Environmental Hypersensitivity

STATEMENT OF THE SCIENTIFIC COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL HYPERSENSITIVITY - March 1990

Environmental pollutants and food allergies cause subjective discomfort and sometimes disability in a form which is called "Twentieth Century Disease" or "Environmental Hypersensitivity". We acknowledge that such persons suffer discomfort and complaints which should be examined seriously and sympathetically by physicians. In our scientific opinion, however, there is not sufficient evidence to state that environmental pollutants or food additives cause the complaints subsumed under the term "Environmental Hypersensitivity". We acknowledge that further scientific investigation may indeed detect environmental sources of toxic substances causing symptoms similar to those indicated by the term environmental hypersensitivity. We do not support the use of treatments for these complaints that have not been proven to be effective if there is any risk that they may do more harm than good.