MCS (Multiple Chemical Sensitivity)

MCS means an unusually severe sensitivity or allergy-like reaction to many different kinds of pollutants including solvents, VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds), perfumes, petrol, diesel, smoke, “chemicals” in general. Unlike true allergies, where the underlying mechanisms of the problem are relatively well understood and widely accepted, MCS is generally regarded as “idiopathic”, meaning that it has no known mechanism of causation and it’s processes are not fully understood.

The following criteria apply to determining whether a person suffers from Multiple Chemical Sensitivity: the person exhibits problems – often an allergy-like reaction – to both large – often extremely low levels of irritants/toxicants/triggers; other individuals present at the same time may be unable to detect anything at all or anything unusual or out of the ordinary;  the problem is ongoing, ie. chronic, and not a “one-off” event;

the same symptoms are reproducible with repeated exposure to the same triggers; the person is affected by many different triggers, and; the person improves when triggers are absent.

Medical professionals have directly associated Multiple Chemical Sensitivity to an Immune response, much like allergies. Some cases of MCS have been linked to psychological conditions such as Anxiety and Depression. People who have been exposed to a chemical spill or low ventilation at the workplace or at home are most at risk for developing MCS.