Variability of personal chemical exposure in eight office buildings in Sweden.
This study focuses on the variability in chemical exposures for individuals working in office buildings. The study involved eight office buildings with 79 participants, and exposures were measured using personal samplers for volatile organic compounds, aldehydes, amines, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, and particles. Ventilation was assessed in each individual office. "Variability among buildings" and "variability among individuals" were evaluated for any component (of the 123) measured in samples from at least 20 persons, using variance component analysis and principal component analysis. Interpersonal differences explained the major part of the variance for 78% of the compounds versus between-buildings differences for 14% of the compounds. For 8% of compounds, the variation was explained in equal amounts by the differences among individuals and among buildings. This study illustrates the necessity for individualised measurements (versus stationary measurements in building) to estimate personal exposures. These results also support the conclusion that in case-referent studies of "sick building syndrome" (SBS), referents to SBS cases can be randomised for building location.
Glas
Bo
B
Dermatology and Venereology, Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umeå University, Sweden. bo.glas@vll.se
Levin
Jan-Olof
JO
Stenberg
Berndt
B
Stenlund
Hans
H
Sunesson
Anna-Lena
AL
D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000032:analysis*; D000447:Aldehydes / Q000032:analysis; D000588:Amines / Q000032:analysis; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D016021:Epidemiologic Studies; D005160:Facility Design and Construction; D006801:Humans; D009585:Nitrogen Dioxide / Q000032:analysis; D009930:Organic Chemicals / Q000032:analysis; D010126:Ozone / Q000032:analysis; D010316:Particle Size; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D018877:Sick Building Syndrome / Q000209:etiology; D013548:Sweden; D017132:Workplace
D000447:Aldehydes; D000588:Amines; D009930:Organic Chemicals; D010126:Ozone; D009585:Nitrogen Dioxide