MCS sufferers typically present with a firm belief that their symptoms are as a result of chemical exposure, and these symptoms are accelerated by a range of everyday chemicals and common environmental agents. These include,
1. Perfumes
95% of chemicals in perfumes and fragranced products are synthetic chemicals, which are derived from petroleum; these include benzaldehyde, benzyl acetate, benzyl alcohol, camphor, ethanol, and limonene, to mention a few. These are all known to have a negative impact on health particularly to the central nervous system {6}.
2. Pesticides
Acute exposure to pesticides is usually thought to be the initial trigger when the onset of MCS occurs suddenly in an otherwise healthy individual. Pesticides are potent chemicals, due to the fact that a considerable number of them are chemically related to war time nerve agents and as such have negative effects on the nervous, endocrine and immune systems These effects are expected of pesticides in order to kill pests and as such it is no surprise that humans can be affected negatively by their effects. Common pesticides include DDT (which is one of the most potent and has now been banned from a number of western countries), lindane, and chlordane, to mention a few {6}.
3. Household Cleaning Products
Most of the pollution in the average home comes from the use of common household cleaning products. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), only around three in ten of the thousands of chemicals used in household cleaning products have been safely tested. Common chemicals used in cleaning products include toluene, found in stain removers; hexane/ xylene, found in aerosol sprays; EDTA, found in bleach; and diethyl phthalate, found in a variety of products such as cosmetics, insecticides, and some food packaging {6}.
4. Natural gas
When natural gas burns, it produces hydrocarbon products such as methane, carbon dioxide and small amounts of carbon monoxide. Inhalation of these can cause adverse reactions. Individuals can be exposed to natural gas at home where it is used in heating systems, stoves and water heaters or at work, for people working with chemicals, petroleum, metals, glass, plastic, pulp and paper, to mention a few {6}.
5. Other triggers include, vehicle exhaust, perfumes in cosmetics, shampoo, tar fumes from roof or road, varnish, shellac, lacquer, nail polish, nail polish remover, marking pen, laundry detergent, hair spray, after shave lotion, etc.