What is Environmental Illness? Environmental Illness (or EI) is known by many names: Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS); Sick Building Syndrome; Chemical or Environmental Hypersensitivity; Chemical Injury; Gulf War Syndrome; and Environmental Sensitivity Disorder.
Q: How do you become Environmentally Ill? EI is an acquired disorder. It is triggered by prolonged exposure to chemical and allergenic sources. Ordinary items like perfumes, household cleaners, photocopy machines, pesticides, and other ubiquitous sources of chemical exposure can all create severe reactions in those who are prone to enviromental sensitivity.
Even in people who are not severely environmentally ill, daily chemical exposure inevitably leads to heightened sensitivity to atmospheric pollutants. For example, most office environments are presently very energy efficient; this means that there is no fresh air circulation, even though workers are constantly exposed to hazards from photocopiers, synthetic furnishings, cleaning products, dust, mold, bacteria, perfume, and tobacco smoke. The end result: chronically unwell employees.
Q: How is EI most effectively treated? Since EI suffers are often misdiagnosed or dismissed by the established medical community, the majority of EI patients have turned to Evironmental Medicine. The difference between Environmental Medicine and ordinary medicine is that EM takes a tri-level approach to the healing process; initially removing and treating the immediate triggering influence; then determining the underlying deficiencies that are causing the patient’s illness; and later advising on lifestyle and diet alterations that will sustain the patient’s recovery. As well, Environmental Doctors may also refer patients to alternative therapists such as naturopaths, usana essentials, herbalists or dieticians, as a part of the holistic healing process.
Multiple Chemical Sensitivity
Chemical-based products are all around: in the clothes we wear, in the food we eat and in the air we breathe. It is not possible to escape exposure. Many people have become sensitized to the chemicals around them. It is estimated that as much as 15% of the population has become sensitized to common household and commercial products.
For some people the sensitization is not too serious a problem. They may have what appears to be a minor “allergy” to one or more chemicals. Other people are much more seriously affected. Such people have a condition known as Multiple Chemical Sensitivity or MCS.
What is Multiple Chemical Sensitivity?
MCS is a disorder triggered by exposures to chemicals in the environment. Individuals with MCS can have symptoms from chemical exposures at concentrations far below the levels tolerated by most people. Symptoms typically occur in more than one area in the body, such as the nervous system and the lungs. Exposure may be from the air, from food or water, or through skin contact. The symptoms may come and go with exposures, though some individuals may have delayed reactions. As MCS gets worse, reactions become more severe and increasingly chronic, often significantly affecting bodily functions.
In the early stages, repeated exposure to the substance or substances that caused the initial health effects provokes a reaction. After a time, it takes less exposure to cause symptoms. An increasing number of chemical products may trigger a reaction, including some unrelated to the initial exposure.
Most frequently, MCS affects an individual’s overall physical and emotional health. It typically impairs the nervous system. It may affect the digestive and respiratory systems as well. A chemically sensitive person may also have other pre-existing health conditions. Many affected people experience a number of symptoms with each chemical exposure.
Symptoms of MCS
asthma or other breathing problems
autoimmune disorders
behavioral problems
bloating or other intestinal problems
cardiovascular irregularities
chronic exhaustion
disorientation or becoming “lost”
dizziness
dystonia (paralysis)
ear, nose and throat problems
fatigue and depression
flu-like symptoms
food allergies and intolerances
genitourinary problems
MCS may result from a single massive exposure to one or more toxic substance or repeated exposures to low doses. Some people become chemically sensitive following a toxic chemical spill at work or in their community, or after exposure to pesticides. Or, individuals may develop this condition from spending time in a poorly ventilated building, where they breathe a combination of chemicals. MCS may be brought on by a wide array of chemicals found at home, at work, in hospitals, in parks, and at school.
People Diagnosed with MCS
Studies have found that many people diagnosed with MCS were:
industrial workers
teachers, students, office and health care workers in sealed buildings
chemical accident survivors
people living near toxic waste sites
people whose air or water is highly polluted
people exposed to various chemicals in consumer products, food, and pharmaceuticals
Gulf War and Vietnam Conflict veterans
Not all people with MCS fit into these categories. For example, some have experienced a toxic exposure from flea and roach sprays, or from foam insulation (urea formaldehyde) in their home. Other people with MCS cannot readily identify situations where they have been exposed to chemical products.
People with MCS may become partially or totally disabled for several years or for life. They must make fundamental changes in lifestyle and at home. Their marriages and other relationships may end from the stress of coping with this disabling condition. They may drag themselves to work only to return home sicker and more exhausted each day. They may be forced to leave their jobs and deal with the devastating loss of income and health insurance. Some people eventually recover, but few return to complete health.
What Can Cause MCS?
No one knows for sure what causes MCS. However, in non-industrial workplaces, a number of common products and processes have been identified as contributing to the onset of MCS. Some exposures that have been linked to this condition are:
Agent Orange for Vietnam Veterans
antibiotics and other medication
carbonless paper, inks, copying machine and laser printer toner
cleaning supplies
DEET – an insect repellant which may have been a significant trigger for Gulf War Veterans
formaldehyde in new clothes, books, and other products
gas stoves
house paints
insecticides, synergists, piperonal butoxide
new building materials and furnishings
off gassing of new carpets (styrene butadiene latex in flooring adhesives and carpet backing)
pesticides and wood preservatives
second-hand tobacco smoke
toxic chemicals used in art, photography, printing, etc.
vehicle exhaust fumes
These substances contribute to indoor air pollution and are often contaminants in our air and water. Many of the chemicals which trigger MCS symptoms are known to be irritants or to be toxic to the nervous system. One especially harmful group of chemicals, known as “volatile organics,” readily evaporates into the air at room temperature. Even low airborne levels of such contaminants can make ordinary people sick. The impact on health of long-term, low level exposure to most chemicals found in consumer products remains untested. The products and other chemicals that cause problems varies among affected individuals.
Commonly reported triggers include:
anesthesia
artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives in foods, drinks, and drugs
detergents and other cleaners
electromagnetic fields
fluorescent lights
perfumes and fragrances
prescribed medications
smoke from
What is Environmental Illness?
“The Ecology Guide” by Dr. Jozef Krop,
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
“EI” is an abnormal state of health where intense and adverse responses occur to minute components of a person’s environment, whether it be food, water, air, chemicals or physical properties.
Environmental Illness has had many names: Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS), Chemical or Environmental Hypersensitivity, Chemical Injury and Environmental Sensitivity Disorder.
EI is an acquired disorder characterized by recurrent symptoms, referable to multiple organ systems, occurring in response to demonstrable exposure to many chemically unrelated compounds at doses far below those established in the general population to cause harmful effects.
The multiplicity of names for the same entity reflects both the multiple facets of the illness and the relative infancy of the field of Environmental Medicine.
There are four categories of environmental factors which can trigger ill health:
Chemical Factors
Physical Factors
Biological Factors
Psychological Factors
Symptoms of Environmental Illness are chronic and relapsing and multi-organ system in nature:
hyper after meals or a birthday party
tired and sleepy 30 minutes after eating
muscle pain, bruising, extreme fatigue or feeling “flu-like” after exposure to pesticides/chemicals
irritation of the eyes, throat, breathing problems, head fogginess after new carpets or furnishings
recurrent urinary problems
recurrent upper respiratory tract or ear infections
depression
Recognizing the signs of EI is the first step toward maintaining good health. Whenever possible, triggering factors should be avoided or exposures minimized.