Contact
resilience2026@aseq-ehaq.ca
514 332 4320
Everyone deserves to breathe safely.
Resilience 2026 brings science, policy, and solutions together.
May 7–8, 2026 | 9:00AM–5:00PM (EST) | Virtual International Conference
We sincerely thank our funders
.
Introduction
The Resilience 2026 International Conference on Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS), organized by the Environmental Health Association of Canada and the Environmental Health Association of Québec, brings together researchers, clinicians, policymakers, and community leaders from around the world.
The conference reflects a growing global effort to deepen scientific understanding of MCS, strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration, and advance practical solutions that support healthier environments and improve the quality of life for people living with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS).
Recent research has highlighted the increasing prevalence of MCS in Canada and globally, alongside growing scientific and policy recognition of its impacts. More than 1.13 million Canadians reported a diagnosis of MCS in 2020, according to the Canadian Community Health Survey (Statistics Canada), with women representing approximately 72% of those affected.
Despite this growing prevalence and its recognition as a disability within human rights frameworks, individuals living with MCS continue to face significant barriers in healthcare settings, housing, workplaces, and public spaces due to chemical exposures and inadequate accommodation measures.
These barriers highlight the importance of addressing environmental factors that limit equal participation in healthcare, housing, employment, and public life.
Improving indoor air quality and eliminating avoidable chemical exposures represent practical and achievable steps toward protecting both human health and the health of the planet.
Since the first edition of the conference, meaningful progress has been made in advancing research, policy awareness, and public dialogue on environmental health, fragrance sensitivity, and indoor air quality. However, awareness within healthcare systems and many professional sectors remains limited, contributing to ongoing gaps in diagnosis, clinical management, research funding, and professional education.
Resilience 2026 seeks to help close these gaps by highlighting emerging scientific evidence, strengthening international collaboration, and supporting policies and practices that reduce harmful exposures while promoting healthier and more inclusive environments.
Why This Conference Matters
People living with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) often face significant barriers in healthcare settings, workplaces, housing, and public spaces due to chemical exposures and insufficient accommodation measures.
Although awareness of MCS has grown in recent years, gaps remain in clinical knowledge, research funding, professional education, and policy development.
Resilience provides an international conference where science, policy, and lived experience come together to advance understanding and support meaningful change.
Around the world, growing attention to indoor air quality and chemical exposures is reshaping how societies think about environmental health, accessibility, and prevention.
Key Themes
Resilience 2026 explores several critical themes at the intersection of environmental health, science, and accessibility:
• Scientific advances in Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS)
• Indoor air quality and the built environment
• Environmental exposures and prevention strategies
• Clinical care and healthcare accessibility
• Disability rights and policy frameworks
• Community engagement and lived experience
• International collaboration in environmental health
Conference Overview
To explore these issues from both scientific and policy perspectives, Resilience 2026 is organized across two complementary days.
Day 1 – Advancing the Science of MCS
Day 1 focuses on the evolving scientific and clinical understanding of MCS, bringing together researchers and healthcare professionals to examine emerging knowledge about the condition.
Presentations will explore:
• the epidemiology and prevalence of MCS
• evolving scientific terminology and diagnostic frameworks
• biological and genetic mechanisms associated with MCS
• clinical approaches to prevention, management, and treatment
• exposure pathways and environmental triggers
• healthcare and nursing perspectives
• interdisciplinary research contributing to a deeper understanding of MCS
Researchers will present new findings on the prevalence of MCS in Canada, helping to contextualize its growing recognition as a significant public health issue. The program will also introduce emerging areas of research, including genomic approaches that may provide new insight into the biological mechanisms underlying MCS.
In addition to research developments, speakers will examine how healthcare systems can better respond to individuals living with MCS. Presentations will include practical perspectives on care and management, including nursing approaches informed by lived experience and efforts to reduce chemical exposures in clinical environments such as dental settings.
The day will also explore current management and treatment strategies that integrate clinical experience with a broader understanding of environmental health.
To conclude, the program will examine how outdated or incorrect approaches to MCS management can contribute to harm, and how updated policies and scientific knowledge can support more effective and compassionate care.
Together, these sessions aim to strengthen dialogue between research and practice while identifying pathways toward improved recognition, care, and support for people living with MCS.
Day 2 – Indoor Environments, Policy, and Inclusion
Day 2 focuses on translating scientific knowledge into practical action.
