The veterinarian Coretta Danzer is sensitive to chemicals. She reacts to common household chemicals with various physical symptoms. In medicine this illness is called MCS – Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. It occurs specifically in industrialized countries and according to studies it affects about 15 to 30 percent of the general population in different degrees of severity. In spite of that, the disease is little discussed in public. This was the decisive reason that Coretta Danzer agreed to talk in common with the environmental medicine expert Klaus Runow, M.D. in the popular television show Stern-TV about this environmentally-caused illness. In the live broadcasting with Guenther Jauch a film feature was shown to the audience for better understanding. It provided an insight into what it means to have to live with MCS. As expected, remaining in the TV-studio was not easy for Coretta Danzer. Below, the veterinarian reports what discomfort it caused her and how she is doing now.

Coretta Danzer’s guest appearance at the studio:

Finally we had to be in Huerth near Cologne on Wednesday 12-09-2009 at about 9 p.m. My husband and me, we went by our own car, because it is impossible for me to go by train. On arrival, we rang up the editorial office for someone to come for us. A pretty neat young lady led us to the backdoor of the building in order to limit my exposure to irritants to the lowest level. However and needless to say, somebody was smoking just in front of the rear entrance and this was my first trouble.

A TV-studio is not really the best place for MCS-sufferers

We reached the room that was prepared for me at the first floor through the staircase. The corridor and the room was carpeted with needle felt and my prompt reactions suggested that it probably was treated with pesticides. I came in and took my mask from my nose and with every fourth or fifth word my voice vanished, I could only caw raspy sounds and had a terrible sore throat. That’s my standard reaction to pesticides. Immediately we opened the windows and I took my oxygen, which made my voice come back after a while, but still left me the sore throat. A toilet was individually reserved for me and perhaps it was cleaned with plain hot water, but unfortunately it still smelled of “toilet chemistry”.

Nice reception

Then the kind female reporter who visited us at home also appeared and said welcome. Just for me she had washed her clothes and herself without fragrances. Again she explained the procedure to us a bit and introduced us to Mr. Runow, whom we didn’t know before. Next Mr. Jauch came to us and invited us to a dinner after the show, which I politely declined at the same moment, because I was sure, I was unable to manage that.

What MCS really is didn’t matter

Mr. Runow announced to the show master Mr. Jauch, what he intended to explain to the audience. He planed to present magic tree air fresheners and to demonstrate with an cranium cross section what’s going on in the brain if you have MCS. But Mr. Jauch didn’t like that and explained to Mr. Runow, that he is not allowed to do this. We all were somehow puzzled.

A “glass box” to guard me against chemical substances in the studio

Me and my husband, we were invited to the studio before the broadcasting, to test an ad hoc acrylic glass case. When I stepped into the studio, I though I will never get over this. I had not expected it to be so bad. Plastics and other things I could not define stank terribly. The acrylic glass box had a massive smell of synthetics, it made me cough heavily and I developed a strong headache, my head was really swimming and I felt so dizzy. I rendered my audition inside the box and after that we left as quickly as possible for the recreation room. I was glad to have my oxygen, because without it I could not have survived this.

In face of promises the MCS item was postponed

Now they told us that we were scheduled for 11:30 p.m. I already was so wiped out that I even was unable to protest, because I was promised to be the first or at least the second item, to keep me from long wait. So we sat about more than two hours in the room, with windows open and without heating, as I could not tolerate the smell of the hot radiators.

Hardly endurable physical stress

They called us to the studio on the commercial break before our turn. As I did before, I protected myself passing through the halls and stairways with my charcoal-mask and in the acrylic glass case I applied my oxygen to avoid coughing. The stink inside the box was as bad, but outside it was even worse. I allocated all my power and tried to concentrate as well as possible to answer all questions well. It was very, very straining. My head felt like it would burst, my eyes burnt like fire, as did my throat and my bronchial tubes. I felt dizzy and bad. I did not know what I was able to, not at all. I was glad when our contribution was over. But I had to wait in the box until the end of the following item, before we were allowed to leave the studio. Once again we went to the recreation room to pick up our togs and to to say goodbye and we drove home instantly.

It takes its toll to explain MCS

Two weeks after the broadcasting I am still symptomatic. Every once a while I still taste this disgusting flavor of plastics and I’m even more sensitive than I was before the show.

I received many emails and letters which I still have not answered completely, as I’m lacking the power to focus long enough on writing the answers. But I shall deal with answering them all.

To write this report took a lot out of me as well. But I will be pleased to answer more particular questions about the broadcasting.

Authors: Silvia K. Mueller and Coretta Danzer, CSN – Chemical Sensitivity Network, December 22, 2009

Translation: BrunO for CSN

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Subject (Betreff): About MCS Dec. 12, 2009