California: A (Chemically) Sensitive State

Posting Date: 08/04/1999

Original broadcast date: June 28, 1999

Believe it or not, more than six percent of people in California report being diagnosed with multiple chemical sensitivity or environmental illness.

This is a study that isn?t going to help California?s image, especially since I put chemical sensitivity in the same category as mass sociogenic illness (MSI). In other words, it?s a form of mass hysteria where one person says they have something and suddenly everyone has it.

text continues below

I told you how the Coca-Cola scare in Europe was an example of MSI and I was right. A few people may have gotten ill from drinking Coke, but there was nothing wrong with the product, which was banned in several countries for more than a week.

In California, a survey of 4,046 residents came up with the chemical sensitivity data. Among the findings is that 16 percent of all Californians reported being unusually sensitive to everyday chemicals.

The research from the Department of Health Services in Emeryville, CA, also revealed that Hispanics were more likely to report multiple chemical sensitivities and that women were also more likely to feel allergic reactions.

This study, reported in the American Journal of Epidemiology, just shows how many people are neurotic in California. I?ll bet a similar study in Ohio would be interesting for comparison.

It?s sad to see so many people with this phobia, which I consider mostly psychosomatic. It?s no way to live your life, afraid of everything around you.

Source: American Journal of Epidemiology, July 1, 1999.