Measurement of human eye irritation using a CO{sub 2} reference scale

Conference · Tue Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1996

OSTI ID:524716

Hempel-Joergensen, A; Kjaergaard, S K; Moelhave, L ^[1]

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1. Aarhus Univ. (Denmark). Inst. for Environmental and Occupational Medicine

This paper describes a combined system for human eye exposure and sensory evaluation. The system was developed as part of a research program which is focused on development of biological response models to be used for prediction of the potential of emissions from building materials to cause sensory irritation in the indoor environment. The method describes in this paper measures air pollutants potential to cause sensory eye irritation using a master scale (the sensory irritation caused by the emissions ar measured in terms of concentration of a reference irritant.). The purpose of this study was to test the exposure equipment, the exposure procedure, the evaluation procedure, and the statistical method. The principle of the combined system is that subjects compare the intensity of sensory irritation in one eye which is exposed to polluted air with the intensity of sensory irritation in the other eye, which is exposed to a reference gas. This left-right eye comparison was chosen because it is quicker to perform than having subjects first exposed to the pollutant gas bilaterally and afterwards exposed to the reference gas bilaterally. Moreover, by making the comparison simultaneously, the subject does not have to remember the impression of the previous exposure. In this study, CO{sub 2} was used both as a simulation of the air pollution and as the reference gas.

• OSTI ID: 524716
• Report Number(s): CONF-9409474--; ISBN 0-8031-2030-3
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
56 BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
APPLIED STUDIES
BIOLOGICAL INDICATORS
CARBON DIOXIDE
EYES
HEALTH HAZARDS
INDOOR AIR POLLUTION
SENSITIVITY