Are in my experience, a crock. Dr. Joy Bliss at Maggie’s Farm has an interesting post up pointing to an article about a woman in Sweden who claims to be allergice to electricity. She also has a few words to say on Multiple Chemical Sensitivities.
The Multiple Chemical Sensitivity people, in my experience, have symptoms according to the situation they are in: if it costs someone else money (government, insurance carriers, etc.) they have the symptoms really bad; if it costs them money, the symptoms are not as severe.
When I had my kitchen design studio they would come in once in a while. They would ask about formaldehyde free plywood and particle board. They would ask about low/no volatile organic compound finishes. I would assure them I could do the work. I would assure them I could provide them with certifications by independent organizations that my materials would be provided as claimed.
They would get all excited until they found out the premium I had to charge in order to meet their job specifications. They didn’t want to understand that using material that is different from the material 99% of other people use is more expensive. They would then claim that “so and so” did not charge a premium and disappear. I know the reality is that I educated them on the processes and materials and they then went to someone else that used typical materials after I presented my price.
I often felt sorry for the spouses (I should say husbands. In my eperience it is only women that suffer from chemical sensitivites). The sensitive one would come in for a few minutes, claim that there was something in my showroom that was bothering them and then go outside. They would leave their spouse shuttling between me and them, as though the spouse were some sort of unpaid negotiator. I always found this to be odd treatment of the partner.
I think the shrinks have a phrase to describe this type of behavior.