INDOOR AIR QUALITY AND SICK HOUSE SYNDROME IN FUKUSHIMA, JAPAN

Outbreaks of Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) first gained attention in the 1970s in the USA, with thedevelopment of more energy-efficient buildings that depend on mechanical ventilation systems tocirculate fresh air, as well as to control air temperature and sometimes humidity.SBS at office building and so on is not such a severe problem, but, a similar syndrome has beenrecently reported with increasing frequency in airtight new houses in Japan, that is, Sick HouseSyndrome (SHS). We have conducted the survey concerning SHS in Fukushima city, northeast area ofJapan since 2003. At first we sent the questionnaire to about 1000 new houses, built from 1996 to 2002which were independently owned houses.And then in 2004, we measured the indoor air quality (volatile organic compounds (VOC), fungus, miteand so on) in about 70 houses of those surveyed in 2003, and did also the questionnaire survey abouthealth conditions etc of people of the families.