SBS -- abstracts

[Guest guest]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve & db=pubmed & dopt=Abstra\

ct & list_uids=14756842

1: Indoor Air. 2004 Feb;14(1):16-23.

Related Articles,Links

Class separation of buildings with high and low prevalence of SBS by principal

component analysis.

Pommer L, Fick J, Sundell J, Nilsson C, Sjostrom M, Stenberg B, Andersson B.

Department of Chemistry, Environmental Chemistry, Umea University, Umea,

Sweden.

In this study, we were able to separate buildings with high and low prevalence

of sick building syndrome (SBS) using

principal component analysis. The prevalence of SBS was defined by the presence

of at least one typical skin, mucosal

and general (headache and fatigue) symptom. Data from the Swedish Office

Illness Study describing the presence and level

of chemical compounds in outdoor, supply, and room air, respectively, were

evaluated together with information about the

buildings in six models. When all data were included the most complex model was

able to separate 71% of the high

prevalence buildings from the low prevalence buildings. The most important

variable that separates the high prevalence

buildings from the low prevalence buildings was a more frequent occurrence or a

higher concentration of compounds with

shorter retention time in the high prevalence buildings. Elevated relative

humidity in supply and room air and higher

levels of total volatile organic compounds in outdoor and supply air were more

common in high prevalence buildings. Ten

building variables also contributed to the separation of the two classes of low

and high prevalence buildings.

PMID: 14756842 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve & db=pubmed & dopt=Abstra\

ct & list_uids=15118745

1: J Expo Anal Environ Epidemiol. 2004;14 Suppl 1:S49-57.

Related Articles,Links

Variability of personal chemical exposure in eight office buildings in Sweden.

Glas B, Levin JO, Stenberg B, Stenlund H, Sunesson AL.

Dermatology and Venereology, Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine,

Umea University, Sweden. bo.glas@...

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.

PMID: 15118745 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve & db=pubmed & dopt=Abstra\

ct & list_uids=14643289

1: Environ Res. 2004 Jan;94(1):75-85.

Related Articles,Links

A comparison of indoor air pollutants in Japan and Sweden: formaldehyde,

nitrogen dioxide, and chlorinated volatile

organic compounds.

Sakai K, Norback D, Mi Y, Shibata E, Kamijima M, Yamada T, Takeuchi Y.

Nagoya City Public Health Research Institute, 1-11 Hagiyama-cho, Mizuho-ku,

Nagoya 467-8615, Japan.

ehdeiken@...

Indoor and outdoor concentrations of formaldehyde (HCHO), nitrogen dioxide

(NO2), and selected chlorinated volatile

organic compounds (chlorinated VOC) were measured in 37 urban dwellings in

Nagoya, Japan, and 27 urban dwellings in

Uppsala, Sweden, using the same sampling procedures and analytical methods.

Indoor as well as outdoor air concentrations

of HCHO, NO2, and chlorinated VOC were significantly higher in Nagoya than in

Uppsala (P<0.01), with the exception of

tetrachlorocarbon in outdoor air. In Nagoya, HCHO and NO2 concentrations were

significantly higher in modern concrete

houses than in wooden houses and higher in newer (less than 10 years) than in

older dwellings (P<0.01), possibly due to

less natural ventilation and more emission sources in modern buildings.

Dwellings heated with unvented combustion

sources had significantly higher indoor concentrations of NO2 than those with

clean heating (P<0.05). Moreover,

dwellings with moth repellents containing p- dichlorobenzene had significantly

higher indoor concentrations of

p-dichlorobenzene (P<0.01). In conclusion, there appear to be differences

between Nagoya and Uppsala with respect to

both indoor and outdoor pollution levels of the measured pollutants. More

indoor pollution sources could be identified

in Nagoya than in Uppsala, including construction and interior materials

emitting VOC, use of unvented combustion space

heaters, and moth repellents containing p-dichlorobenzene.

PMID: 14643289 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve & db=pubmed & dopt=Abstra\

ct & list_uids=15269897

1: Environ Toxicol. 2004 Aug;19(4):280-90.

Related Articles,Links

Were volatile organic compounds the inducing factors for subjective symptoms of

employees working in newly constructed

hospitals?

Takigawa T, Horike T, Ohashi Y, Kataoka H, Wang DH, Kira S.

Department of Public Health, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine and

Dentistry, 2-5-1 Shikata-cho, Okayama

700-8558, Japan. ttomoko@...

This study demonstrated possible relationships between environmental, personal,

and occupational factors and changes in

the subjective health symptoms of 214 employees after the relocation of a

hospital in a region of Japan. Eight indoor

volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were detected in at least one of the 19 rooms

investigated, and total VOC (TVOC)

concentrations in 8 rooms exceeded the advisable value (400 microg/m(3))

established by the Ministry of Health, Labour

and Welfare of Japan. Formaldehyde was detected in all the investigated rooms,

but none of the results exceeded the

guideline value (100 microg/m(3)). Multiple logistic regression analysis was

applied to select variables significantly

associated with the subjective symptoms that can be induced by sick building

syndrome. The results showed that

subjective symptoms of deterioration in the skin, eye, ear, throat, chest,

central nervous system, autonomic system,

musculoskeletal system, and digestive system among employees were associated

mainly with gender difference and high TVOC

concentrations (>1200 microg/m(3)). Long work hours (>50 h per week) in females

and smoking in males were to be blamed

for the deterioration of their symptoms. The present findings suggest that to

protect employees from indoor

environment-related adverse health effects, it is necessary to reduce the

concentration of indoor chemicals in new

buildings, to decrease work hours, and to forbid smoking. Copyright 2004 Wiley

Periodicals, Inc.

PMID: 15269897 [PubMed - in process]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve & db=pubmed & dopt=Abstra\

ct & list_uids=15171296

1: Anal Sci. 2004 May;20(5):865-70.

Related Articles,Links

Development of a headspace GC/MS analysis for carbonyl compounds (aldehydes and

ketones) in household products after

derivatization with o-(2,3,4,5,6- pentafluorobenzyl)hydroxylamine.

Sugaya N, Sakurai K, Nakagawa T, Onda N, Onodera S, Morita M, Tezuka M.

Yokohama City Institute of Health, 1-2-17 Takigashira, Isogo-ku, Yokohama

235-0012, Japan. sugayanaeko@...

Carbonyl compounds (aldehydes and ketones) are suspected to be among the

chemical compounds responsible for Sick

Building Syndrome and Multiple Chemical Sensitivities. A headspace gas

chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis

for these compounds was developed using derivatization of the compounds into

volatile derivatives with

o-(2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorobenzyl)hydroxylamine (PFBOA). For GC/MS detection, two

ionization modes including electron

impact ionization (EI) and negative chemical ionization (NCI) were compared.

The NCI mode seemed to be better because of

its higher selectivity and sensitivity. This headspace GC/MS (NCI mode) was

employed as analysis for aldehydes and

ketones in materials (fiber products, adhesives, and printed materials).

Formaldehyde was detected in the range of N.D.

(not detected) to 39 microg/g; acetaldehyde, N.D. to 4.1 microg/ g;

propionaldehyde, N.D. to 1.0 microg/g;

n-butyraldehyde, N.D. to 0.10 microg/g; and acetone, N.D. to 3.1 microg/g in

the samples analyzed.