Tag: solvents

Workplace Chemical Exposure and Type 2 Diabetes Risk (AI).

Question 1 of 2

Can exposure to workplace chemicals such as solvents, isocyanates, organophosphates, hexavalent chromium, lead, gasoline or kerosene increase the chances of developing Type 2 Diabetes.

Answer 1 from Google Gemini AI

Recent scientific research suggests a link between exposure to certain workplace chemicals and an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, although the strength of the evidence varies significantly by chemical.

These substances are often classified as diabetogens—chemicals that may disrupt the body’s ability to produce or use insulin.

The following breakdown details the risk levels associated with the chemicals you listed.

1. High Risk / Strong Evidence

These chemicals have the strongest link to type 2 diabetes in occupational studies.

Organophosphates (Pesticides): 

      • The Link: There is strong evidence linking chronic exposure to organophosphate pesticides with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes.
      • Mechanism: These chemicals disrupt key enzymes (like acetylcholinesterase) and induce oxidative stress, which can damage the pancreas’s beta cells (the cells that make insulin) and disrupt glucose metabolism.
      • At-Risk Occupations: Agricultural workers, exterminators, and pesticide manufacturers.

Solvents (specifically Benzene & Chlorinated Solvents): 

      • The Link: Organic solvents, particularly benzene, trichloroethylene (TCE), and their metabolites, have been associated with insulin resistance.
      • Mechanism: They can cause chronic inflammation and liver dysfunction (fatty liver), which are precursors to type 2 diabetes.
      • At-Risk Occupations: Painters, dry cleaners, reinforced plastics workers, and shoemakers.
2. Moderate or Suggestive Evidence

For these chemicals, studies show a correlation, but the results can sometimes be mixed or dependent on the level of exposure (heavy vs. light).

Lead: 

      • The Link: Occupational exposure to lead is associated with higher fasting blood glucose levels and insulin resistance.
      • Mechanism: Lead accumulates in the body (bones) over time and can act as an endocrine disruptor. It interferes with calcium signaling, which is necessary for insulin release.
      • At-Risk Occupations: Battery manufacturing, smelting, radiator repair, and construction (renovating old buildings).

Gasoline & Kerosene (via Benzene): 

      • The Link: Gasoline and kerosene themselves are mixtures. The diabetes risk is largely attributed to their benzene content (see “Solvents” above). Short-term exposure is unlikely to cause diabetes, but chronic, long-term inhalation of vapors (e.g., at filling stations or refineries) is the primary concern.
      • At-Risk Occupations: Refinery workers, gas station attendants, and mechanics.
3. Mixed or Limited Evidence

Hexavalent Chromium: 

      • The Nuance: Chromium is confusing because trivalent chromium (Cr3+) is often sold as a supplement to help blood sugar. However, hexavalent chromium (Cr6+)—the industrial toxin—is a known carcinogen.
      • The Link: While highly toxic and capable of damaging the liver and kidneys (which help regulate blood sugar), the direct link to causing diabetes is not as strongly established in human studies as it is for arsenic or cadmium. However, animal studies suggest it can induce hyperglycaemia and insulin resistance.
      • At-Risk Occupations: Chrome plating, welding (stainless steel), and pigment manufacturing.

Isocyanates: 

      • The Link: Isocyanates are well-known for causing occupational asthma and severe skin/respiratory sensitization. Currently, there is insufficient evidence to strongly link isocyanates directly to the development of type 2 diabetes. Their primary danger remains respiratory and immune system damage.
      • At-Risk Occupations: Spray painters, foam manufacturing, and insulation installers.
What You Can Do

If you work with these chemicals and are concerned about your blood sugar:

      1. Review your Safety Data Sheets (SDS): Check if the products you use contain benzene, toluene, or organophosphates.

      2. Protective Gear: Ensure you are using the correct PPE (respirators, chemically resistant gloves) to prevent absorption through the skin and lungs.

