HEAL of Southern Arizona
MCS Primer on Avoiding Chemical Exposure
Avoidance of chemicals is the primary treatment for MCS.
In a study of 200 people with MCS, avoidance was the only thing that 100% said had helpedand the only treatment that was rated consistently as making a significant difference.
Here are some beginning avoidance rules:
In Your Home
Your home is the one place you can control. Try to make it as 'safe' as possible.
· Remove scented products from your personal life and home (toiletries, soaps, laundry, make-up).
· Remove any personal care products derived from petroleum.
· Remove all household deodorizers including 'natural' (it means nothing).
· Add carbon media air filters to your home and car.
· Remove clutter from your home (books, papers, bric-a-brac, area rugs, overstuffed closets).
· Remove any newer upholstered furniture and pressed-wood furniture.
· Do not let scented people into your home. If you have family who brings friends home, make a closable and airable space for them.
· Add an Oasis (instructions for construction).
· When returning from public places or work, remove the clothes you wore and put them outside, then shower.
· Never use pesticides.
In Your Workplace
· If your coworkers will not go scent-free, ask for a private office with a door or work from home.
· Keep your workspace as clutter-free and scent-free as your home.
· Personal air purifiers won’t be of much help because commercial building HVAC systems distribute the air throughout.
· Please see also: Working and Disability
Shopping
· Do all of the shopping you can do online (Amazon Prime picks up returns from your house).
· Wash anything you buy before bringing it into the house, or at least before putting it away (this includes things ordered online and groceries).
· Wash new clothes several times before wearing them.
· Some stores are so heavily deodorized that it is impossible to get the smell out of their products. It is best to avoid them.
Water and Food
Install a carbon water filter in your home. Water from plastic water bottles contain phthalates and other plastics. Unfiltered city water may contain chlorine.
Install a chlorine shower filter at the shower head to avoid chlorine in the bath water and thus vaporized in the air during your shower.
Many people with MCS do better with pesticide-free food.