Airborne molds and bacteria, microbial volatile organic compounds (MVOC), plasticizers and formaldehyde in dwellings in three North European cities in relation to sick building syndrome (SBS)

Sahlberg, Bo; Gunnbjörnsdóttir, Mari­a; Soon, Argo; Jõgi, Rain; Gíslason, Þórarinn; Wieslander, Gunilla; Janson, Christer; Norbäck, Dan

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2012.10.114

Cited by 161 publications

(91 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…Formaldehyde can be emitted from indoor sources but can also be formed at photochemical reactions in the outdoor air (Guo et al, 2004). We found no previous study on associations between formaldehyde levels in schools and SBS symptoms among students, but some previous studies have found association between formaldehyde levels in homes and SBS-symptoms (Sahlberg et al, 2013;Guo et al, 2013;Takigawa et al, 2010;Takigawa et al, 2012), but at much higher levels than in our school study. It could be speculated that the source of formaldehyde in our study could be reactive indoor or outdoor chemistry.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 65%

Volatile organic compounds (VOC), formaldehyde and nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) in schools in Johor Bahru, Malaysia: Associations with rhinitis, ocular, throat and dermal symptoms, headache and fatigue

Norbäck

Hashim

et al. 2017

Science of The Total Environment

102

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• Xylene, formaldehyde and NO 2 in schools in Malaysia can be associated with fatigue among students.• Formaldehyde and NO 2 in the classrooms can be associated with ocular symptoms.• The indoor and outdoor levels of benzene were often above the EU standard for ambient air. This paper studied associations between volatile organic compounds (VOC), formaldehyde, nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) in schools in Malaysia and rhinitis, ocular, nasal and dermal symptoms, headache and fatigue among students. Pupils from eight randomly selected junior high schools in Johor Bahru, Malaysia (N = 462), participated (96%). VOC, formaldehyde and NO 2 were measured by diffusion sampling (one week) and VOC also by pumped air sampling during class. Associations were calculated by multi-level logistic regression adjusting for personal factors, the home environment and microbial compounds in the school dust. The prevalence of weekly rhinitis, ocular, throat and dermal symptoms were 18.8%, 11.6%, 15.6%, and 11.1%, respectively. Totally 20.6% had weekly headache and 22.1% fatigue. Indoor CO 2 were low (range 380-690 ppm). Indoor median NO 2 and formaldehyde concentrations over one week were 23 μg/m 3 and 2.0 μg/m G R A P H I C A L A B S T R A C T a b s t r a c t a r t i c l e i n f o Contents lists available at ScienceDirectScience of the Total Environment j o u r n a l h o m e p a g e : w w w . e l s e v i e r . c o m / l o c a t e / s c i t o t e n v in schools can be risk factors for ocular and throat symptoms and fatigue among students in Malaysia. The indoor and outdoor levels of benzene were often higher than the EU standard of 5 μg/m 3 .

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 65%

Volatile organic compounds (VOC), formaldehyde and nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) in schools in Johor Bahru, Malaysia: Associations with rhinitis, ocular, throat and dermal symptoms, headache and fatigue

Norbäck

Hashim

et al. 2017

Science of The Total Environment

102

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“…For current dampness, higher levels of 2-ethyl-1-hexanol and 2-methylfuran were observed compared to dry buildings. However, the compounds observed in higher levels in damp homes were not the same ones that showed an adverse effect on symptoms of the sick building syndrome (Sahlberg et al, 2013). Table 3 Association between current exposure to visible mould/dampness at home and sleep problems (only in children without specific current allergic diseases).…”

Section: Results From Previous Studiesmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…In a further study by Sahlberg et al (2013) the concentrations of airborne moulds and bacteria as well as MVOCs, plasticisers and formaldehyde were assessed. Buildings with a history of dampness showed significantly higher levels of total bacteria, total moulds, viable moulds, 3-methylfuran and ethyl-isobutyrate.…”

Section: Results From Previous Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exposure to visible mould or dampness at home and sleep problems in children: Results from the LISAplus study

Tiesler

Thiering

Tischer

et al. 2015

Environmental Research

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“…Certain chemical substances and dust could lead to developing SBS. For example, Sahlberg et al (2013) examined the association between volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of possible microbial origin (MVOCs), and airborne levels of bacteria, moulds, formaldehyde, and two plasticizers in dwellings with the prevalence of SBS. This study was conducted with participation of 159 adults selected from 3 cities in Sweden, Iceland and Estonia.…”

Section: Sbs Contributors Symptoms and Effectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sick building syndrome: are we doing enough?

AlWaer

Omrany

Ghaffarianhoseini

et al. 2018

Architectural Science Review

181

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Health and well-being are vitally important aspects of people centric building design and are the roots of productivity. Sick building syndrome (SBS) is a collection of factors that can negatively affect physical health in several ways. Besides physical health is also related to psychological well-being because the human body is one interactive biological system. This paper focuses on reviewing the current state of knowledge on building sickness syndrome which has been prevalent as a building illness since the 1970s especially in offices and schools. While the concepts of intelligent, smart and sustainable buildings have gained considerable attention during recent decades, there is now increasing attention being given to designing healthy buildings. This study provides a review about SBS symptoms. Several negative effects of SBS are identified and potential solutions are advocated. Finally, the study stresses the role of built environment and concludes that ongoing research towards tackling SBS and developing healthy indoor environments should not be limited to a single formula as any health-related building design approach is dependent on several interacting factors. ARTICLE HISTORY

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Airborne molds and bacteria, microbial volatile organic compounds (MVOC), plasticizers and formaldehyde in dwellings in three North European cities in relation to sick building syndrome (SBS)

Cited by 161 publications

References 40 publications

Volatile organic compounds (VOC), formaldehyde and nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) in schools in Johor Bahru, Malaysia: Associations with rhinitis, ocular, throat and dermal symptoms, headache and fatigue

Volatile organic compounds (VOC), formaldehyde and nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) in schools in Johor Bahru, Malaysia: Associations with rhinitis, ocular, throat and dermal symptoms, headache and fatigue

Exposure to visible mould or dampness at home and sleep problems in children: Results from the LISAplus study

Sick building syndrome: are we doing enough?

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