Baseline data: health and comfort in modern office buildings.

Reduction of fresh air ventilation is becoming the major means of energy conservation in office buildings. Simultaneously, health and comfort problems experienced by occupants are often suspected to be a direct result of reduced fresh air ventilation. However, there is little data available on health and comfort problems experienced by occupants of buildings operated under normal ventilation rates. Baseline data needed to compare occupant health and comfort complaints in buildings with reduced ventilation to complaints in 'normal buildings' was provided by a survey of 1106 members of the New York local of the Office and Professional Employees International Union in nine office buildings with no prior history of complaints from occupants of health and comfort problems. Buildings were screened for energy conserving retrofits and architectural and ventilation factors.