      3. Medical Monitoring: When you get your annual check-up, specifically ask for a HbA1c test or fasting glucose test to monitor your blood sugar trends over time.

Question 2 of 2

Explain these risks further in an aviation context, maintenance (engine oils, hydraulic fluids), refueling, exhaust gasses, paint stripping, priming & painting and PR sealants.

Answer 2 from Google Gemini AI

Recent research and occupational health studies have highlighted specific risks in the aviation industry that go beyond immediate physical safety. In the context of type 2 diabetes, the primary driver is chronic inflammation and liver toxicity (hepatotoxicity), which can lead to insulin resistance.

Here is a breakdown of the specific diabetes-related risks for each aviation task you mentioned.

1. Aircraft Maintenance (Engine Oils & Hydraulic Fluids)

Risk Level: Moderate to High Primary Hazard: Organophosphates

      • Engine Oils (e.g., Mobil Jet II): Turbine engine oils contain Tricresyl Phosphate (TCP) as an anti-wear additive. TCP is an organophosphate. While historically known for “aerotoxic syndrome” and neurological damage, organophosphates are also metabolic disruptors. They can alter how your liver processes fats (lipids), leading to “fatty liver,” a direct precursor to type 2 diabetes.
      • Hydraulic Fluids (e.g., Skydrol): These fluids are phosphate ester-based (often Tributyl Phosphate). Like TCP, these chemicals are absorbed rapidly through the skin. They are difficult for the liver to process, placing stress on the organ responsible for regulating your blood sugar.

Note: Standard nitrile gloves often do not provide sufficient protection against phosphate esters (which can degrade them). Butyl rubber or specific chemically resistant gloves are usually required.

2. Refueling & Ground Operations

Risk Level: High Primary Hazard: Ultrafine Particles (UFPs) & Benzene

      • Refueling (Jet-A1): Jet fuel contains benzene and other aromatics. Chronic inhalation of fuel vapours (especially during “hot” refueling or in enclosed hangars) exposes you to solvents that increase the risk of insulin resistance.
      • Exhaust Gases (Tarmac/Ramp Work): This is perhaps the most significant, overlooked risk. Jet exhaust emits Ultrafine Particles (UFPs).
          • The Evidence: A major European study linked living near airports (and thus high UFP exposure) to significantly higher rates of diabetes.
          • The Mechanism: These particles are so small they pass from your lungs directly into your bloodstream, causing systemic inflammation that blocks insulin receptors. If you work on the ramp or near running APUs without respiratory protection, your exposure is extremely high.
3. Paint Stripping

Risk Level: High Primary Hazard: Methylene Chloride & Phenols

      • Chemical Strippers: Aviation paint strippers are among the harshest chemicals used in industry. Many contain Methylene Chloride (Dichloromethane).
      • The Diabetes Link: Methylene chloride is a severe metabolic toxin. It causes oxidative stress in the liver. Research indicates that chronic exposure to chlorinated solvents is linked to a higher prevalence of type 2 diabetes because the liver becomes too “busy” detoxifying the solvents to properly manage insulin and glucose levels.
Photo of dichloromethane as stored by Irish Air Corps in 2015. Dichloromethane was banned in the EU in 2012.
4. Priming & Painting

Risk Level: Moderate (Mixed Risks) Primary Hazard: Hexavalent Chromium & Isocyanates

      • Priming (Alodine / Chromates): The yellow/green primers (like zinc chromate or strontium chromate) contain Hexavalent Chromium (Cr6+). While primarily a cancer risk, heavy metal toxicity stresses the kidneys and pancreas.
      • Painting (Topcoats): Polyurethane topcoats use Isocyanates as hardeners.
          • Clarification: The primary risk here is sensitization (occupational asthma), not diabetes. However, the solvents used to thin these paints (MEK, Toluene, Xylene) are the metabolic risks.
          • Diabetes Connection: Solvents like Toluene affect cell membrane signalling, which can make cells “deaf” to insulin’s signal (Insulin Resistance).
5. PR Sealants (Polysulfide Sealants)

