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Associations between indoor air pollutant levels and self reported symptoms in workers in two office buildings were examined. The air handling systems of two mechanically ventilated buildings in downtown Montreal, Canada were experimentally manipulated in a randomized double blind, multiple crossover fashion over a 6 week (wk) period, 1wk at a time to deliver 20 or 50 cubic feet per minute per person of outdoor air to the indoor office environment. A total of 702 workers in the two buildings completed questionnaires weekly to rate the office environment and to report the presence or absence of selected eye, mucosal, and systemic symptoms. Temperature, relative humidity (RH), air velocity and indoor carbon-dioxide (124389), carbon-monoxide (630080), nitrogen-dioxide (10102440), formaldehyde (50000), total volatile organic compound (TVOC), total dust, and fungal concentrations were measured weekly. The mean concentrations of carbon-monoxide, TVOCs, and formaldehyde in the buildings increased when the outdoor air supply was reduced. Indoor nitrogen-dioxide concentrations and RH varied with week of the study, reflecting fluctuations in outdoor nitrogen-dioxide concentration, RH, and temperature. Increased reporting of mucosal symptoms was significantly associated with increased TVOC and nitrogen-dioxide concentrations and summary contaminant scores (SCSs). Systemic symptoms were significantly positively associated with carbon-monoxide and dust concentrations. Eye symptom reporting was significantly positively associated with nitrogen-dioxide and dust concentrations. The authors conclude that symptoms typical of the sick building syndrome (SBS) have been found to be associated with increased concentrations of nitrogen-dioxide, TVOCs, and dust and a higher SCS. The methodology used in this study may be useful for further investigating the SBS and providing a basis for establishing air quality standards for office environments.
American Journal of Public Health, 86(11):1629-1633, 1996. (32 references)
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