Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Multiple Chemical Sensitivity
Multiple chemical sensitivity
refers to an unusually severe sensitivity or
allergy-like reaction to many different kinds of pollutants including sol-
vents, volatile organic compounds, petrol, diesel, smoke, and other
chemicals and often includes problems with regard to pollen, house dust
mites, and pet fur and dander. It is not a disease recognized by the
American Medical Association or by many medical organizations that
deal with allergies.
Nevertheless, some people are extraordinarily sensitive to the chemi-
cals in ordinary household materials. Kathy Hemenway is one of these
unfortunate people.
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Her chemical sensitivities began when she was a
child, when she noticed that perfume gave her a headache and her throat
became sore when she was in fabric stores. Her sensitivity problems grew
more severe in adulthood, so she started using natural, fragrance-free
shampoos and soaps; avoiding air fresheners, fresh paint, pesticides and
lawn-care chemicals; and becoming diligent about housekeeping, but
only with natural cleaners such as baking soda and vinegar. She moved
from homes with carpets to homes with hardwood fl oors.
But after an accidental exposure to nearby lawn chemicals at her home
in Santa Cruz, California, Hemenway began to have trouble breathing
and even more trouble sleeping. She grew agitated, jittery, and depressed
and felt as if she were in a fog. She also became sensitive to many more
substances than usual and had to use an oxygen tank to recover from
even mild exposures, such as breathing exhaust fumes on the freeway.
She decided to get as far from civilization as possible and built a house
in the remote high desert town of Snowfl ake, Arizona. The house has no
paint, no carpets, no plywood, no particleboard, and no tarpaper. No
pesticides were used on the building's foundation or on the land before
the foundation was laid. The exterior of the house is made of masonry
blocks, and most of the interior framing and roof are made of steel. The
fl oors are glazed ceramic tile throughout the house, and in the bedroom
the walls and ceiling are too. The house has radiant in-fl oor heating
instead of forced-air heating to minimize blowing dust and eliminate the
combustion by-products of forced-air heating.
Hemenway is one of many Americans who believe that sprays meant
to freshen the air actually pollute it, that chemicals meant to beautify
our yards in fact poison them, and that many of the products and materi-
als that make modern life fast and convenient also make people sick.
