title: [A stink bomb in an office environment. Sick building syndrome with toxic rhinitis after exposure to fusel].
abstract: In 1983 WHO, defined "The Sick Building Syndrome". Various conditions influence the indoor climate, among others the degassing of chemicals. An epidemic of sick building syndrome is described in a two year old office building. The symptoms appeared after exposure to toxic chemicals released by a stink bomb--a form of exposure not previously described in the literature. Gas chromatographic analysis of the content of the stink bomb revealed 22 different chemicals likely to be remains from an alcoholic fermentation process. Twenty-four employees were exposed. A questionnaire investigation of the employees revealed that seven had symptoms related to the exposure. A clinical investigation of those who claimed to have symptoms took place. Six of the seven patients were investigated. They all had toxic rhinitis with bleeding. Owing to an unsystematic procedure it took more than two months before the indoor climate was normalized. The toxic rhinitis and other symptoms gradually decreased over more than four months. In order to minimize potential health damage due to the sick building syndrome, we recommend that experts should be consulted within this particular field.
authors.affiliation: Arbejdsmedicinsk klinik, Rigshospitalet, København.
authors.forename: H O
authors.initials: HO
authors.lastname: Hein
authors.forename: N E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Petri
authors.forename: C P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Barfoed
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gyntelberg
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis; D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor; D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D003718:Denmark; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D012220:Rhinitis / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000175:diagnosis
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants