Longitudinal assessment of sensory reactions in eyes and upper airways of staff in a sick building

Baird, John C.; Berglund, Birgitta; Esfandabad, Hassan Shams

doi:10.1016/0160-4120(94)90132-5

Cited by 9 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…the symptom is experienced with delay in contrast to odor perception. This has been reported from studies of city halls and libraries where reported ‘irritation symptoms’ increased during a working day (Baird et al., 1994; Skov et al., 1989). In a climate chamber study, subjects exposed over the period of hours to butanol and formaldehyde emitted from an acid‐curing lacquer reported sensory irritation with considerable delay.…”

Section: Sensory Irritation and Odorsupporting

confidence: 57%

Organic compounds in office environments - sensory irritation, odor, measurements and the role of reactive chemistry

Wolkoff¹,

Wilkins²,

Clausen³

et al. 2006

Indoor Air

289

179

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Sensory irritation and odor effects of organic compounds in indoor environments are reviewed. It is proposed to subdivide volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into four categories: (i) chemically non-reactive, (ii) chemically ÔreactiveÕ, (iii) biologically reactive (i.e. form chemical bonds to receptor sites in mucous membranes) and (iv) toxic compounds. Chemically non-reactive VOCs are considered non-irritants at typical indoor air levels. However, compounds with low odor thresholds contribute to the overall perception of the indoor air quality. Reported sensory irritation may be the result of odor annoyance. It appears that odor thresholds for many VOCs probably are considerably lower than previously reported. This explains why many building materials persistently are perceived as odorous, although the concentrations of the detected organic compounds are close to or below their reported odor thresholds. Ozone reacts with certain alkenes to form a gas and aerosol phase of oxidation products, some of which are sensory irritants. However, all of the sensory irritating species have not yet been identified and whether the secondary aerosols (ultrafine and fine particles) contribute to sensory irritation requires investigation. Low relative humidity may exacerbate the sensory irritation impact. Practical Implications Certain odors, in addition to odor annoyance, may result in psychological effects and distraction from work. Some building materials continually cause perceivable odors, because the odor thresholds of the emitted compounds are low. Some oxidation products of alkenes (e.g. terpenes) may contribute to eye and airway symptoms under certain conditions and low relative humidity.

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Section: Sensory Irritation and Odorsupporting

confidence: 57%

Organic compounds in office environments - sensory irritation, odor, measurements and the role of reactive chemistry

Wolkoff¹,

Wilkins²,

Clausen³

et al. 2006

Indoor Air

289

179

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…126 130 131 It appears that the intensity of eye symptoms among office workers increases during a working day, 8 48 49 and in particular for CL wearers in the evening. 48 49 67 Measurements showed some thinning of the LL in office workers during a working day. 45 50 132 One explanation for the eye symptomatology increase could be the less effective redistribution of the PTF as a result of the increased cognitive effort or difficult visual tasking that decreases the BF.…”

Section: Correlation Between Perceived Eye Complaints and Alterationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Eye complaints in the office environment: precorneal tear film integrity influenced by eye blinking efficiency

et al. 2004

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To achieve a common base for understanding work related eye complaints in the office environment, it is necessary to merge approaches from indoor air science, occupational health, and ophthalmology. Based on database searches, it is concluded that precorneal tear film (PTF) alteration leads to eye complaints that may be caused by: (1) thermal factors (low relative humidity; high room temperature); (2) demanding task content (attention decreases blinking and widens the exposed ocular surface area); and (3) individual characteristics (for example, tear film alterations, blinking anomalies, gland dysfunctions, and use of contact lenses). These factors and conditions are able to progressively increase water evaporation and faster thinning of the PTF, which causes dryness and dry spot formation on the cornea, possibly followed by corneal and conjunctiva epithelial alterations and eye complaints. Another possible cause of eye complaints is certain irritating chemical compounds, in addition to oxidation mixtures that are formed in reactions between ozone and unsaturated organic compounds (alkenes). The effect may be exacerbated by low relative humidity.

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“…The mean prevalence for mucus membrane irritation increased slightly from morning to afternoon (109,110). This finding is compatible with the observation that the thickness of the lipid layer decreases during an office workday (68,69).…”

Section: Epidemiology Of Eye Symptoms In Office Environmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Eye irritation and environmental factors in the office environment-hypotheses, causes and a physiological model

Wolkoff¹,

Skov²,

Franck³

et al. 2003

Scand J Work Environ Health

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Longitudinal assessment of sensory reactions in eyes and upper airways of staff in a sick building

Cited by 9 publications

References 21 publications

Organic compounds in office environments - sensory irritation, odor, measurements and the role of reactive chemistry

Organic compounds in office environments - sensory irritation, odor, measurements and the role of reactive chemistry

Eye complaints in the office environment: precorneal tear film integrity influenced by eye blinking efficiency

Eye irritation and environmental factors in the office environment-hypotheses, causes and a physiological model

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