Itchy Skin and a Swollen Head
CHEMICAL SENSITIVITY AND WORKPLACE AIR QUALITY
Dr. Aurora Dawn Benton
Over the years I have developed multiple chemical sensitivity. It started when I was about 20 and suddenly developed an allergy to common laundry products. Seemingly overnight my arms were covered in rashes. It took a while to figure out what was causing it but the net of it was: no more dryer sheets and only sensitive formula detergent. For many years I just had to live with static and less soft clothing until dryer balls became all the rage.
Then in my 30s I used to dye my hair and each time I would increasingly get a chemical burn on my head. It was awful. Until one day I got my hair dyed and my head literally was swollen. The whole head. My coworker looked at me and asked "is …your… head… swollen?" It was funny, but not. I went to the hospital, got a steroid pack and I have never dyed my hair since.
I'm fine with being a silver fox.
Turns out dark hair dyes have an ingredient called paraphenylenediamine that is an increasingly common allergen and may even be carcinogenic. It is also often used in henna and other “natural” dyes as well as some textiles.
Then in my 40s I was working in a building that got new carpet, furniture, and paint. It literally made me sick. At the time I was early in my sustainability studies and had been previously unaware of sick building syndrome. This is what happens when the volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, are not able to properly off gas from building materials.
I also once received a free, padded laptop carrying case as one of those branded merchandise items companies giveaway. It made me horribly ill. Similar to the other stories above, I didn’t connect the dots right away. It had a strong odor of petroleum so eventually I put it in my basement to air out and weeks later I could still smell it. I started to notice I got a headache when it was in the same room with me!
I am also unable to spend much time in homes with certain air fresheners. I develop headaches. Room deodorizers and scented candles contain fragrances that are typically made with chemicals that for some reason don't agree with people like me. For years I haven't been able to step foot in some mainstream bath product stores. Again, none of this happened overnight. Some of the very room air fresheners that I once used and enjoyed myself now make me nauseous.
Let my cautionary tale show you the impact your choices can have on employees and customers, especially if you are in charge of procurement for a business like a hotel or other physical space where guests and staff spend considerable time.
Chemical Sensitivity
According to MCS Aware, a site dedicated to helping people with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS), it is a “chronic, physical illness affecting people of all ages and backgrounds. It causes sufferers to have allergic-type reactions to very low levels of chemicals in everyday products. Put simply the immune and detoxification systems stop working properly and the body cannot process toxins efficiently.” (emphasis added)
About 13% of US adults have been diagnosed with MCS and about 26% claim to have chemical sensitivity. It should be noted, though, that Johns Hopkins Medicine points out MCS is still under debate in the medical community, but that symptoms may include: Headaches, rashes, asthma, muscle and joint aches, fatigue, memory loss, and confusion.
There are other terms used for MCS, such as environmental illness and the following:
IIdiopathic Environmental Intolerance (IEI). Articles I found using this term seemed to lean towards the idea that IEI might be more associated with mental/psychological conditions.
Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) is what people experience when they are in environments with low Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) which may be caused by poor ventilation and chemical contaminants. Symptoms are typically headaches and respiratory problems.
Toxic-Induced Loss of Tolerance (TILT). This website contains many videos and articles if you want to learn more. https://tiltresearch.org/about-tilt/
Part of what makes this challenging is that some of these chemicals are naturally occurring. They might also enter the air from flowers, trees, and other organic objects. The smell of some lilies makes me a bit nauseous. So it's hard to point to Big Chemical and have the same righteous indignation I do about glyphosate but manufacturers should still be transparent and accountable about ingredients.
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, “volatile organic compounds, or VOCs are organic chemical compounds whose composition makes it possible for them to evaporate under normal indoor atmospheric conditions of temperature and pressure.” VOCs are found in things you are exposed to everyday such as paint, cleaning supplies, cosmetics, pesticides, glues, and permanent markers (yes, that’s why they smell so strong!)
It is easy to feel anger once you learn that your favorite room deodorizer is leaking formaldehyde into the air! But these are not just people in a lab coming up with ways to make you uncomfortable. Yes, sometimes there are natural, toxic chemicals such as benzene, or synthetic chemicals such as xylene or phthalates, in fragrances. But sometimes products contain naturally occurring VOCs because they are compounds of carbon. Humans are basically compounds of carbon! Any time you sit around a campfire with friends, you are breathing in VOCs.
