Are You Aware of MCS? Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) is a condition where people experience symptoms of all kinds in response to toxic chemical exposures from everyday consumer products found in the home, office, and public environment.It is a phenomenon of the twentieth century, a result of the increase of consumer products made using toxic substances and materials. Symptoms range from slight to disabling. At it’s most extreme, “universal reactors” respond continuously to everything in their environment, whether toxic or benign. Because people with MCS react to toxic chemicals in their surrounding environment, they need understanding and cooperation from neighbors and others in their communities. They need neighbors to not use fabric softener or BBQ lighter fluid because these easily move through the neighborhood on a breeze. They need fellow parishioners to not wear perfume so they can attend church services. Even though MCS has been known to exist for more than 50 years, most people still are not aware of this condition, what causes it, how it can be prevented, or how they can help those who live with MCS every day. A Long Road to Recognition MCS was first reported in the mid-1950s by Dr. Theron Randolph, an allergist who practiced in Chicago. He began to identify patients with the “petrochemical problem,” who complained of becoming ill when exposed to car exhaust, smoke from factories, and various products that contain ingredients derived from gas, oil, or coal. Dr. Randolph advised these patients to avoid chemical exposures to see if their condition improved. If so, they were to reintroduce the offending substances one by one to see if the symptoms reappeared. At that time, the marketplace was being flooded with products made from new materials derived from petroleum and other petrochemicals that had not been used before. Brand new televisions ran DuPont’s cheery commercials proclaiming, “better living through chemistry.” In the 1960s, Rachel Carson wrote Silent Spring, the first book to expose the health and environmental effects of pesticides, while Dustin Hoffman was encouraged to go into the field of plastics in the movie “The Graduate.” While a growing number of patients were being diagnosed with MCS and finding relief by avoiding toxic chemicals in consumer products as best they could, the medical community now had to come to terms with a condition they had never seen before and did not know how to treat. No drug or surgery could exist to treat MCS. Government agencies had to recognize MCS as an illness before they could approve financial aid for disabled sufferers. The energy crisis of the 1970s also contributed to MCS. Prior to this, buildings were “leaky,” allowing air to escape through cracks and other small openings. This was good for allowing toxic fumes to escape but made it difficult for buildings to hold heating and cooling. To save energy, buildings were “tightened” by filling all holes and cracks. Suddenly indoor concentrations of toxic chemicals emitting from consumer products and building skyrocketed, creating the new field of Indoor Air Quality (IAQ). And more MCS. The first books about MCS weren’t written until the early 1980’s. Patient advocate Natalie Golos wrote the first book on how to live with MCS Coping With Your Allergies, and Debra Lynn Dadd wrote A Consumer Guide for the Chemically Sensitive, which identified the toxic chemicals those with MCS were reacting to, where they were found in consumer products, and how to find safe alternatives. Support groups began to form,