PRESS RELEASE CONTACT: Albert Donnay, MHS
18 November 1998
MCS Referral & Resources
410-889-6666

American Public Health Association Adopts Resolution
Calling for Full Disclosure in Final Report of Federal Government's
Interagency Workgroup on Multiple Chemical Sensitivity

The American Public Health Association adopted a resolution today at its annual meeting calling on the federal government's Interagency Workgroup on Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) to make a full disclosure in its final report of all federal funding for MCS research and the results of this research, the current MCS policies of all federal agencies, and a comprehensive bibliography of scientific literature on MCS.

The resolution notes that the current draft, which is available for public comment until December 15, 1998, does not provide any funding information or research results for seven of the eight agencies represented on the Workgroup, does not include the MCS policies and statements of at least 13 other federal authorities, and lists less than one third of all the scientific literature published on MCS since 1952 (the date of the earliest reference in the current draft). Many of these omissions are documented in resolution, the full text of which will be published next year in APHA's journal, the American Journal of Public Health.

The "late breaking" resolution was proposed by APHA member Albert Donnay, Executive Director MCS Referral & Resources, recommended by APHA's Joint Policy Committee, and passed by a unanimous voice vote of the APHA's Governing Council. It will now be submitted to the Interagency Workgroup as APHA's formal comment on the draft MCS report.

Copies of the draft report are available free from 1-800-447-1544 and comments also may be submitted electronically via http://web.health.gov/environment/. The full text of the MCS resolution is available from APHA at 202-789-5600 or from MCS Referral & Resources at 410-889-6666