In Australia, chemical sensitivity or MCS is a disability covered by federal Disability Discrimination Act and state equal opportunity and anti-discrimination legislation.
Disability Rights, Australian Human Rights Commission
State Anti-Discrimination Boards
Disability advocacy organisations
From Access to buildings and services: Guidelines and information, Updated April 2008:
Use of chemicals and materials
A growing number of people report being affected by sensitivity to chemicals used in the building, maintenance and operation of premises. This can mean that premises are effectively inaccessible to people with chemical sensitivity. People who own, lease, operate and manage premises should consider the following issues to eliminate or minimise chemical sensitivity reactions in users:
the selection of building, cleaning and maintenance chemicals and materials (see Note below);
the provision of adequate ventilation and ensuring all fresh air intakes are clear of possible sources of pollution such as exhaust fumes from garages;
minimising use of air fresheners and pesticides;
the provision of early notification of events such as painting, pesticide applications or carpet shampooing by way of signs, memos or e-mail.
For more information on ways to eliminate or minimise chemical and fragrance sensitivity reactions look at http://www.jan.wvu.edu/media/MCS.html and http://www.jan.wvu.edu/media/fragrance.html
Note: There are a number of relevant environmental and occupational health and safety regulations and established standards, however, as is currently the case with other standards referenced in building law, compliance with those standards may not necessarily ensure compliance with the DDA.
© Australian Human Rights Commission 2015
(Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International)
Note: The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) links have been changed to https://askjan.org/disabilities/Multiple-Chemical-Sensitivity.cfm and https://askjan.org/disabilities/Fragrance-Sensitivity.cfm