What is an environmental illness?

Chemicals, fumes, pollution, allergens, and other health hazards are common in our environment, and sometimes they can make us sick. Maybe you have mysterious headaches that only occur on weekends. Or you develop nausea and a rash after moving into a newly built home. Such symptoms can be caused by exposure to toxins commonly found in our homes, workplaces, and communities. For example:

• Those weekend headaches may be caused by a faulty furnace leaking carbon monoxide. Using a fireplace could create a back draft of furnace gases that can cause headaches. Replacing the furnace could make the headaches go away.
• Building materials in new homes-insulation, particleboard, carpet adhesive-emit formaldehyde, which can cause nausea and rashes. Also, the paper that makes up the outside layers of drywall provides the right conditions for the growth of mold. Exposure to these molds may cause respiratory problems and allergylike symptoms and may provoke asthma attacks.

You and your doctor may not know what is causing your illness, or it may be mistaken for another problem. Environmental hazards can cause or aggravate a wide range of common medical problems. A thorough evaluation of the environments in which you work, live, and play could reveal what is causing your illness.

What causes environmental illnesses?

Short- and long-term exposure to hazards such as chemicals, allergens, pollution, and other toxins can cause environmental illnesses. Chemicals in cigarettes are known to cause lung cancer. Exposure to asbestos, a common insulating material that can be found in older buildings, can cause tumors in the linings of the chest and abdomen, lung cancer, and other diseases. Wood-burning stoves and improperly vented gas ranges can cause respiratory problems. Drinking water from a rural well contaminated with pesticides or solvents from a nearby industrial plant could cause cancer or neurological problems. Inhalation of spores from molds that grow on building materials can cause respiratory problems and may make asthma more severe. Exposure to certain chemicals in the workplace may cause sterility, especially in men.

But often we don't know such exposures are causing our sickness. We don't know the types or amounts of chemicals to which we've been exposed, especially when the symptoms of disease or illness don't develop for years. For example, most cancers have a latent, or silent, period that can last a decade or more before symptoms develop.

What symptoms do environmental illnesses cause?

Symptoms depend on the environmental cause of the illness or disease. Common symptoms include headaches, cough, fatigue, and nausea. In some cases, you may not have any symptoms for years, until a disease progresses far enough for you to notice signs of it. In other instances, exposure may cause immediate allergic reactions, such as when contact with dust mites, cockroaches, pollen, or pets triggers an asthma attack. Or symptoms may emerge more gradually and become worse as the time of exposure continues.