ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION Multiple chemical sensitivity syndrome (MCS)—also called environmental illness, sick building syndrome, and possibly chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, and Gulf War syndrome-has become increasingly visible of late; MCS appeared explicitly in the program of the Society of Toxicology annual meeting for the first time this year (1994).1 Relatively few patients have a formal diagnosis of MCS, but some researchers think that 15% or more of the U.S. population may be affected. 2
OBJECTIVE The current study was a “fishing expedition” aimed at discovering whether a few well-known and easily tested enzyme variants in the human population might turn out to be strongly correlated with an exaggerated tendency to react badly to environmental chemical exposures.
