Self-reported cacosmia (i.e. feeling ill from the odour of xenobiotic subst
ances) was studied in 151 young, healthy workers, unexposed eo unpleasant o
dours and working in food stores without air-conditioning. Almost half(46%)
of the sample reported feeling ill from the smell of chemical materials. C
hemical odour intolerance induced headache, itching eyes, irritated or cong
ested nose, dry and/or sore throat, cough, dizziness, and itching or rash.
Cacosmic subjects showed a slight prevalence of the female sex, and had sig
nificantly higher symptom scores, anxiety, and depression than non-cacosmic
subjects. Cacosmia may be related to multiple chemical sensitivity, sick-b
uilding syndrome and psychopathology Individual variability in odour tolera
nce may substantially bias epidemiological studies on indoor air quality an
d health.