Media	  Release	  	  Wednesday,	  14	  March	  2018	  One	  in	  four	  Americans	  suffer	  when	  exposed	  to	  common	  chemicals	  	  University	  of	  Melbourne	  research	  reveals	  that	  one	  in	  four	  Americans	  report	  chemical	  sensitivity,	  with	  nearly	  half	  this	  group	  medically	  diagnosed	  with	  Multiple	  Chemical	  Sensitivities	  (MCS),	  suffering	  health	  problems	  from	  exposure	  to	  common	  chemical	  products	  and	  pollutants	  such	  as	  insect	  spray,	  paint,	  cleaning	  supplies,	  fragrances	  and	  petrochemical	  fumes.	  	  The	  research	  was	  conducted	  by	  Anne	  Steinemann,	  Professor	  of	  Civil	  Engineering	  and	  Chair	  of	  Sustainable	  Cities	  from	  the	  University	  of	  Melbourne	  School	  of	  Engineering,	  and	  published	  in	  the	  Journal	  of	  Occupational	  and	  Environmental	  Medicine.	  
Professor	  Steinemann	  is	  an	  international	  expert	  on	  environmental	  pollutants,	  air	  quality,	  and	  health	  effects.	  	  	  Professor	  Steinemann	  found	  the	  prevalence	  of	  chemical	  sensitivity	  has	  increased	  more	  than	  200	  per	  cent	  and	  diagnosed	  MCS	  has	  increased	  more	  than	  300	  per	  cent	  among	  American	  adults	  in	  the	  past	  decade.	  Across	  America,	  an	  estimated	  55	  million	  adults	  have	  chemical	  sensitivity	  or	  MCS.	  	  “MCS	  is	  a	  serious	  and	  potentially	  disabling	  disease	  that	  is	  widespread	  and	  increasing	  in	  the	  US	  population,”	  Professor	  Steinemann	  said.	  	  	  The	  study	  used	  an	  online	  survey	  with	  a	  national	  random	  sample	  of	  1,137	  people,	  representative	  of	  age,	  gender	  and	  region,	  from	  a	  large	  web-­‐based	  panel	  held	  by	  Survey	  Sampling	  International	  (SSI).	  	  	  The	  study	  found	  that,	  when	  exposed	  to	  problematic	  sources,	  people	  with	  MCS	  experience	  a	  range	  of	  adverse	  health	  effects,	  from	  migraines	  and	  dizziness	  to	  breathing	  difficulties	  and	  heart	  problems.	  For	  76	  per	  cent	  of	  people,	  the	  severity	  of	  effects	  can	  be	  disabling.	  	  “People	  with	  MCS	  are	  like	  human	  canaries.	  They	  react	  earlier	  and	  more	  severely	  to	  chemical	  pollutants,	  even	  at	  low	  levels,”	  Professor	  Steinemann	  said.	  	  	  	  The	  study	  also	  found	  that	  71	  per	  cent	  of	  people	  with	  MCS	  are	  asthmatic,	  and	  86.2	  per	  cent	  with	  MCS	  report	  health	  problems	  from	  fragranced	  consumer	  products,	  such	  as	  air	  fresheners,	  scented	  laundry	  products,	  cleaning	  supplies,	  fragranced	  candles,	  perfume	  and	  personal	  care	  products.	  	  	  In	  addition,	  an	  estimated	  22	  million	  Americans	  with	  MCS	  have	  lost	  work	  days	  or	  a	  job	  in	  the	  past	  year	  due	  to	  illness	  from	  exposure	  to	  fragranced	  consumer	  products	  in	  the	  workplace.	  	  	  	  To	  reduce	  health	  risks	  and	  costs,	  Professor	  Steinemann	  recommends	  choosing	  products	  without	  any	  fragrance,	  and	  implementing	  fragrance-­‐free	  policies	  in	  workplaces,	  health	  care	  facilities,	  schools	  and	  other	  indoor	  environments.	  	  Media	  enquiries:	  Holly	  Bennett	  |	  holly.bennett@unimelb.edu.au|	  +	  61	  466	  514	  367	  	  Interviews	  with	  Professor	  Anne	  Steinemann	  |anne.steinemann@unimelb.edu.au	  |+61	  3	  8344	  5001	  	  	  Download	  the	  full	  article,	  free	  of	  charge,	  on	  	  Professor	  Steinemann's	  website:	  	  www.drsteinemann.com/publications.html	  (top	  article)	  	  or	  the	  Journal	  of	  Occupational	  and	  Environmental	  Medicine	  https://journals.lww.com/joem/Fulltext/2018/03000/National_Prevalence_and_Effects_of_Multiple.17.aspx