1. In his introduction to the Stossel story, Hugh Downs described it as
about "people who say they are allergic to almost everything."
Chemical sensitivity and allergy are not the same, although a random
survey of the general population published in 1995 found that, of the 1/3
who reported symptoms of chemical sensitivity, half also had allergies and
vice versa. (1)
2. Dr. Ziem was introduced as a "prominent clinical ecologist."
Dr. Ziem's letterhead clearly identifies her as an occupational and
environmental medicine physician. She is not a clinical ecologist and has
never identified herself as such. Her views on the diagnosis and treatment
of MCS are based on the peer-reviewed medical literature and the
experience she has gained from following over 200 patients. ABC also
failed to note that Dr. Ziem has postgraduate degrees from both Harvard
and Johns Hopkins and is currently a part-time faculty member at both
Hopkins and the Univ.of Maryland School of Medicine as well as
co-investigator in the Johns Hopkins Multi-Center Study of MCS Immunology.
3. Dr. Ziem was described as being "often in court."
Dr. Ziem testifies in court less than once a year on average, and only in
cases involving her own patients.
4. Dr. Ziem was described as a "frequent witness in lawsuits."
In 1996, Dr. Ziem gave one deposition for a toxic tort case and testified
at one Workers' Compensation hearing.
5. The two phony patients sent by ABC to Dr. Ziem were described as having
received "a brief physical exam" and "then" being given a 16-page
questionnaire.
These patients--like all new patients seen by Dr. Ziem--were first asked
to complete a questionnaire and then given a head-to-toe physical
examination, including a complete neurologic exam and mental status exam.
The entire procedure is more comprehensive than the average annual
physical exam and lasts several hours. The phony patients were seen for
4 hours each!
6. John Stossel said that "if a doctor is telling you that chemical are
making you sick, it's natural to feel sick," and Hugh Downs said "some
doctors could be making it worse," implying that those like Dr. Ziem who
treat MCS seriously are making their patients sick through the power of
suggestion.
There is no published evidence supporting ABCÌs claim that MCS is simply a
belief system induced in patients by their physicians. Dr. Ziem requires
that new patients complete an extensive standardized questionnaire about
their medical history before she ever sees them or even speaks to them.
This includes questions about what kinds of symptoms patients experience
when exposed to chemicals in different situations. Dr. Ziem's diagnosis
of MCS is always confirmed by laboratory evidence showing changes
consistent with chemical injury, either as reported in the literature or
as commonly found in her other MCS patients.
7. Dr. Ziem's questionnaire was criticized for asking about common
symptoms like "do you ever forget what you read or crave sweets?"
The questionnaire very specifically directs patients to indicate how often
each symptom appears. ABC failed to note that MCS patients
characteristically experience more symptoms more frequently than healthy
people. ABC also failed to mention that these questions were developed
and described in peer-reviewed literature by researchers at Johns Hopkins,
as indicated in the credits on the questionnaire. (2)
8. Mr. Stossel said Dr. Ziem told "these women"--the phony patients sent
by ABC--"not to get pregnant."
Only one of the phony patients--Julie Stone-- asked about whether she
should get pregnant. Dr. Ziem told her that she had seen only one MCS
patient who became pregnant: a high school student with very mild chemical
sensitivity who, by her tenth week of pregnancy, experienced such serious
deterioration in her health that her Catholic obstetrician aborted the
fetus to save her life. Dr. Ziem advised against pregnancy until the
results of MCS-related lab tests were received. Dr. Ziem later wrote to
Ms. Stone telling her that she did not have MCS, implying that there was
no problem with pregnancy.
9. Dr. Ziem's office was said to "give legal advice."
A short section of Dr. Ziem's "Environmental Control Plan" is entitled
"Legal Advice" but this merely tells patients that if they have legal
issues of concern they should consult a knowledgeable attorney with
experience in the area. This does not constitute giving "legal advice"
any more than telling someone who feels sick to consult a physician
constitutes "medical advice."
10. The American College of Physicians was said "not to recognize chemical
sensitivity as a disease."
According to a December 9, 1996, memo from the ACP's Dorothy Degler, "the
American College of Physicians does not have a position statement on
multiple chemical sensitivity. This information comes from Howard
Shapiro, Vice President of Public Policy in our Washington, DC office."
11. Some (unidentified) doctors reportedly said that "building places like
Ecology House is the worst thing we can do for these people."
