LoginOur study conducted serial measurements of indoor air quality and sick building syndrome (SBS) of employees in eight air-conditioned office buildings to examine the association between indoor air pollution and the reporting symptoms of SBS. Airborne microbes, carbon dioxide (CO2), particulate matter (PM10), formaldehyde, and total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) were measured in every test space within the buildings. Frequency of reporting symptoms and other environmental variables were documented by self-administrated questionnaires.
Our results show that many building characteristics such as with carpets on the floors, having new decoration nearby, presence of passive smoking exposure and other perceptive factors appear to be associated with higher odds ratio (OR) of selected SBS symptoms. In addition, higher indoor TVOC and CO2 are also related to an increased occurrence of symptoms such as irritation of mucus and skin, neurotoxic symptoms and other non-specific symptoms (OR = 2.804.43). Our study suggests that building-decoration-related VOCs and high CO2 levels appear to be the dominant factors attributable to the reporting of SBS by employees in Taiwans office buildings.
Indoor air quality and sick building syndrome of office buildings in Taiwan
Year:
2003
Bibliographic info:
Healthy Buildings 2003 - Proceedings 7th International Conference (7th-11th December 2003) - National University of Singapore - Vol. 3, pp 48-53, 2 Tab., 11 Ref.