Sessions will explore:
• developments from the International MCS Consortium
• innovative research on indoor air quality
• disability rights and legal frameworks
• policy approaches to chemical-free and lowest-emission environments
• community initiatives aimed at removing environmental barriers
Presentations will reflect on international developments since Resilience 2025, highlighting both progress and ongoing challenges related to recognition, accommodation, and research on MCS.
Speakers will also discuss practical strategies to reduce chemical exposures in everyday environments through both behavioural approaches and policy initiatives that help create safer spaces for individuals living with MCS.
Legal experts will contribute perspectives on how courts and legal frameworks have addressed MCS, including reviews of past cases and emerging legal approaches that rely on scientific evidence to support recognition and accommodation.
Research and advocacy initiatives from ASEQ-EHAQ will also be presented, highlighting ongoing work related to air quality, community empowerment, and the removal of systemic barriers experienced by people living with MCS.
The conference will conclude with a multidisciplinary panel discussion bringing together leaders from diverse equity-seeking organizations to explore broader questions of inclusion, accessibility, and environmental health.
Efforts to improve indoor air quality and eliminate avoidable chemical exposures benefit not only individuals living with MCS, but also children, older adults, and the broader population.
Who Should Attend
Resilience 2026 welcomes participants from a wide range of disciplines and communities, including:
• researchers and scientists studying environmental health
• physicians, nurses, and healthcare professionals
• policymakers and public health leaders
• legal experts working in disability rights and environmental law
• architects, planners, and professionals working on healthy indoor environments
• community advocates and individuals with lived experience
of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS)
What Participants Will Gain
Participants in Resilience 2026 will:
• learn about the latest scientific research on Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS)
• explore emerging approaches to improving indoor air quality
• hear international perspectives on environmental health and accessibility
• understand evolving policy and legal frameworks related to MCS
• connect with researchers, clinicians, policymakers, and community leaders
• contribute to global conversations on healthier and more inclusive environments
International Participation
Resilience 2026 brings together speakers and participants from Canada, the United States, Europe, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand, reflecting growing international collaboration on environmental health and Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS).
A Moment of Global Attention
At a time when societies around the world are increasingly recognizing the importance of indoor air quality and the health impacts of environmental exposures, Resilience 2026 provides a global platform for advancing scientific understanding, policy dialogue, and practical solutions that help ensure everyone can breathe safely.
Ensuring safe indoor environments is one of the most important and achievable public health actions of our time.
Conference Goals & Vision
Resilience 2026 aims to advance awareness and understanding of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) while promoting greater equity, accessibility, and inclusion for those affected.
The conference highlights the importance of practical measures that can significantly improve indoor air quality, remove environmental barriers, and enable broader participation in workplaces, public spaces, and essential services.
Building on the momentum of previous initiatives, Resilience 2026 seeks to strengthen collaboration between researchers, healthcare professionals, policymakers, legal experts, and community advocates.
By bringing together scientific research, lived experience, and policy dialogue, the conference supports evidence-informed approaches that improve recognition of MCS and encourage healthier environments.
More broadly, the event contributes to a growing international movement dedicated to advancing environmental health, improving public awareness, and fostering inclusive policies that reduce chemical exposures and remove barriers for individuals living with MCS.
Through science, collaboration, and shared commitment, Resilience 2026 aims to help shape a future where healthier environments and clean air are accessible to everyone.
Working together to advance environmental health, accessible environments, and the right to breathe safe indoor air.
Partners
Resilience 2026 is made possible through collaboration with organizations working across environmental health, disability rights, public health, and sustainable environments. Together, we are advancing knowledge, dialogue, and practical solutions that support healthier and more inclusive spaces for all.
The conference brings together researchers, clinicians, policymakers, and civil society organizations from Canada, the United States, Europe, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand, reflecting growing international collaboration on environmental health and Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS).
Resilience is emerging as a unique international conference where diverse sectors exchange knowledge and advance practical solutions for ecological living and the right to breathe safe indoor air.
We are grateful to the organizations that support this work by sharing knowledge, participating in dialogue, and helping expand awareness of the importance of healthier indoor environments.
Partnership with Resilience
Resilience partners contribute in a variety of ways. Many support the conference by sharing information with their networks, participating in panel discussions, contributing expertise, or helping connect communities working toward healthier environments.
Partnership does not require financial contributions. Instead, it reflects a shared commitment to advancing environmental health, accessibility, and the prevention of harmful exposures.
Organizations interested in partnering with Resilience are welcome to contact us to learn more about collaboration opportunities.
Contact: resilience2026@aseq-ehaq.ca
We thank our Partners:
