The Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) in office workers. A case-referent study of personal, psychosocial and building-related risk indicators.
BACKGROUND
The Office Illness Project in Northern Sweden, comprising both a screening questionnaire study of 4943 office workers and a case-referent study of Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) in 464 subjects was recently completed. Previously published results from the survey showed that female gender asthma/rhinitis, high psychosocial work load, paper and visual display terminal (VDT) work were related to an increased prevalence of SBS symptoms.


METHODS
The case-referent study presented in this paper used data from the questionnaire supplemented with information from a clinical examination, a survey of psychosocial factors at work building data from inspection and measurements taken at the work sites.


RESULTS
Personal factors such as atopy and photosensitive skin, psychosocial conditions and physical exposure factors influencing indoor air quality (IAQ), such as outdoor air flow rates and the presence of photocopiers were related to an increased prevalence of the reported SBS symptoms. The results were established using multivariate analysis.


CONCLUSIONS
The rate response relationship between actually measured ventilation rates and the prevalence of perceived SBS symptoms presents strong evidence for the association between IAQ factors and health.
Stenberg
B
B
Department of Dermatology, University of Umeå, Sweden.
Eriksson
N
N
Höög
J
J
Sundell
J
J
Wall
S
S
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D011602:Psychophysiologic Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D012220:Rhinitis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012961:Sociology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology