Once primed, the body responds at levels much lower than normal to very common chemicals, like diesel exhaust or common organic solvents. Afflicted people are often unable to work or live normally as they become debilitated by symptoms of rhinitis, asthma, nausea, muscle aches, cardiac problems and even cognitive difficulties. Many see more than a dozen physicians in seeking a diagnosis and treatment for their difficulties. It's a theory.
Additional research is needed to determine the origin of any increased sensitivity.
Additionally, he recommends that questions of social policy, such as the need for special accommodations for patients by employers and landlords, be addressed at the national level so that a consistent policy based on scientific research may be developed. For instance, the Social Security Administration recognizes Gulf War Syndrome as a disability. But the Department of Defense has not yet accepted that events in the Gulf War initiated the disease. This sort of confusion about diagnosis and cause make it impossible for most people to receive adequate treatment. When MCS problems first came to light, as in groups of people exposed to chemicals in air-tight buildings, they were often labeled as mass psychogenic illness and dismissed.