MCS: Multiple Chemical Sensitivity

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In the United States and Canada, advocacy groups are fighting hard for recognition of "multiple chemical sensitivity" ("MCS") as a specific disease. These groups and the patients they represent are demanding that insurance companies cover the cost of expensive and unproven treatment by Ãclinical ecologists." They are also seeking payment through worker's compensation and Social Security Disability programs and pressing for special workplace and housing conditions.

"Clinical ecologists" who number about 400 in the United States and Canada à are physicians who practice what they call "environmental medicine." They claim that MCS is a widespread condition caused by exposure to common foods, chemicals and other "stressors" that can sensitize people, causing them to react adversely to even tiny amounts of these substances.

Many people who believe they have MCS suffer greatly. In extreme cases, afflicted individuals perceive almost everything around them as allergy-causing and potentially life-threatening. Many of these individuals change their lifestyle drastically and attempt to live in a pristine, controlled environment, virtual prisoners of their perceived sensitivity. Unfortunately, the "MCS" diagnosis and its associated treatments rarely lead to improved health status and may divert patients from appropriate medical treatment. Some individuals spend tens of thousands of dollars in fruitless attempts to attain relief.

The prevailing rational and scientific viewpoint is that although some people are sensitive to small amounts of one or a few specific chemicals, there is no general hypersensitivity to chemicals. Scientifically oriented allergists, psychiatrists and occupational health clinicians suspect that the majority of "MCS" patients suffer from psychological disorders such as depression, anxiety reactions and somatization (bodily reactions to stress).

Some people who currently have no symptoms are seeking damages based on the premise that mere exposure to extremely low levels of environmental chemicals, such as carpet fumes, airborne pollutants and pesticide residues in food, has damaged their immune system and jeopardized their future health. Claiming to have "chemical AIDS," they want compensation in advance for what they allege will be an inevitable decline into poor health. These claims are supported by a network of clinical ecologists and attorneys who assert that exposure to environmental toxins causes the immune system to overload, leaving people susceptible to infection, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and other diseases. The economic implications for many industries and insurance programs are potentially catastrophic. Unless the problem is properly addressed, the millions of dollars now changing hands through claims and lawsuits will become billions, wreaking havoc with many industries and insurance programs and ultimately raising costs to all consumers.

The American Council on Science and Health believes that false claims related to "multiple chemical sensitivity" and its associated pseudoscientific practices constitute a serious problem in our society. Some observers, including a committee of the National Research Council, have expressed hope that research can resolve the controversies described in this report. However, since "MCS" has not been clearly defined and many of its hypotheses are untestable, it is unclear what further research can accomplish.