Lack of sufficient trained and experienced medical staff.

A question often asked of members of the medical during the writing of this document, has been to ask how many GP's have received training during their university days or since in environmental toxicology.

Most agreed that they had not received training in this field. 

Some said there were no specialist courses available.  Others stated that with the pressures brought upon the average GP, there was little time for follow-up training.

Therefore the conclusion must be: -

1. There are insufficient numbers of doctors or specialists, departmental field officers, trained to recognize or understand this condition.

2.  As a result many victims find their problems put into baskets that labels the victims as psychosomatic, hypochondriacs, suffering from mental diseases, or suffering  from asthma or allergy.  Frequently, the medical solution is for the medical and hospital profession to have them institutionalized in some psychiatric facility

3. This is as a result of insufficient experience or knowledge of doctors,  or the specialists’ understanding of what MCS is, not as a result of some psychiatric disease.

4. Alternatively the victim is told that there is nothing that can be done and they will have to grin and bear it.

5. It has been left to the support groups to obtain information to assist their members.

6. There are known occurrences where some doctors have had some experience but who have been unable to help so have referred the patient to a support group for advice.

7. To date there has been little Australian research into the use of chemicals and their impact on our lives, both in the short term and in the longer term. What research has been done, it appears that the parameters are narrow and  not been coordinated or integrated into wider research of the problems, i.e. impact on the community, the environment, etc in the short term and the longer term .

8. The parameters of the research has been very narrow, creating possibly a tunnel vision approach. What scanty information is available it is not easily obtained.  

9. Some research is often funded by vested interests and therefore should be considered tainted.

Toxicology is needed as a Mainstream course in medicine

Universities and colleges need to develop courses in the study of toxicology as a major stream, with research grants provided to try and find ways to alleviate or even repair some of the damage caused  by the misuse of chemicals.

Governments need to fund these courses so unbiased research can be undertaken.

We need research into the effects of chemicals in the environment, our food chains, water ways as well as into the effects on society.

As we can see already that MCS is prevalent within our society research needs to be not only linked with science but also medical.  It needs to include and involve departments, field officers.

Research into the effects of chemicals should be ongoing, as new or modified chemicals come into being.