Can sick buildings be assessed by testing human performance in field experiments
- Univ. of Stockholm (Sweden)
- Royal Inst. of Tech., Stockholm (Sweden)
- Brown Univ., Providence, RI (United States)
The present paper is devoted to the Sick Building Syndrome and describes an experiment comparing a diagnosed sick' with a healthy' Swedish preschool. The indoor air quality of both buildings were nearly the same and the concentrations of total separated volatile organic compounds were low according to suggested guidelines for indoor air in nonindustrial buildings. Forty-eight previously unexposed subjects were exposed to each of the two buildings for one day, and the effect of the exposure was assessed with a battery of diverse psychological test. Despite a favorable experimental situation of utilizing a building with a record of producing the Syndrome, the results of psychological tests of mental and motor performance, and therefore the answer to the question raised by the title above, were in the negative. This failure raises questions both regarding the choice of subjects and experimental methods including the selection of tests, the duration of exposure, and the environmental setting. Several combinations of experimental method and subjects which must be considered in future research on indoor pollution are discussed.
- OSTI ID:
- 5150811
- Journal Information:
- Environment International; (United States), Vol. 18:3; ISSN 0160-4120
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Development of new VOC exposure metrics and their relationship to ''Sick Building Syndrome'' symptoms
Exposure of humans to a volatile organic mixture. 1. Behavioral assessment
Related Subjects
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
HEALTH HAZARDS
SCHOOL BUILDINGS
INDOOR AIR POLLUTION
SWEDEN
AIR POLLUTION MONITORING
CHILDREN
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
FIELD TESTS
INFORMATION NEEDS
VOLATILE MATTER
AGE GROUPS
AIR POLLUTION
BUILDINGS
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES
EUROPE
HAZARDS
MATTER
MONITORING
POLLUTION
SCANDINAVIA
TESTING
540120* - Environment
Atmospheric- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (1990-)
560300 - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology