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Article: Canaries of the chemical age: the plight of MCS sufferers.(multiple chemical sensitivity)
- Article from:
- Canadian Chemical News
- Article date:
- September 1, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 Chemical Institute of Canada. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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These poor souls suffer. That much is for sure. But just what are they suffering from? A whiff of perfume, the scent of paint, the smell of diesel fume, the fragrance of a cleaning agent, or the aroma of newsprint sends them reeling. Symptoms usually include headache, fatigue, breathing problems, muscle and joint pain, irritability, insomnia, short-term memory loss, and confusion. How can such chemically diverse substances cause such similar symptoms? The explanation sometimes offered is that these people suffer from something called "multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS)," also referred to as "environmental illness," "total allergy syndrome," or "20th-century disease."
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