Abstract
Several investigators have suggested that environmental chemicals or “pollutants” play a significant role in the pathogenesis of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). This study compares the reported exposures to environmental chemicals and other potentially toxic environmental factors of psychiatric patients with CFS and two sets of controls from the same practice who did not meet the criteria for CFS. All comparisons found that CFS patients reported significantly more exposures to potentially toxic substances than any of the control groups. The extensive scientific literature on chemical intolerance and sensitization to generally non-toxic levels of potentially toxic substances, and its possible relevance to the investigation of CFS, is discussed.