title: Multidimensional assessment of self-reported chemical intolerance and its impact on chemosensory effects during ammonia exposure.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Healthy individuals differ in self-reported chemical intolerance (CI). It is unclear whether this inter-individual variability impacts well-being and performance in environmental and occupational settings with chemical exposures. So far, operational definitions and questionnaires of CI have either emphasized physical symptoms or affective/behavioral disruption. In contrast, this study focused on healthy individuals who reported strong CI which generalized to awareness, physiology, affect, and behavior. We investigated whether generalized self-reported CI is associated with hyper-reactivity and reduced cognitive functioning due to chemosensory-mediated distraction during ammonia exposure.
  
  
  METHODS
  An online sample (N = 321) answered established CI questionnaires. Based on the convergent self-reports in these questionnaires, healthy women with generalized CI and healthy female control participants were selected (total N = 26). Baseline characterization was performed using implicit association, lung and olfactory function tests, health-related self-reports, plasma inflammatory and metabolic markers. Performance in neurobehavioral tasks, perceptual ratings, nasal inflammatory, neuroendocrine, and autonomic nervous system reactivity were examined by means of a 75-min whole-body challenge to ammonia (stepwise increase: 0-10 ppm).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Correlational analyses confirmed the multidimensionality of CI. Participants with generalized self-reported CI exhibited better olfactory function and reported stronger pungency during the challenge than controls. Cognitive performance and physiological response to the challenge were comparable between the two groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Self-reports of CI are complex and not easily assessed by unidimensional questionnaires. While generalized self-reported CI is associated with altered chemosensory processing, it seems unlikely that it modulates health effects and cognitive functioning during chemical exposure.
authors.affiliation: Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors at TU Dortmund University, Ardeystrasse 67, 44139, Dortmund, Germany. pacharra@ifado.de.
authors.forename: Marlene
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pacharra
authors.affiliation: Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors at TU Dortmund University, Ardeystrasse 67, 44139, Dortmund, Germany.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kleinbeck
authors.affiliation: Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors at TU Dortmund University, Ardeystrasse 67, 44139, Dortmund, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schäper
authors.affiliation: Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors at TU Dortmund University, Ardeystrasse 67, 44139, Dortmund, Germany.
authors.forename: Meinolf
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Blaszkewicz
authors.affiliation: Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors at TU Dortmund University, Ardeystrasse 67, 44139, Dortmund, Germany.
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: van Thriel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000641:Ammonia / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000187:drug effects; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects; D059026:Diagnostic Self Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019570:Inhalation Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D018777:Multiple Chemical Sensitivity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D012684:Sensory Thresholds / Q000187:drug effects*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D000641:Ammonia
keywords: Cytokine; Fatty acid; Multiple chemical sensitivity; Nasal lavage; Olfaction