Contaminants in Buildings and Occupied Spaces as Risk Factors forOccupant Symptoms in U.S. Office Buildings: Findings from the U.S. EPABASE Study

Abstract

Background: Nonspecific building-related symptoms among occupants of modern office buildings worldwide are common and may be associated with important reductions in work performance, but their etiology remains uncertain. Most reported research into environmental risk factors for these symptoms has focused on ventilation system-related factors, dampness, and particle removal through filtration and cleaning, with relatively few studies of other potential sources of indoor contaminants.Methods: We analyzed data collected by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from a representative sample of 100 large U.S. office buildings -the Building Assessment and Survey Evaluation (BASE) study -using multivariate-adjusted logistic regression models with generalized estimating equations. We estimated odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for associations between seven building-related symptom outcomes and a diverse set of potential indoor and outdoor sources for indoor pollutants.Results: Although most of the investigated risk factors showed no apparent association with building-related symptoms, some interesting associations resulted. Increased prevalence of symptoms was associated with carpets older than one year (lower respiratory symptoms), noncarpeted floors (upper and lower respiratory symptoms), older furniture (eye and skin symptoms), infrequent vacuuming (upper respiratory, eye, and skin symptoms and headache), and masonry exterior walls (cough, eye symptoms, and fatigue/concentration difficulty).Discussion: For the many potential risk factors assessed, almost none had been investigated previously, and many associations found here may have been by chance. Additional confirmatory research focused on risk factors initially identified here is needed, using more objective measures of health outcomes and risk factors or exposures.

Atmospheric Pollutants in a Commercial Region of Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil: Integration of Health, Environment and Economy in Urban Planning to Improve Air Quality

“…Due to the high volatility of HCHO, the most affected are those who handle products that contain it in large quantities. High concentrations cause shortness of breath, breathing difficulties, headaches, eye irritation, pulmonary edema, laryngitis, bronchitis and pneumonia (Mendell et al, 2007).…”

Pedestrians' perception of environmental stimuli through field surveys: Focus on particulate pollution

“…The questionnaire was developed by merging microclimatic parameters and noise questions similar to the RUROS project (Centre for Renewable Energy Sources, 2002) with air quality questions from studies on indoor climate (Engvall et al, 2004;EPA, 2003;Mendell et al, 2007;Wargocki et al, 1999). Specifically, the questionnaire asked for gender, age, smoking status, perceptions about the thermal and acoustic environment, environmental quality, and health and well-being.…”

Assessment of regional fungal concentrations and diversity and their possible association with self-reported health effects among a national sample of office building occupants in the United States

“…Airborne fungi in indoor environments have been investigated as causes of adverse health effects (Bush and Portnoy, 2001;Chao et al, 2003;Fung and Hughson, 2003;Hardin et al, 2003;Harrison et al, 1992;Mendell et al, 2007;Menzies and Bourbeau, 1997;Menzies et al, 1998;Osborne et al, 2015;Portnoy et al, 2005). Increasingly, evidence suggests that the fungal microbiome found in indoor environments has a strong relationship with outdoor microbiomes (Jara et al, 2017;Lee et al, 2006;NAS, 2017;Prussin and Marr, 2015;Tsai et al, 2007) and is further influenced by seasonal variation associated with temperature and humidity (Frankel et al, 2012;Shelton et al, 2002), geographic regions (Amend et al, 2010;Shelton et al, 2002), and climate (Vardoulakis et al, 2015).…”

“…Fungi detected in indoor environments have elicited increasing attention as causes of adverse health effects among humans (Bardana Jr., 2002;Bush and Portnoy, 2001;Chao et al, 2003;Epstein and Fan, 2001;Etzel et al, 1998;Fung and Hughson, 2003;Hardin et al, 2003;Harrison et al, 1992;Hodgson et al, 1998;IOM, 2011;Johanning et al, 1996;Koskinen et al, 1999;Mendell et al, 2007;Menzies and Bourbeau, 1997;Menzies et al, 1998;NAS, 2017;Shelton et al, 2002). Exposures to fungi and their by-products (i.e., toxins, VOCs) have been associated with health problems, including respiratory ailments and allergies, irritations of the skin and respiratory tract, toxic effects, and infections (Epstein and Fan, 2001;Etzel et al, 1998;Hardin et al, 2003;Hodgson et al, 1998;Johanning et al, 1996;Li and Kendrick, 1995;Mendell et al, 2011;Osborne et al, 2015;Portnoy, et al, 2005;).…”