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Exposure-based treatment of chemical intolerance: a multiple case study
Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Psychology.ORCID iD: 0000-0003-2906-5409
Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Psychology.
Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Psychology.ORCID iD: 0000-0001-5026-4934
Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Psychology.ORCID iD: 0000-0003-4088-0025
2026 (English)In: Hygiene and Environmental Health Advances, ISSN 2773-0492, Vol. 19, article id 100196Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Chemical intolerance (CI), in clinical settings often referred to as Multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), is a condition characterized by adverse reactions to low-level chemical exposures considered non-harmful for the general population. Here we present results from a multiple case-study where we aimed to evaluate the effects of a novel exposure-based intervention for alleviating CI symptoms. Five women underwent repeated, well-controlled exposure to a symptom-eliciting stimulus (n-butanol) in a laboratory setting across five weeks. The main outcome included ratings of symptom intensity following exposure. The results showed consistent reductions in ratings of symptom intensity pre to post intervention, indicating increased tolerance. Further, effects persisted at the six-month follow-up. Treatment adherence was high among all participants. These findings suggest that well-controlled and individualized exposure may be a viable treatment avenue for CI, which is a prevalent condition with limited or no treatment alternatives. Study limitations include the restricted generalizability following a multiple case-study and the limited scalability of the treatment setting.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Elsevier, 2026. Vol. 19, article id 100196
Keywords [en]
Chemical intolerance, Multiple chemical sensitivity, Multiple case study, Exposure, Habituation
National Category
Psychology
Research subject
Psychology
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-258255DOI: 10.1016/j.heha.2026.100196ISI: 001840679400001Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-105046815444OAI: oai:DiVA.org:umu-258255DiVA, id: diva2:2096339
Funder
Riksbankens Jubileumsfond, M14-0375:1Swedish Asthma and Allergy Association, F2019-0008Available from: 2026-08-28 Created: 2026-08-28 Last updated: 2026-10-14Bibliographically approved

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Åström, ElisabethSandberg, PetraClaeson, Anna-SaraAndersson, Linus

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CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

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Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • vancouver
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
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  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
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  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf