Scandinavian experiences with indoor air pollution.
The building illness syndrome (BIS) with complaints about dryness and irritation of the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose and throat, and headaches is very common in Scandinavian buildings. The causes for BIS may be psychosocial, biological, physical or chemical factors in the indoor environment. Of these the chemical factors are considered to be the most important. BIS can be caused by formaldehyde, but the main sources of this emission are now controlled in the Scandinavian countries. As BIS complaints still are common, organic gases and vapors are considered to be the most important cause of BIS today. These gases and vapors are emitted from many building materials, and mixtures of these have been shown to be irritating in concentrations about 5 mg m-3, a concentration which is often found in new buildings. It is still an unsolved problem if BIS is due to the mixture of the organic gases and vapors themselves, or decomposition products in low concentrations, as for example peroxyacetyl nitrates known from outdoor air pollution. Irrespective of the cause, the rational approach would be a reduction of the emissions of organic gases and vapors from building materials or an increase of ventilation rates. The latter solution is not desirable due to the economic burden and to the need for energy conservation. We therefore suggest that building materials should be tested for emission of pollutants, so that materials emitting high concentrations of toxic substances can be identified and replaced by materials emitting less toxic substances and with emission of a lower rate.
D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000009:adverse effects; D000397:Air Pollution; D002980:Climate; D005160:Facility Design and Construction; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008834:Microclimate; D011602:Psychophysiologic Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D012537:Scandinavian and Nordic Countries; D013577:Syndrome
D000393:Air Pollutants