title: Psychophysiological functions of subjects with self-reported multiple chemical sensitivity (sMCS) during experimental solvent exposure.
abstract: The study examined the assumption of a higher sensitivity of autonomic functions of subjects with self-reported multiple chemical sensitivity (sMCS) during environmental exposure. The hypothesis was tested in a laboratory study with standardized exposures. Twelve healthy male subjects (26.4 +/- 5.4 y) with and 12 male control subjects (25.7 +/- 3.8 y) without self-reported multiple chemical sensitivity (sMCS), selected by a questionnaire, were included in the experimental study. At four different days the subjects were exposed in a random order to solvents for four hours: 10 ppm or 98 ppm ethyl benzene, 10 ppm or 189 ppm 2-butanone. Heart rate and breathing rate were analysed for two 30-minutes periods of vigilance testing at the beginning and end of exposure. In sMCS-subjects both functions were elevated at the beginning of the testing periods with a tendency to decrease over the 30-minutes periods. Control subjects revealed a relatively constant level (breathing rate) and a small increase (heart rate) during the periods. These group differences were obvious for all experimental conditions across substances and levels of exposures. Furthermore, the mean of the breathing rate of sMCS-subjects was generally higher compared to the control subjects. While the assumption of a generally altered sensitivity of autonomic functions of sMCS-subjects to environmental changes seems to be supported, no specific reactions to the type or level of the chemical exposure were found.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Occupational Physiology, University of Dortmund, Ardeystr. 67, D-44139 Dortmund, Germany. haumann@arb-phys.uni-dortmund.de
authors.forename: Katja
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Haumann
authors.forename: Ernst
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kiesswetter
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: van Thriel
authors.forename: Meinolf
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Blaszkewicz
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Seeber
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000187:drug effects*; D001555:Benzene Derivatives / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002074:Butanones / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018777:Multiple Chemical Sensitivity / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology*; D012119:Respiration / Q000187:drug effects; D012997:Solvents / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: D001555:Benzene Derivatives; D002074:Butanones; D012997:Solvents; C005222:methylethyl ketone; C004912:ethylbenzene