By BROOKE NICOLE WALKER

Allyson Ollivier, a 51-year-old Provo resident, was once healthy and active. Employed by a local lasik-eye surgeon, Ollivier worked part-time assisting in eye surgeries and lasik eye procedures.

A little less than a year ago, Ollivier returned home to find that the carpet had been removed and the base of the floor sanded off as part of a remodeling project she and her husband were doing.

Immediately she felt her respiratory system begin to close off. As she struggled to breathe, she was unaware of the chemical hazard she had just encountered. An extremely high level of formaldehyde, a colorless, flammable gas, had triggered a condition she was not aware affected her-multiple chemical sensitivity.

"It was something I had never heard of," Ollivier said. "If I had heard about it before I learned what it actually was, I would have thought it sounded far-fetched, too."

About 35 million Americans suffer from some sort of seasonal allergic reaction. But for many, allergies don't just affect every day life-they are life.

Multiple-chemical sensitivity is an illness that affects about 12 percent of the United States population, although many people do not recognize this is why they are ill. MCS cases range from mild to severe and generally affect individuals who have been exposed to high levels of chemicals throughout their life; farmers, beauticians and war veterans often experience the terrifying and unfamiliar symptoms.

Many individuals are unaware that they are surrounded by common chemical dangers that occur in air, water, foods, drugs, cosmetics, furnishings, heating systems and appliances.

MCS is generally triggered by exposure to a specific chemical and can proceed to attack various organs such as the liver or kidney. MCS weakens the immune system, destroying the necessary white blood cells our body needs to fight off everyday toxins.

"Our bodies are not made to handle these foreign chemicals," Ollivier said. "We are living in such a chemical society."

Other symptoms of multiple-chemical sensitivity can include depression, headaches, digestive sensitivity and weight management concerns.

MCS has been documented and treated since the early 1940s. According to the University of Utah Research Center, 80 to 90 percent of MCS patients are female, and approximately one half of patients suffering from multiple chemical sensitivity also meet the criteria for depressive and anxiety disorders. It is unclear whether these emotional disorders are associated with MCS or result from a cause and effect relationship.

Ollivier spent three months at the Environmental Health Center in Dallas, Texas, where she received treatments such as daily injections and IVs to strengthen her immune system. She was educated on specific dietary guidelines and introduced to a food rotation plan.

According to Dr. William Rea, founder and director of the EHC, the first step to curing MCS begins with detoxifying the body of all unfamiliar products. Patients spend an hour a day in an intense sauna treatment, which is meant to promote the excess of toxins through perspiration.

Some people question the validity of this condition and consider it to be more of a mental state than an actual illness.

Currently the disease has been rejected as an established organic disease by the American Medical Association. In 1996, the Environmental Protection Agency released the following statement: "There is at present no medical consensus concerning the definition or nature of this disorder."

Despite skepticism exhibited among various medical organizations and medical practitioners, MCS has received credibility in workmen's compensation claims, tort liability and regulatory actions.

Lack of research has prevented many doctors from forming concrete diagnosis, but Dr. L.E. Hoffman, of the BYU Student Health Center, said it is a concern.

"It happens. Some people are simply more sensitive to certain chemicals," Hoffman said. "However, often times the treatments proposed are questionable. Generally, the best treatment is to get away from the problem."

Although her health is now improving and she is growing stronger each day, Ollivier has been forced to make some drastic living changes because of this illness. Her bedroom was one of the only rooms in her home that tested to be formaldehyde-free, and so the room has been sealed off from the rest of the house.

Ollivier has her own personal sauna in her bedroom that she uses each day, and she continues to practice a food rotation diet, while giving herself daily injections.

Ollivier is highly sensitive to everyday smells such as lotions, perfumes or even laundry detergent, so it makes it difficult to be in public areas for very long.

"I can be in certain public areas for up to about an hour," Ollivier said. "Some places are better than others."

Ollivier appreciates the support and concern of friends and family. Women in her Relief Society have made it a point to not wear strong smelling lotions or perfumes, and Ollivier is grateful her recent progress has allowed her to once again participate in her church meetings.

Despite the obviously difficult adjustments, Ollivier has kept a positive, optimistic outlook.

"Everyone has a challenge, and this is mine," Ollivier said. "I know there's a reason that this has happened to me. It all falls into a plan. I'm going to use my experience to help other people."

Copyright Brigham Young University 30 Apr 2004