A method for assessing indoor air quality in office buildings.

Health complaints related to indoor air quality are increasingly common. Hence, it is well known that environmental factors act on the emergence of certain illnesses. Today, many people consider that their health problems are due to a specific building environment. Chemical, microbiological and particulate pollutants are of interest, but only as one category of potential factors. Other risk factors have been identified ranging from the individual's sex and health status to psychosociological issues and buildings characteristics. Based on French and international research experiences, works is being conducted in order to produce a multidisciplinary audit method in order to classify office buildings in terms of indoor air quality on given criteria. The investigation protocol uses walk through survey, questionnaires, measurement of indoor climate factors and comparison with threshold values. In addition, the protocol gives a strategy when solving indoor air problems. The visual inspection list is used to collect information on the building, its equipments, its operation conditions and potential pollutant sources. The aim of the questionnaire is to know the prevalence of health and comfort problem as well as environmental conditions and other aspects of the office environment of the building occupants.