By Kenton Shepard

Because agents I know have had problems with transactions falling apart because the buyer did not disclose a medical condition which left them sensitized to a variety of chemicals until after contracts wre signed, I am in the process of putting together a disclosure form to be made available to both sellers and buyers. In the meantime, I hope the following article will be helpful.

MULTIPLE CHEMICAL SENSITIVITY (MCS)

MCS is often an allergy-like reaction to both large and (often) extremely low levels of irritants/toxicants/triggers. Although it's causes are not well understood, it is apparent that MCS can be triggered by a large initial exposure such as collapse of the World Trade Center towers, or to prolonged lower level exposures such as might be experienced in an industrial or workplace setting.

Once sensitized, those effected may be sensitive to a large number of chemical triggers and sensitivity may range from mild to severe. Because homes contain many building materials and commercial products which are manufactured using potential trigger chemicals, those suffering from severe MCS may have difficulty finding a home which their body can tolerate. It's not unusual for these people to find it necessary to live outside for periods of time.

A number of websites exist with detailed information...

http://www.multiplechemicalsensitivity.org/

Ocupational Safety and Health Administration

There is currently some debate as to whether MCS is a proper diagnosis. You can see an overview of how various US government agencies are responding to this concern by visiting the Federal Action Website.

The following is a partial list of trigger chemicals... 

• bleach, fabric softeners, wool-wash, and detergents
• household and industrial cleaning chemicals
• perfumes, lotion, scented personal care products
• air-fresheners or plug ins
• anything scented or perfumed
• petrol or gasoline, diesel and exhaust fumes
• pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, and other agricultural chemicals
• shampoos, hairsprays and personal care products
• dishwashing liquid and detergent (may cause migraine headaches for those without MCS)
• glues (including carpet glue), varnishes, polishes, paints, solvents and paint-thinners
• petroleum-based products (including petroleum jelly)
• Formaldehyde and aldehyde
• Tartrazine (a.k.a Yellow #5 or FD&C E102), and other Azo dyes
• Caffeine
• any volatile organic compound (VOC's).
  • Paint thinners, including:

•·         Acetone

•·         Mineral spirits

•·         Mineral turpentine (turps)

•·         Wood turpentine

•·         Naphtha

•·         Toluene

•·         Xylene

• Solvents including

•·         acetic Acid

•·         acetone

•·         acetonitrile

•·         benzene

•·         butan-1-ol

•·         butan-2-one

•·         carbon tetrachloride

•·         chloroform

•·         cyclohexane

•·         diethylene glycol

•·         diglyme

•·         dimethoxy-ethane (glyme

•·         dimethyl-sulfoxide (DMSO)

•·         dioxane

•·         ethanol

•·         ether

•·         ethyl acetate

•·         ethylene glycol

•·         glycerin

•·         heptane

•·         heptane

•·         hexane

•·         methanol

•·         methyl t-butyl ether (MTBE)

•·         pentane

•·         propan-1-ol

•·         propan-2-ol

•·         p-xylene

•·         t-butyl alcohol

•·         tetrahydrofuran (THF)