And if you ever burn a scented candle you are releasing VOCs into the air, but before you get nervous and toss all your candles, keep in mind that the concentrations matter. If a person with a severe case of MCS is in your workplace or household then even small amounts of VOCs could bring on headaches and nausea.
Tips to Address Chemical Sensitivity in the Workplace
If you would like to take steps to reduce the number or volume of products in your organization that might be contributing to the symptoms of IEI or SBS, consider the following three options.
Seek the Low Hanging Fruit
Eliminate potentially harmful VOCs and chemical irritants by looking for those that might not be missed. Anytime you are introducing change, people will resist! Period! Even when it’s for their own benefit and health. It’s helpful if you can educate them on MCS, VOCs, etc. but it might be faster and easier to make a few changes that won’t be so easily noticed.
Look for any item with scents or fragrances, including room deodorizers, and items that are on the short lists of products that are more commonly known to include higher concentrations of VOCs. Are there any places where the usage of scented products might be overkill? In other words, if you have 2 or more air fresheners in one space, especially a small one like a bathroom, then likely that’s just overkill. Remove extras when one is sufficient. Eventually you may want to remove all of them, but work on a replacement plan first so that you don’t end up with complaints and backlash from those who do not understand why the deodorizers were removed.
Are there areas where the usage of an air freshener is really not necessary due to other naturally freshening mechanisms? For example, is there an air purification system or an area that receives a good amount of fresh outdoor air? If so, air fresheners really are not needed in these areas.
An easy one that’s already in place, but should stay in place moving forward is to expect custodial workers, maintenance workers, and others frequently around these products to wear masks.
Update Your Procurement Process
The most common products that contain VOCs and are attributed to MCS and SBS are: paint, solvents, cleaning products, air fresheners and deodorizers, carpet, furniture, and any product anyone would put on their skin. Remember, if it’s on you it’s in you because the skin is the largest organ of the body.
As part of your procurement process:
Add a statement to your RFPs (request for proposal), asking vendors to include details that will help you make a more informed decision about any product that contains a fragrance or scent. A company is not legally obligated to disclose the details because such chemical formulations are considered trade secrets in the US. Including this in your RFPs will not necessarily lead to a satisfactory outcome at first, but it does put the vendor on notice that you care and expect transparency.
Ask if a Health Product Declaration (HPD) is available for any building materials - paints, carpets, and other materials that you may use for any new builds, upgrades, or renovations.
Learn about the certifications out there that can make your research go much more quickly. Look into GreenScreen, Green Seal, MadeSafe, Cradle to Cradle, and EWG Verified. Certifications are an excellent fast track and save you a lot of time in the vetting process. You might even consider establishing a policy that certain products must have one of these or a similar certification.
Long-term, replace traditional cleaning methods that rely heavily on scented solvents with more updated technology such as steam cleaners or germ-zapping robots.
Raise Awareness and Invite Input
I can tell you from personal experience that people tend to easily dismiss my MCS, like it’s all in my head or I’m just being too sensitive. And I get it. If you don’t struggle with something yourself, then it’s hard to be empathic or want to go out of your way to accommodate others. But speaking of, MCS may even be considered a disability under certain conditions.
Begin a conversation with coworkers about this topic. Some employers do not want to have this type of conversation with their employees because they fear the risk that it could open them up to litigation or being forced to make costly investments in the workplace. You should definitely involve Human Resources in this aspect!
You might also create a policy about usage of personal products with fragrances. People like to bring in their own preferred air fresheners from home and they are likely unaware of the potentially harmful effects this has on their coworkers. As they learn more about MCS, they are likely to be more empathetic towards the needs of others.
You might also consider conducting a survey of staff or customers to learn if there are any top of mind concerns related to chemicals. There’s a good chance that anyone who has experienced the symptoms I described either did not realize this is why they felt bad or their concerns may have been dismissed. You might find it easy to overlook those with MCS, especially since the typical symptoms could be caused by any number of other factors - such as pollen, menstruation, or the common cold!
Have you experienced MCS or some form of environmental illness? Find me on social media @AstraptoAcademy and share your story.