Risk Level: Moderate Primary Hazard: Solvents & Dichromate Curing Agents

      • The Sealant: The sealant itself (the grey goo) is generally low risk once cured.
      • The Curing Agents: Be careful with the “hardener” part of the kit. Some two-part sealants use a dichromate cure (contains chromium), which carries the heavy metal toxicity risks mentioned above.
      • The Solvents: You likely use MEK (Methyl Ethyl Ketone) or MPK to clean surfaces before sealing or to wipe up excess. These solvents are rapidly absorbed by the skin. Frequent, unprotected contact with MEK “degreases” your skin and enters your bloodstream, adding to the total “solvent load” your liver must filter.
Immediate Protective Actions
      1. Respirators for Ramp Work: If you are spending hours on a tarmac with running APUs or engines, a standard dust mask is useless against UFPs. You need P100 filtration or activated carbon layers if vapours are present.
      2. Glove Selection:
          • Skydrol/Hydraulics: Use Butyl or Neoprene. Nitrile breaks down quickly.
          • Fuel/Solvents: High-grade Nitrile is usually acceptable, but change them immediately if splashed.
      3. Liver Support: Since the liver is the primary organ fighting these chemicals and regulating blood sugar, reducing other liver stressors (alcohol, processed fructose) is critical for aviation workers.

State attempting to reach settlements with Air Corps chemical victims, Tánaiste says

Cases relating to exposure to dangerous chemicals used in aircraft maintenance are due before the courts

The State Claims Agency (SCA) is attempting to reach settlements with Air Corps members who were exposed to dangerous chemicals during their work, Tánaiste Simon Harris has said.

It follows the conclusion of a landmark court case earlier this year in which a former Air Corps technician was awarded €2 million.

In what was seen as a major test case, Gary Coll (51), from Lifford, Co Donegal, alleged his exposure to chemicals in the workshops of Casement Aerodrome caused him severe and lifelong health problems.

On the opening day of the hearing last February the parties agreed a settlement that did not include any admission of responsibility by the State.

Campaigners accused the State of dragging out the legal process for more than a decade.

The case against the Department of Defence was the first of 10 personal injuries cases due before the courts relating to the exposure of Air Corps members to dangerous chemicals and solvents used in aircraft maintenance.

Campaigners say there are many other Air Corps veterans who have died prematurely or suffered severe health problems in connection with their work.

Now, Mr Harris, who is also Minister for Defence, has signalled the State is keen to settle the remaining cases.

“I want to see a resolution in this regard,” Mr Harris told the Dáil this week. “I am advised there is currently active engagement between the State Claims Agency and litigants to determine if mutually agreeable resolutions can be found to their cases.

“I want to see that happen and I encourage the State Claims Agency to continue that approach, as I know it will. Trying to bring this issue to a resolution that works is important.”

The Tánaiste said an engagement process with former Air Corps personnel is “now genuinely under way” and that it should be allowed proceed “to a point where there is an achievable outcome that is acceptable to all parties”.

Gavin Tobin, a former Air Corps technician, estimates there have been nearly 100 deaths that may have involved exposure to dangerous chemicals.

He rejected Mr Harris’s claim that the State is engaging with veterans and accused it of only coming to an agreement in Mr Coll’s case at the 11th hour.

“A haggle on the corridors of the High Court where the State Claims Agency attempts to destroy reputations by calling injured personnel liars is not engagement,” said Mr Tobin who has been campaigning for years on the issue and who also suffers serious health issues.

He accused the Government of “using the might of the State to threaten financial ruin” on plaintiffs if they reject settlement offers.

“Threatening bankruptcy unless we accept settlement is not an engagement process,” he said. “Nobody is engaging with us.”

