The Archives of Environmental Health announces publication of the first consensus definition of the controversial syndrome known as multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS). The 1999 Consensus on MCS, signed by 34 medical researchers and clinicians from the United States and Canada, appears in the May/June 1999 issue (volume 54, number 3). It defines MCS according to six criteria, the first five of which were identified in a survey of 89 clinicians representing a diverse range of medical specialties and opinions that the Archives published in 1993 (see Nethercott JR, Davidoff LL, Curbow B and Abbey H. 1993. Multiple chemical sensitivities syndrome: toward a working case definition. Arch Environ Health 48: 1926.) 1999 Consensus Criteria for Multiple Chemical Sensitivity
The prior lack of any consensus definition has been a significant obstacle
to the diagnosis of MCS in clinical practice. This definition is published
with the hope that it may standardize the diagnosis of MCS in both clinical
and research settings. According to epidemiological surveys conducted by the
New Mexico Department of Health and California Department of Health
Services, one sixth of randomly selected adults are adversely affected by
chemical sensitivity to some degree, while 2% (in NM) to 8% in CA) say they
have already been diagnosed with MCS by a medical professional. Dr. Kaye
Kilburn, editor of the Archives of Environmental Health and one of the
authors of the consensus, hailed the new MCS definition as a practical and
orderly step that was overdue. Altho
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Contact: Ms. Pat McCready
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Heldref Publications
1-Jul-1999