Australian Government Review of MCS 2010 Review Update

The Draft Report prepared by the National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme (NICNAS) and the Office of Chemical Safety and Environmental Health (OCSEH)
February 2010 "A Scientific Review Of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity: Identifying Key Research Needs"  is now available from the NICNAS website: http://www.nicnas.gov.au/

Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) Recognized as a Physical Disease by the Austrian Health Department

Recently, the Department of Health of the Austrian government officially recognized Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) as a physical disease. MCS has become an alarming and ever increasing worldwide pandemic,  it is the direct result of global environmental pollution.  In the USA an estimated 16 % of the population suffers from MCS while in Australia, in 2002 the NSW Health Department in its Adult Health Survey found 24.6 of adults were affected.  On June 24, 2009, the Austrian Government , declared the following in regard to "Chemical Sensitivity/ Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS)” : " In response to your letter dated 4/14/2009 to the Minister of Health, Mr. Stoerger, we inform you that the WHO International Classification of Diseases ICD-10 Code modified for Germany from DIMDI is used in Austria as well."  This is good news and now, just like Germany, Austria is classifying MCS as a physical disease, under the code T78.4 of the ICD-10.  Recently, the Japanese Government Medical Information Development Center, (MEDIS-DC), which is affiliated with the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare, and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, also recognized MCS, which it calls Chemical Sensitivity (CS), as a physical disease. From October 1st 2009, Japan plans to add CS to its list of illnesses used in electronic medical charts and treatment fee claims forms. A letter dated September 4, 2009, from the German Institute for Medical Documentation and Information (DIMDI), the Cooperation partner for the WHO ( World Health Organization ) for Germany, stated that MCS - Multiple Chemical Sensitivity was classified in the ICD-10 GM which is valid in Germany and is classified as follows:  Chapter 19 (Injuries, poisoning, and certain other consequences of toxic causes) Article T 66 - T78 ( Other and unspecified injuries caused by external causes).MCS-Multiple Chemical Sensitivity T78.4… Allergy, not otherwise specified.  The ICD- 10 GM, T78.4 code, under chapter 19, is under the Social Security Code V of the Federal Republic Germany and is used by doctors in Germany who document the diagnosis and the hospital administration work and thus, is legally binding.
The Austrian Government Department of Health states in their letter that Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) is officially recognized as a physical disease because it has the code T78.4 in the register of International Classification of Diseases , ICD-10.

- Tourtet, Christiane.  2009.  The American chronicle, June 26, 2009.

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/107735