Read full article by  Conor Gallagher at  the Irish Times
https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2025/05/14/state-attempting-to-reach-settlements-with-air-corps-chemical-victims-tanaiste-says/

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Delay – Deny – Die

Ex-Air Corps members demand ‘truth’ after €2m chemicals case

Despite a promise of justice, Air Corps chemical exposure survivors say the Irish State continues to deny and delay accountability

A former member of the Defence Forces who says his health has been destroyed by exposure to dangerous chemicals during his service has called for the Government to “let the truth come out”.

The State agreed last week to pay €2m to Gary Coll, 51, to settle a legal case taken by him in relation to his claims, without accepting liability.

Mr Coll served as an aviation technician with the Irish Air Corps in Casement Aerodrome, Baldonnel, between 1991 and 1997.

His case is the first of ten which have been taken by former members in relation to what they say was the failure by the State to protect them from exposure to dangerous chemicals.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Upfront with Katie Hannon, Mr Coll said the State is “hiding behind the State Claims Agency, hiding behind the Courts.”

“The minister stands up and says he can’t look at a health and safety issue because he has to wait for the go-ahead from the State Claims Agency, or the Courts? No. It’s a cop-out to hide behind the court cases,” he said.

Mr Coll says he now suffers from chronic fatigue, has issues with his heart, breathing, and memory, recurring ulcers, and is unable to maintain his core body temperature.

He says during his service there was exposure to chemicals during basic work tasks.

“There was fumes, chemicals being used openly with no extraction systems, within feet of where you worked,” Mr Coll said.

“The place was a mess, the floors were that dirty that people were afraid they would catch fire, there was that much oil and chemicals spilled on the floor of the hangers,” he said.

There was also a tradition of ‘tubbing’ in the Air Corps, whereby individuals would be dunked into tanks of chemicals for various purposes, including as part of initiations or hazing.

He said such tubbing happened to him several times.

https://x.com/RTEUpfront/status/1889094673647440041

Mr Coll joined the Air Corps as a teenager, and represented it in national and international rugby and rowing tournaments in the earlier years of his service.

He said he left his job in his mid-20s due to a slew of medical conditions he experienced while he was still serving, including headaches, vomiting, diarrhoea and nosebleeds.

He now requires the use of a mobility scooter or walking stick to get around.

“I suffered anxiety for years, about 2004 or 2005 I started developing neurological problems, pins and needles, tremors and shakes, it started effecting my balance, my memory’s gone, my short-term memory.”

“In a few months time, I’ll probably forget being here tonight,” Mr Coll said.

Two other former Air Corps members also spoke on the programme. Neither are currently taking legal cases, but both believe exposure to chemicals during their service has significantly damaged their health.

Paul Flynn, 52, spoke to presenter Katie Hannon by video call from his hospital bed. He has been in hospital for 15 months.

He joined the Air Corps in 1988 a week after his 16th birthday. From 1991 to 1998, when he left the service, he worked preparing aircraft parts for painting with primers, topcoats, and spraying.

He said in his early days working in the role there was no protective equipment “at all” provided. Several years later, he said he bought his own air-fed mask, but the line installed to feed it was placed beside a compressor in another room where chemicals were also present.

“I have issues with breathing, sometimes I’m on oxygen… I would like the Government to acknowledge that the chemicals have injured people,” Mr Flynn said, who accepts he cannot definitively link his health issues to chemical exposure.

“The Australian and Dutch government have admitted the same chemicals that we used caused the same injuries we have. I want the Irish Government to admit to that and provide us with whatever care they we need.”

Mr Flynn, aged 52, says his medical team is now advising he move to a nursing home.

https://x.com/RTEUpfront/status/1889090652786286649

Michael Byrne joined the Air Corps having served earlier in the army, he entered to train as a winchman, having passed a fitness selection course.

Unlike Mr Coll and Mr Flynn, he did not serve in the paint shop, but he says he was exposed to chemicals during refuelling of aircraft without PPE.

