Year: 2000
Type: article
Abstract: In the setting of a sick building, sometimes sporadically, there are some occupants who report extreme sensitivity to a host of exposures, ranging from new carpet and paint odors to cleaning agents and offgassing from office equipment.Because these persons are in the minority, their complaints tend to be ignored.They suffer from an enigmatic condition known as multiple chemical sensitivity, or multiple chemical intolerance.These individuals report multiple symptoms, including severe headaches, fatigue, muscle pain, memory and concentration difficulties, various skin conditions, shortness of breath, and a variety of gastrointestinal problems, which they report being triggered by common, low-level chemical exposures and various foods and drugs.Some have been diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome or fibromyalgia.There is growing concern among scientists that indoor air contaminants may not only trigger their symptoms, but may cause the illness itself.These individuals are not to be ignored.They are often the key to understanding indoor air problems in a building.Susceptibility to indoor air contaminants varies greatly from person to person, perhaps by several orders of magnitude.Building managers and indoor air quality (IAQ) specialists need to be on the lookout for these "canaries," individuals who may be more susceptible to low-level air pollutants, for a variety of reasons'.First, their health concerns tend to drive the building investigation process.Until they feel better or until the building is ruled out as a cause for their symptoms, air quality concerns will fester, as other occupants tend to regard these individuals as barometers for the building's health.Second, these individuals 27.
Authors: Claudia S. Miller, Nicholas A. Ash́ford
Language: English
Subfield: Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1574102142