and the definition printed in each
issue of the clinical ecologists' journal, Clinical Ecology. Definition of MCS from Australian Doctor
Mark Donohoe Back to Home Copyright 2001, HEAL of |