He said he was splashed with chemicals, and had to breathe in chemicals, as he was required to keep his face close to the refuelling point on the aircrafts.

“There was often – a common occurrence – you’d get an airlock, a backwash of fuel into the eyes, into the mouth, ingested it,” he said.

Within a year of joining the Air Corps after the army, Mr Byrne said, his health began to deteriorate, and he eventually left his job.

“I joined the Air Corps to hang out of helicopters. I joined it for the adventure. When I became sick and I wasn’t able to do the duties anymore – and because under aviation law because I was on high dose steroids, you’re not allowed to fly – I was given jobs like answering phones, I was cleaning toilets at times. So I left, disheartened, and I left.”

“I’ve had two knee replacements, I’m due two hip replacements, I currently have a fractured spine, I’m in a brace at the moment, from just doing menial tasks around the house.”

He said he can not definitively trace his health issues to chemical exposure, but says the timeline is significant.

“I was perfectly healthy, from that point – within a year – I went from running ten miles a day to not being able to run across the road when a car came.”

Mr Byrne is not taking a legal case because he is “just trying to get through day-to-day at the moment, just with pain and managing everything like that.

“I want answers, I’m going downhill, my elbows swell, my knees swell … It was proven in Australia, why can’t they use those templates? At home, most days I don’t move, I can’t get up” he said.

In Australia, in 2009 there was a parliamentary inquiry into similar issues which resulted in payments and healthcare services – including cancer screening – being provided to former Royal Australian Air Force members who were exposed to dangerous chemicals.

Several former Air Corps members who say they have been exposed are calling on the Government to take similar action. In particular, they are calling on Taoiseach Micheál Martin to act.

The Taoiseach and other ministers note that the handling of complaints raised about chemical exposed fall under a Tribunal of Inquiry which was set up after the so-called ‘Women of Honour’, which revealed concerns about bullying, misogyny and sexual assault within the Defence Forces.

In June 2017, Mr Coll and others met Mr Martin, then the leader of the opposition, to outline their concerns and issues related to chemical exposure.

Mr Martin subsequently told the Dáil that three whistleblowers had warned in November 2015 about conditions in the Air Corps maintenance units in Baldonnel, and the degree to which staff were “exposed to very dangerous solvents and chemicals.”

Mr Martin at the time called on the government of the day to commission an independent board of inquiry “into this entire affair and scandal,” summarising the then-government’s response as “deny, deny, deny, resist, resist, resist.”

“The linkage of the particular chemicals to cancer-causing diseases, genetic mutation, neurological conditions and chronic diseases have been well-established”, Mr Martin said at the time.

In a statement to Upfront from Katie Hannon, a spokesperson for Mr Martin said “throughout his time as Taoiseach, and as Minister for Defence, the health and safety of the men and women of the Defence Forces has been a priority.

“There are a number of other personal injury claims currently active before the courts, and it wouldn’t be appropriate to encroach on the independence of the legal process.

“The Defence Forces Tribunal of Inquiry was established in June 2024 and, as part of its terms of reference, will investigate the response to complaints made regarding the use of hazardous chemicals within Air Corps’ headquarters at Casement Aerodrome, Baldonnel.”

The Department of Defence told Upfront with Katie Hannon: “The Health and Wellbeing of the men and women working in the Air Corps is a priority for the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence, as it is for the Defence Forces Management and the Department of Defence.

“The decision to take litigation is a matter for each individual, as is the decision to engage in dialogue to explore and potentially reach a settlement in relation to such matters. In respect of the recently reported case, the parties agreed to settle the matter before the commencement of the trial, on terms agreed by both sides, with the benefit of legal advice at every stage of the process.”

https://www.rte.ie/news/upfront/2025/0211/1495941-ex-air-corps-members-demand-truth-after-2m-chemicals-case

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Delay – Deny – Die

Air Corps chemical poisoning: Betrayal, legal battles, and a decade-long fight for justice

Despite a promise of justice, Air Corps chemical exposure survivors say the Irish State continues to deny and delay accountability

Meeting Micheál Martin on Tuesday, June 20, 2017 is a moment that is etched on Gary Coll’s brain.

