‘EUROPART’. Airborne particles in the indoor environment. A European interdisciplinary review of scientific evidence on associations between exposure to particles in buildings and health effects

Schneider, Thomas; Sundell, Jan; Bischof, W.; Bohgard, Mats; Cherrie, John W.; Clausen, Per Axel; Dreborg, Sten; Kildesø, J.; Kjærgaard, Søren K.; Løvik, Martinus; Pasanen, Pertti; Skyberg, Knut

doi:10.1034/j.1600-0668.2003.02025.x

Cited by 77 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 64 publications

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“…The dust concentrations in the above studies were one order of magnitude higher than those in the offices included in this study. A recently published review by an interdisciplinary group of European researchers (EUROPART) (Schneider et al, 2003) concludes that there is inadequate evidence to use particulate mass or number concentrations in indoor air as generally applicable risk indicators of health effects in nonindustrial buildings.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variability of personal chemical exposure in eight office buildings in Sweden

Glas

Levin

Stenberg

et al. 2004

J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol

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This study focuses on the variability in chemical exposures for individuals working in office buildings. The study involved eight office buildings with 79 participants, and exposures were measured using personal samplers for volatile organic compounds, aldehydes, amines, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, and particles. Ventilation was assessed in each individual office. ''Variability among buildings'' and ''variability among individuals'' were evaluated for any component (of the 123) measured in samples from at least 20 persons, using variance component analysis and principal component analysis. Interpersonal differences explained the major part of the variance for 78% of the compounds versus between-buildings differences for 14% of the compounds. For 8% of compounds, the variation was explained in equal amounts by the differences among individuals and among buildings. This study illustrates the necessity for individualised measurements (versus stationary measurements in building) to estimate personal exposures. These results also support the conculsion that in case-referent studies of ''sick building syndrome'' (SBS), referents to SBS cases can be randomised for building location.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variability of personal chemical exposure in eight office buildings in Sweden

Glas

Levin

Stenberg

et al. 2004

J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol

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“…The effects of airborne particulate matter (PM) on human health have been extensively examined in a large number of epidemiological studies (ATS, 1996;US-EPA, 1999;WHO, 2000;Schneider et al, 2003). PM in those studies has usually been measured as the mass of particles smaller than 10 mm in aerodynamic diameter (PM 10 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relationship between indoor and outdoor levels of fine particle mass, particle number concentrations and black smoke under different ventilation conditions

Cyrys

Pitz

Bischof

et al. 2004

J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol

138

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Fine particle mass (PM 2.5 ), black smoke (BS) and particle number concentration (NC) were measured simultaneously indoors and outdoors at an urban location in Erfurt, Germany. Measurements were conducted during 2-month periods in summer and winter. Different ventilation modes were applied during each measurement period: windows closed; windows opened widely for 15 min twice per day; windows and door across the room opened widely for 5 min twice per day and windows tilted open all day long. The lowest indoor/outdoor (I/O) ratios for all pollutants were found for closed windows, whereas the ratios for ventilated environments were higher. For closed windows, the I/O ratios for PM 2.5 are larger than the corresponding values for BS and NC (0.63 vs. 0.44 or 0.33, respectively) probably due to lower penetration factors for particles sizes o500 nm and higher deposition rates for ultrafine particles (o100 nm). The largest differences for the I/O ratios between closed and tilted windows were found for NC (0.33 vs. 0.78). The indoor and outdoor levels of PM 2.5 and BS were strongly correlated for all ventilation modes. The linear regression models showed that more than 75% of the daily indoor variation could be explained by the daily outdoor variation for those pollutants. However, the correlation between indoor and outdoor NC for ventilation twice a day was weak. It indicates that rapid changes of the air exchange rates during the day may affect the correlation and regression analysis of NC indoor and outdoor concentrations. This effect was not observed for PM 2.5 or BS. This study shows the importance of the indoor air aerosol measurements for health effects studies and the need for more research on I/O transport mechanisms for NC.

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“…Emission of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the synthetic materials used in homes and offices together with other micro environmental variables such as temperature, humidity, lighting and airborne substances can also contribute to EDED. They can cause ocular symptoms, tear film instability, and alterations in ocular surface characteristics of EDED (40,62,(71)(72)(73)(74) . In 1992, Norn described that "sick building" workers have "pollution keratoconjunctivitis" with decline in BUT values and epithelial alterations detected by lissamine green staining (31) .…”

Section: Epidemiology Of Dry Eye Related To Environmental Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is dry eye an environmental disease?

Alves¹,

Novaes²,

Morraye³

et al. 2014

Arquivos Brasileiros De Oftalmologia

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Previous studies have revealed that eye contact with either air pollutants or adverse indoor and/or outdoor environmental conditions can affect tear film composition and ocular surface components. These effects are mediated by selective binding of the environmental agents to ocular surface membrane receptors, leading to activation of pro inflammatory signaling pathways. The aim of the current review was to examine the published evidence associated with environmental factors and ocular surface disease and dry eye. Specifically, the reader will appreciate why it is possible to refer to them as mediators of Environmental Dry Eye Disease (EDED), a singular clinical entity inside DED context, directly caused by pollutants and/ or adverse climatic conditions. The indicators and clinical findings are described along with EDE differential diagnosis in its acute and the chronic phases. Based on strong existing evidence of clinical reports and epidemiological observations regarding DED and environmental factors we conclude that there is a straight cause-and-effect relationship between ambient stresses and DED. International standards and web-based tools are described for monitoring worldwide environmental conditions referring localities and populations susceptible to EDED. This information is beneficial to health providers to pinpoint the individuals and predisposed groups afflicted with DED. Such insights may not only improve the understanding and treatment of DED but also help to identify the contributing factors and lower the frequency and progression of EDED. of DED has been studied and confirmed in animal models of human DED (13)(14)(15) . KeywordsAs indicated, a healthy and pain-free ocular surface depends on identifying and eliminating factors that cause ambient humidity, airflow and purity, and temperature to intolerable levels. Such an undertaking is needed to preserve tear film qualities commensurate with ocular surface health. This is essential to sustain sufficient corneal refractive power, visual acuity, and ocular comfort (5,16,17) . A desiccating environment can lead to increase in tear film evaporation and/or decline in its turn over and clearance. These initial events lead to exposure of the ocular surface to hazardous environmental elements that trigger or exacerbate EDED symptoms. Clinical findings have shown that increased numbers of people are affected by EDED because of exposure to environmental factors ( Figure 2).Our purpose herein is to provide a critical appraisal of the clinical and epidemiological evidence indicating that DED is influenced by environmental factors. Secondly, we delineate EDED as a single clinical entity with a unique set of symptoms and clinical findings different from that of either DED or other diseases, such as Sjögren's syndrome, diabetes mellitus or drug induced, allergic conjunctivitis, toxic or irritative conjunctivitis, and actinic keratitis. Moreover, we will describe standard tools used to monitor environmental conditions and discuss their relevance in EDED ep...

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‘EUROPART’. Airborne particles in the indoor environment. A European interdisciplinary review of scientific evidence on associations between exposure to particles in buildings and health effects

Cited by 77 publications

References 64 publications

Variability of personal chemical exposure in eight office buildings in Sweden

Variability of personal chemical exposure in eight office buildings in Sweden

Relationship between indoor and outdoor levels of fine particle mass, particle number concentrations and black smoke under different ventilation conditions

Is dry eye an environmental disease?

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