S-3141.1  _______________________________________________

                         SENATE BILL 6302

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington   57th Legislature        2002 Regular Session

By Senators Fairley, Kline, Franklin, Keiser and McAuliffe

Read first time 01/15/2002.  Referred to Committee on Labor, Commerce & Financial Institutions.

Providing workers' compensation for multiple chemical sensitivity syndrome.

    AN ACT Relating to workers' compensation for multiple chemical sensitivity syndrome; adding a new section to chapter 51.08 RCW; and adding a new section to chapter 51.32 RCW.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 51.08 RCW to read as follows:

    "Multiple chemical sensitivity syndrome" means a chronic condition with symptoms that affect multiple organ systems and recur reproducibly in an individual in response to low levels of exposure to multiple unrelated chemicals and improve or resolve when the triggering chemicals are removed.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  A new section is added to chapter 51.32 RCW to read as follows:

    (1) Multiple chemical sensitivity syndrome due to workplace exposure to chemicals is an occupational disease compensable under this title.

    (2) A worker who has been diagnosed with multiple chemical sensitivity syndrome prior to experiencing symptoms of a work-related occupational disease due to chemical exposure does not need to prove that the occupational disease arises naturally and proximately out of employment.  The worker need prove only that work-related conditions contributed to, aggravated, exacerbated, or accelerated the preexisting multiple chemical sensitivity syndrome.

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