The number of people suffering from Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) is greater than the number suffering from AIDS, yet the general public and the medical community know very little about the disease. More and more people are disabled daily, despite the fact that the condition does not have to occur. In Part One of this work, experts review the research into the disease, along with treatment strategies. Part Two examines the legal recourses available to MCS sufferers, such as workers' compensation claims and product liability suits. How the medical community has often worked against MCS sufferers is the focus of Part Three, demonstrating that medical opposition to the disease is unfounded. The editor, an MCS sufferer, details her own case in Part Four.
Use of the term "multiple chemical sensitivity" (MCS) as a diagnostic label has generated increasing controversy during the past few decades as a phenomenon related to exposure to chemical agents sustained both in indoor and outdoor environments. This volume, prepared in conjunction with Biologic Markers in Immunotoxicology, contains the authored papers of a workshop held to develop an agenda to study the phenomenon of multiple chemical sensitivity. Authored by clinicians, immunologists, toxicologists, epidemiologists, psychiatrists, psychologists, and others involved in research or clinical activities relevant to the problem, the papers contain case evaluations and criteria for diagnosis, mechanisms potentially underlying MCS, and epidemiologic approaches to investigation.
This text comprehensively covers sensitivity to low-level chemical exposure. Originally developed from a report commissioned by the New Jersey Department of Health, this work defines and clarifies the nature of chemical sensitivity, shows how it differs from traditional allergies, and suggests how federal and state governments can help those who are affected. A new chapter is included in this version which analyzes the most current information on the Gulf War Syndrome and other emerging environmental health problems.
Electrical and multiple chemical sensitivities are disabling illnesses, yet many doctors know little of these conditions, or worse, dismiss them. This timely memoir recounts one man's affliction. The onset of the diseases is explored, as is his struggle with the medical establishment, largely hostile to his diagnosis. When the symptoms became unbearable, he was forced to leave home and seek a more healthful environment where he could begin his recovery. This is an inspirational text for those living with electrical or multiple chemical sensitivity and an educational one for those first learning about these conditions.
This personal view of multiple chemical sensitivity and environmental illness is supported by research. In a question-and-answer format, the effects of exposure to perfume, smoke, air fresheners, cleaning products, exhaust, and other air contaminants are examined and linked to symptoms such as headaches, allergies, asthma, and fatigue. The book contains additional testimony and reports from 37 sufferers, as well as listings of resources and related scientific articles.
The people profiled in this book tell how you can create a positive life when you no longer can work, shop, attend church and public events or socialize without unpleasant, or worse, consequences to your health from low-level chemical exposures. Living with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity is a collection of personal stories describing the lives and coping strategies of people with MCS from all over North America. It describes dozens of alternatives to the kinds of isolation and hopelessness that threaten people with this illness. Laced with inspiration, courage and humor, these stories dispel myths associated with people who have MCS, and will help others to articulate their own experience of the illness to family, friends, coworkers, and health care providers. Foreword by Pamela Reed Gibson of James Madison University. Appendices include a medical overview, resources for further information and support, and a sociologists' view of MCS by Steve Kroll-Smith, director of the Environmental Social Science Research Institute, University of New Orleans. Includes photographs of persons whose lives are described.