Predicting co-morbidities in chemically sensitive individuals from exhaled breath analysis

The exhaled breath of more than four hundred patients who presented at the Environmental Health Center – Dallas with chemical sensitivity conditions were analyzed for the relative abundance of their breath chemical composition by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry for volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds. All presenting patients had no fewer than four and as many as eight co-morbid conditions. Surprisingly, almost all the exhaled breath analyses showed the presence of a preponderance of lipophilic aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons. The hydrophilic compounds present were almost entirely of natural origin, i.e. expected metabolites of foods. The lipophile, primarily C3 to C16 hydrocarbons and believed to have come from inhalation of polluted air, were, in all cases, present at concentrations far below those known to be toxic to humans, but caused sensitivity and signs of chemical overload. The co-morbid health effects observed are believed to be caused by the sequential absorption of lipophilic and hydrophilic chemicals; an initial absorption and retention of lipophile followed by a subsequent absorption of hydrophilic species facilitated by the retained lipophile to produce chemical mixtures that are toxic at very low levels. It is hypothesized that co-morbid conditions in chemically sensitive individuals can be predicted from analysis of their exhaled breath.