Periodicum biologorum, Vol. 111 No. 1, 2009.
Original scientific paper
SICK BUILDING SYNDROME Do we live and work in unhealthy environment?
MILICA GOMZI
; Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Ksaverska c. 2, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
JASMINKA BOBIĆ
; Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Ksaverska c. 2, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
The sick building syndrome (SBS) is defined as environmentally related condition with increased prevalence of non-specific symptoms among the populations of certain buildings, often without clinical signs and objective measures of symptoms. SBS complaints seem to be the result of the interaction of environmental, occupational, and psychological factors, and they are probably not caused by poor indoor air quality alone. This review gives a brief overview of SBS, along with focusing on many of the causes of »sick« homes and buildings and discussing the research dedicated to solving this increasing problem. Relevant literature during the past
20 years was selected from Medline and discussed. The overview focuses on the relationship between selected aspects of indoor
environment quality and health and comfort outcomes related to sick
building syndrome. Among environmental factors assessed, there were generally consistent findings associating increased symptoms with air-conditioning, many workers in a space, videoterminal use, and ventilation rates at or below 10 liters/second/person. Among personal factors assessed, there were generally consistent findings associating increased symptoms with female gender, job stress/dissatisfaction, and allergies. Sick building syndrome generally affects people employed in offices or other buildings that house many workers in close proximity. Most frequently, it occurs in newer office buildings which are designed to be energy-efficient. A multi-disciplinary approach including personality aspects, allergic disorders and indoor exposures should be applied in investigations of
human health problems related to staying in modern buildings.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
35999
URI
Publication date:
31.3.2009.
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