MCS Accommodation Guidelines 

 Indoors, where we spend an estimated 90% of our time, air can be up to 100 times as polluted as outdoors, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. Poor air quality jeopardizes the health of people with MCS and can prevent access to services.

The following simple measures that cost little or nothing can help provide access to services for people with MCS in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. They also improve air quality for everyone’s benefit and can save money for businesses and institutions by reducing illness and its associated costs, while boosting morale, alertness, productivity, and attendance.

Whenever practical, conduct business with an MCS person by phone, mail, or e-mail.

On-site, provide a well-ventilated area:

- free from smoke fumes and smoke residue including smoke odors on clothing and people.

     - free from scented personal products: perfumes, scented soap, hand lotion, and grooming products. See: Less Toxic Products

     - free from air fresheners or potpourri

- free from harsh cleaning product fumes

- gas appliances

- office machines or equipment (particularly copying machines and printers)

- high ambient air levels of formaldehyde or other contaminants from furniture or carpeting.

- fumes from idling trucks, cars, or machinery

- pesticides

 Some individuals may need to sit near an open window or step out periodically for fresh air, while others may need to use oxygen, or wear a respirator or charcoal mask. In some cases, if practical, it may be necessary to sit outside or meet in a better-tolerated location, possibly at the individual’s home.

Be sure to provide advance notification if construction, remodeling, refurbishing, or pesticide treatment has recently taken place.

Health Care Practitioners see: Doctors and Hospital Accommodation

Rights to access, for those with MCS, are defined by the federal disability laws.

 
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