They Look Harmless . . .So Could They Really Be Making Your Life a Misery?Newspapers Are a Nightmare. Fabric Conditioners Are Terrifying.And As for Air Fresheners . . . No Way. For More Than 30 Years Everyday Objects Have Made Life Almost Impossible for Donna Robertson. But Doctors Are Divided Over the Cause. By Beth Pearson

Summary

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WHEN Donna Robertson picks up a copy of The Herald, she feels a distinct sense of nausea. In order to read it, she has to place a piece of plastic over the top or f latten it under a sheet of glass. "The ink's very strong in The Herald, but it's a paper I like, so I try to read wee bits without touching the print, " she says. "The Times is bad too, but the free papers, there's nothing off them at all."

Robertson has had this reaction to ink since she worked in a printing factory when she was 17. Now, aged 58, she also experiences headaches, mood swings, disorientation, mixed-up speech, tremors in her hands and stomach, and occasional pains across her shoulder when she comes into contact with cleaning products, perfume, petrol, air fresheners and fabric conditioners.

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They Look Harmless . . .So Could They Really Be Making Your Life a Misery?Newspapers Are a Nightmare. Fabric Conditioners Are Terrifying.And As for Air Fresheners . . . No Way. For More Than 30 Years Everyday Objects Have Made Life Almost Impossible for Donna Robertson. But Doctors Are Divided Over the Cause. By Beth Pearson

Until four years ago, Robertson didn't know what to tell doctors was wrong with her. She could describe how she felt after being exposed to various substances, but it didn't add up to a diagnosable illness that could be treated.

Then she contacted the organisation Action Against Allergy an...

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