What do carpets, meat, paint, household cleaners, perfumes, cigarette smoke, building materials, milk and traffic fumes have in common? They all contain toxic compounds that could be making you and your family sick. Environmental Illness (EI) is a term for diseases caused by the human-made environment in which we live. Examples of diseases that can have environmental influences are asthma, allergy (headaches, sneezing, migraines, acne, sinus pain), chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, chemical sensitivity, electromagnetic sensitivity, other sensitivities (sound, sunlight), autoimmune diseases (lupus) and premature aging. Other diseases may also be considered environmentally induced, including Parkinson Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, cancer, heart disease, joint deterioration and gastrointestinal illness.

According to the American Environmental Health Foundation (AEHF), “there are many chemicals, toxins and microorganisms in the outside air that effect our homes, our food, and water supplies.” This has major ramifications on our health. Erin Brokovich created much publicity for water contamination issues and, more recently, household mold toxin contamination problems. The burning of fossil fuels, such as coal and petroleum, creates the most pollution. The use of chemical-based materials and products in manufacturing, mining, construction and our homes, the extensive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and emission of methane gas from factory farming also exacerbates pollution.

Sadly, the public water system is a major source of synthetic toxins. Dr. William J. Rea, a leader in the field of environmental medicine, points out that our “public water system increases our exposure to toxins from 1,000 to 10,000 times” and “public water systems are rated safe only by bacterial content.” So while our water system might be free of bacteria that make us sick, we are drinking a solution that is “now as polluted with chemicals as it was with bacteria 50 years ago before chlorination.” Rea also notes “recent Environmental Protection Agency studies of the 83 largest cities show all of the water supplies to be severely chemically contaminated. 94% of the commercial food has pesticides in it, and it is estimated that the average individual ingests one gallon of food additives per year.” The air in cities like Minneapolis-St. Paul is also polluted enough to result in environmental illness.

The most polluted space is the average home, which contains pollutants due to poor air circulation. Homes are full of high outgassing synthetics such as polyester, foam and rubber in beds and chairs. Gas heat further makes “home” a toxic environment. The summation of these factors plus polluted work and outdoor environments leads to a heavy “body load” – a term used to describe the sum of all incitants that the body has to handle in order to function. This includes pollution in our air, water and food.

AEHF sources state that “when our immune system is overburdened, our body reacts with many different kinds of symptoms in order to communicate to us that we need to change” our environment and our lifestyle. Common symptoms are head, neck, shoulder, back, stomach and joint aches. In addition, tearing sneezing, coughing, more serious respiratory problems and weakness in the legs can be experienced. Disorientation, inability to concentrate, hyper and aggressive behavior and/or depression can be exhibited.

In the last decade, there has been a dramatic increase in patients with the above diseases. Children are the most susceptible to these illnesses because smaller amounts of environmental pollutants are all that it takes to make them sick. As we continue to expose ourselves to even higher levels of pollution (fragrances, toxic carpets, pesticides, traffic fumes, etc), the number of people with these illnesses can be expected to rise too.

There are several ways to determine if you have an EI. Your history of symptoms when exposed to chemicals is a major indicator of your status. Some signs might be if you frequently get symptoms in your respiratory system, gastrointestinal system or muscular system after you are exposed to certain materials or if you sneeze after putting on your makeup. You can ask your doctor to conduct an allergy skin test for specific chemical allergies, a booth test (controlled chemical exposure), and a blood test to determine levels of chemical contaminants and their metabolites, levels of antibodies to specific chemicals and levels of detoxifying enzymes that represent liver and kidney function.

EIs are treated by a variety of health providers, such as homeopaths, acupuncturists, environmental doctors, natural doctors and allergists. The health provider that specializes in treating EIs is the environmental doctor, who has either an M.D. or a D.O. degree. See: HEALTH: Doctors. They have received specialized training before becoming a member of the American Association of Environmental Medicine. Environmental medicine is a rather new field, and there are not many doctors practicing it yet. This field is not accepted by doctors who prefer to practice medicine by covering up the symptoms of chronic illnesses with drugs, rather than solving the underlying problem.

While drugs might be a faster and cheaper way to temporarily “deal” with EI, addressing the root of the problem requires more effort. If you do not address the underlying reasons for the problems you have, you will never get rid of the problems. They will manifest themselves in different ways over time. See the to do list to get you started.