Not sure what’s making your patient sick?
Here’s a list of common triggers
Chemically sensitive individuals often regain their health and productivity when their exposure to environmental contaminates is limited or eliminated. However, it’s not always easy to determine exactly what exposure is triggering an individual’s symptoms, says Mary Lamielle, executive director of the National Center for Environmental Health Strategies in Voorhees, NJ.
"It’s important to narrow down the critical pieces by eliminating the most obvious contaminants first," explains Lamielle. "Once you’ve eliminated the obvious things, it becomes easier to identify the things that are left in the space which may be causing a chemically sensitive individual problems."
Here’s a list of problematic environmental exposures that chemically sensitive individuals should attempt to avoid:
• Pesticides: insecticides, herbicides, and moth balls.
• Petroleum products: solvents, fuels, and natural gas/propane.
• Plastics: vinyl, latex, foam rubber, Styrofoam, and new electronic equipment with plastic-coated wires.
• Outdoor air pollutants: vehicle exhaust, industrial fumes, smog, tobacco, wood and charcoal smoke, and motor exhaust from mowers and other power tools.
• Scented products: perfume, cologne, shampoo, hair spray, hair gel, cosmetics, nail polish and nail polish remover, lotions, soap, detergents, fabric softener, air fresheners or deodorizers, incense, scented candles, and aromatherapy products.
• Cleansers: dry cleaning fumes; products containing chlorine, phenol, ammonia, pine; or other chemicals used to create scent.
• Building products: fresh paint, new plywood or particle board, tar fumes, glues and adhesives, new carpets, and veneered wood.
• Fibers: synthetic fabrics such as polyester and acrylics, fabric finishes such as products designed to make fabrics wrinkle-free, or make them stain- or water-resistant, and furniture upholstered in synthetic fabric or foam.
• Printing/office products: fresh ink from newspapers, magazines, and books; copy and fax machine fumes; computer printer fumes; felt tip markers; carbonless copy paper; new cardboard; glossy paper; and correction fluids.
[To order a copy of the booklet, "Multiple Chemical Sensitivity" by Ann McCampbell, MD, write to the Environmental Health Connection, 12 Bryce Court, Belmont, CA 94002. Or call McCampbell at (505) 466-3622.]
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