As the then leader of the opposition, the now Taoiseach spent the best part of an hour with the former Air Corps aviation technician and five of his colleagues in Leinster House.

They had met him, at his invitation, to plead their case about the need for urgent State intervention into the issues around chemical poisoning in the air corps.

At the time, around 40 Air Corps personnel under the age of 65 were understood to died in the previous 27 years from suicide, cardiovascular events and cancer. Hundreds more were suffering a raft of chemical exposure-related illnesses.

They all mostly maintained aircraft without using PPE, and with little or no training or advice about the toxic chemicals they were either working with or in the vicinity of.

At the end of the meeting Mr Martin, who went on to become Taoiseach in June 2020, vowed to be an advocate to their cause.

Just before the meeting concluded, Gary limped over to him and asked if he would still support air corps chemical exposure survivors when he became Taoiseach.

Gary, who last Wednesday was awarded €2m in a settlement to his High Court claim for damages against the State, recalled:

“He looked me firmly in the eye, and — as he shook my hand — said he would because it was, in his words, ‘the right thing to do’.”

Gary bristles with anger as he recalls the moment.

Read full article by Neil Michael at  the Irish Examiner
https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/spotlight/arid-41570956.html

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Delay – Deny – Die

Over a decade on, ill Air Corps technicians still await a fair hearing

The settlement between the State and Gary Coll closes one chapter in the allegations by former Air Corps technicians that they were exposed to dangerous chemicals while working on military vehicles. However, as Joe Leogue outlines, many more cases and issues of disclosure remain unresolved

Ex-Air Corps member Gary Coll from Lifford, Co. Donegal. The State has agreed to pay €2 million to a former Air Corps technician who was allegedly exposed to toxic chemicals which he says caused severe health difficulties. Photo by Joe Dunne

A settlement on the steps of a court usually marks the conclusion of a dispute — however, the reported €2m pay-out to Defence Forces mechanic Gary Coll on Wednesday is but another development in a bitter dispute between the State and former Air Corps technicians that has raged on for over a decade.

Mr Coll settled his High Court action against the State having alleged he was exposed to various dangerous chemicals while he worked at Casement Aerodrome in Baldonnel, Dublin. The settlement was made without an admission of liability.

The State contended it provided a safe workplace at Casement, and did not allow inappropriate work practices there.

The settlement is a milestone in an ongoing saga that is complex, but at its core comes down to two simple, related, questions; did the State fail in its duty to protect scores of Defence Forces staff from the impact of harmful chemicals, and were there attempts to cover this up?

Mr Coll’s case was the first of 10 such legal actions to come to an end, with all 10 cases bearing similar complaints. The first legal claims were lodged with the High Court in 2013, and all litigants worked in repair and service workshops based in Casement Aerodrome.

All 10 say that they suffered chronic conditions including cancer and neurological problems as a direct result of their exposure to the chemicals with which they came into contact as part of their duties when servicing Air Corps aircraft.

In 2017, then in opposition, Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin was scathing of the report, accusing the government of knowingly appointing a reviewer who, by his own admission, was unable to meet the terms of reference of the investigation.

“It’s farcical. It seems to me there are no records of compliance with health regulations, which is very, very serious because in their absence one has to conclude that the probability is they were not complied with,” he said.

“The government needs to establish a forensic examination into this,” Mr Martin added.

“I don’t think it is acceptable to wait for court cases against the State to conclude as there is no guarantee these legal proceedings will establish what happened in the past.”

That line has proven particularly prescient eight years later. The settlement of Mr Coll’s case this week means that no evidence was heard. Nothing has yet established what has happened in the past.