No evidence for this opinion was cited. The program failed to note that
constructing less toxic housing is consistent with the fundamental
"dose-response" principle of toxicology: lowering the exposure or dose is
the most direct way of lowering the harm or adverse effect. It also
failed to mention two published studies of chemically sensitive patients
that found avoiding and reducing exposures was associated with a
substantial reduction in symptoms and more effective than any other form
of therapy.(3),(4) In any case, the cited problems with Ecology House were
due to builder's use of construction materials that MCS experts had
recommended against.
12. A study by Dr. Don Jewett was described as showing that MCS patients
"could not differentiate between exposure to chemicals and salt water."
This 1990 study, entitled "A double-blind study of symptom provocation to
determine food sensitivity," was not about chemicals at all. As is clear
from the title, it was about sensitivities to foods, also known as food
allergies. The program did not mention a double-blind study by Dr. Eloise
Kailin published in 1963 that showed chemically sensitive patients were
able to distinguish between fresh water and water stored in soft plastic
food containers.(5)
13. Researchers were said to be unable to confirm the existence of MCS
because patients reacted "the same" when exposed to "problem chemicals as
fake ones."
The masking odors used by these researchers (at DenverÌs Allergy Research
Institute) included oil of almond and oil of lemon. Oil of almond contains
benzaldehyde, which has neurotoxic properties similar to formaldehyde, and
oil of lemon is an irritant. Their use to cover up the smells of both the
problem and fake chemicals completely invalidates the results.
14. Dr. Ronald Gots was described as "a toxicology expert" who "has worked
for industry and government."
Dr. Gots is a pharmacologist with no formal training or certification in
toxicology. The program also failed to mention that Dr. Gots has not
treated or seen patients of his own for 20 years and has never been the
treating physician for a chemically sensitive patient. He practiced
medicine for only a few years before becoming a full time consultant and
expert witness for the chemical industry and other corporations, for whom
he has often testified against MCS patients. For more information about
Dr. Gots and the four industry-supported organizations that he directs,
contact MCS Referral and Resources at 410.448.3319.
15. John Stossel said the two phony patients sent to Dr. Ziem were
"fairly healthy" and "answered her questions honestly."
Had the phony patients said they were healthy, Dr. Ziem would never have
given them an appointment, as she is a specialist who only sees patients
who suffer from chemical or other toxic injury and/or chemical
sensitivity. That the phony patients pretended to suffer from chemical
sensitivity in order to see how Dr. Ziem would diagnose them was admitted
by ABC assistant producer Pamela Troutman in a conversation with a
colleague of Dr. Ziem's at Mt. Sinai College of Medicine in New York.
16. John Stossel said that the state of Maryland dropped the criminal
charges brought against him and others at ABC for allegedly recording Dr.
Ziem without her consent "after an investigation."
No investigation was conducted. The charges were dropped by the State's
Attorney before a preliminary hearing was even held because attorneys for
the Baltimore Sun and Washington Post invoked Maryland's shield statute.
This barred their reporters from testifying about an interview with John
Stossel and the phony patients during which Stossel himself acknowledged
that Dr. Ziem's comments had been taped. Since ABC later denied any tapes
were made, the charges had to be dropped for lack of other evidence.
DON'T BE DECEIVED BY JUNK JOURNALISM!!!
For more information or to obtain copies of the papers cited below,
contact:
MCS Referral & Resources
Call: 410.362.6400
or write:
508 Westgate Rd
Baltimore MD 21229
For more information about Dr. Ziem's medical practice,
call her office in Baltimore at 410. 462.4085.
1. Meggs W, K. Dunn, R. Bloch, P. Goodman, A. Davidoff. 1996. Prevalence
and Nature of Allergy and Chemical Sensitivity in a General Population.
Archives of Environmental Health, 51: 275-282.
2. Davidoff LL. 1992. Models of multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS)
syndrome: using empirical data (especially interview data) to focus
investigations. Toxicol Ind Health 8:229-47.
3. LeRoy J, Davis TH, Jason LA. 1996. Treatment efficacy: A survey of 305
MCS patients. The CFIDS Chronicle, Winter 1996, 52-52.
4. Lax MB, Henneberger PK. 1995. Patients with multiple chemical
sensitivities in an occupational health clinic: presentation and
follow-up. Archives of Environmental Health 50:425-31.
5. Kailin E, Brooks C. 1963. Systemic toxic reactions to soft plastic food
containers: a double-blind study. Med Ann Washington DC 32(1):1-8.
