Document Type
Article
Publication Date
10-22-2024
Abstract
Aim: The goals of this investigation were to 1) identify and measure exposures inside homes of individuals with chemical intolerance (CI), 2) provide guidance for reducing these exposures, and 3) determine whether our environmental house calls (EHCs) intervention could reduce both symptoms and measured levels of indoor air contaminants.
Background: CI is an international public health and clinical concern, but few resources are available to address patients’ often disabling symptoms. Numerous studies show that levels of indoor air pollutants can be two to five (or more) times higher than outdoor levels. Fragranced consumer products, including cleaning supplies, air fresheners, and personal care products, are symptom triggers commonly reported by susceptible individuals.
Methods: A team of professionals trained and led by a physician/industrial hygienist and a certified indoor air quality specialist conducted a series of 5 structured EHCs in 37 homes of patients reporting CI. Results: We report three case studies demonstrating that an appropriately structured home intervention can teach occupants how to reduce indoor air exposures and associated symptoms. Symptom improvement, documented using the Quick Environmental Exposure and Sensitivity Inventory Symptom Star, corresponded with the reduction of indoor air volatile organic compounds, most notably fragrances. These results provide a deeper dive into 3 of the 37 cases described previously in Perales et al. (2022).
Discussion: We address the long-standing dilemma that worldwide reports of fragrance sensitivity have not previously been confirmed by human or animal challenge studies. Our ancient immune systems’ ‘first responders’, mast cells, which evolved 500 million years ago, can be sensitized by synthetic organic chemicals whose production and use have grown exponentially since World War II. We propose that these chemicals, which include now-ubiquitous fragrances, trigger mast cell degranulation and inflammatory mediator release in the olfactory-limbic tract, thus altering cerebral blood flow and impairing mood, memory, and concentration (often referred to as ‘brain fog’). The time has come to translate these research findings into clinical and public health practice.
ORCID ID
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6543-7639
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
10.1017/S146342362400046X
Repository Citation
Rincón, Rudolfo; Perales, Roger; Palmer, Raymond F.; Forster, Jackie F.; Hernandez, Jessica F.; Bayles, Bryan; Grimes, Carl; Jaén, Carlson R.; and Miller, Claudia S., "Environmental House Calls Can Reduce Symptoms of Chemical Intolerance: A Demonstration of Personalized Exposure Medicine" (2024). Public Health. 6.
https://digitalcommons.tamusa.edu/health_faculty/6
Comments
© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press. This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial- ShareAlike licence (http://creativecommons.o rg/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/), which permits non- commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the same Creative Commons licence is used to distribute the re-used or adapted article and the original article is properly cited. The written permission of Cambridge University Press must be obtained prior to any commercial use.