This matters to the former Air Corps mechanics for many reasons. Chief among these is that since 2018 the government rejected opposition calls for a healthcare programme for these workers — similar to the Australian model — on the basis that the courts were the place to establish liability.

Read full article by Joe Leogue at  the Irish Examiner
https://www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/columnists/arid-41569999.html

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Delay – Deny – Die

State agrees €2m settlement in Air Corps chemical ‘tubbing’ case

Central to Gary Coll’s claims was that he underwent ‘tubbing’, a form of hazing where workers were submerged in a bath of unspecified chemicals and oil

The State has agreed to pay €2 million to a former Air Corps technician who was allegedly exposed to toxic chemicals which he says caused severe health difficulties.

The case against the Department of Defence is the first of 10 personal injuries cases due before the courts relating to the exposure of Air Corps members to dangerous chemicals and solvents used in aircraft maintenance.

Gary Coll (51), from Lifford, Co Donegal, joined the Air Corps in 1991, when he was 17, and worked in the avionics section until 1997.

In a statement of claim, he made a large number of allegations against his former employer including that he was not provided with a safe working environment at the Air Corps headquarters in Baldonnell, Co Dublin, and that there was inadequate supervision regarding the use of dangerous chemicals.

Central to Mr Coll’s claims was that he underwent “tubbing”, a form of hazing where workers were submerged in a bath of unspecified chemicals and oil.

Mr Coll, who was once an accomplished athlete, detailed several psychological and physical issues that he alleged were caused by the chemicals. He said he is unable to walk any significant distance without a cane.

Read full article by Conor Gallagher at the Irish Times
https://www.irishtimes.com/crime-law/courts/2025/02/05/state-agrees-2m-settlement-in-air-corps-chemical-tubbing-case/

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Delay – Deny – Die

Profile of Patients with Chemical Injury & Sensitivity

Patients reporting sensitivity to multiple chemicals at levels usually tolerated by the healthy population were administered standardised questionnaires to evaluate their symptoms and the exposures that aggravated these symptoms. Many patients were referred for medical tests. It is thought that patients with chemical sensitivity have organ abnormalities involving the liver, nervous system (brain, including limbic, peripheral, autonomic), immune system, and porphyrin metabolism, probably reflecting chemical injury to these systems. Laboratory results are not consistent with a psychological origin of chemical sensitivity.

Substantial overlap between chemical sensitivity, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue syndrome exists: the latter two conditions often involve chemical sensitivity and may even be the same disorder. Other disorders commonly seen in chemical sensitivity patients include headache (often migraine), chronic fatigue, musculoskeletal aching, chronic respiratory inflammation (rhinitis, sinusitis, laryngitis, asthma), attention deficit, and hyperactivity (affected younger children). Less common disorders include tremor, seizures, and mitral valve prolapse. Patients with these overlapping disorders should be evaluated for chemical sensitivity and excluded from control groups in future research.

Agents whose exposures are associated with symptoms and suspected of causing onset of chemical sensitivity with chronic illness include gasoline, kerosene, natural gas, pesticides (especially chlordane and chlorpyrifos), solvents, new carpet and other renovation materials, adhesives/glues, fiberglass, carbonless copy paper, fabric softener, formaldehyde and glutaraldehyde, carpet shampoos (lauryl sulfate) and other cleaning agents, isocyanates, combustion products (poorly vented gas heaters, overheated batteries), and medications (dinitrochlorobenzene for warts, intranasally packed neosynephrine, prolonged antibiotics, and general anesthesia with petrochemicals).

Multiple mechanisms of chemical injury that magnify response to exposures in chemically sensitive patients can include neurogenic inflammation (respiratory, gastrointestinal, genitourinary), kindling and time-dependent sensitisation (neurologic), impaired porphyrin metabolism (multiple organs), and immune activation

Please read full report below.

Grace Ziem – Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. James McTamney – Clinical Psychologist, Lutherville, Maryland, USA