NEUROPSYCHIATRIC AND SOMATIC CHARACTERISTICS OF YOUNG-ADULTS WITH ANDWITHOUT SELF-REPORTED CHEMICAL ODOR INTOLERANCE AND CHEMICAL-SENSITIVITY

The psychological, neuropsychiatric, and somatic characteristics of yo ung adults who have different degrees of cacosmia (i.e., feeling ''ill '' from the odor of xenobiotic chemicals) and who have self-described ''chemical sensitivity'' were examined. A total of 800 college student s completed the following: a self-rating scale for frequency of odor i ntolerance for 10 common substances, Simon Environmental Illness Sympt om Survey, the SCL90-9, Barsky Amplification Scale, Pearlin-Schooler M astery Scale, Cheek-Buss and Kagan Shyness scales, Marlowe-Crowne Soci al Desirability Scale, and a health-symptom and physician-diagnosed ch ecklist. Two pairs of groups were compared: (1) subjects in the top 16 % (i.e., cacosmics) and bottom 15% (noncacosmics) of the sample with r espect to odor intolerance scale scores; and (2) subjects from the ent ire sample who did (28%) or did not (72%) consider themselves to be '' especially sensitive to certain chemicals.'' Cacosmics and the chemica lly sensitive subjects scored significantly higher on measures of psyc hological distress and amplification of somatic symptoms, but there wa s little evidence of lifestyle change, as assessed by the Simon Survey . Compared with their respective comparison groups, cacosmic and chemi cally sensitive groups had significantly higher incidences of illnesse s associated with chemicals, alcohol intake, opiate drug use, and caff eine use, even after controlling for the psychological measures and hi stories of atopic allergy. Subjects with and without neuropsychiatric symptoms were differentiated with respect to chemical odor intolerance , but subjects with and without atopic allergies and possible autoimmu ne diseases were differentiated with respect to chemical sensitivity. Females were more cacosmic than males. Cacosmia is defined by a popula tion subset, with or without occupational xenobiotic exposures or disa bility, that has distress and symptom amplification and neuropsychiatr ic and somatic symptoms, none of which are explained fully by psycholo gical measures. Prospective clinical studies are possible with such in dividuals. The data are also consistent with a time-dependent sensitiz ation model for illness from low-level chemical exposures.