Another We don't know, they must be crazy article

[Guest guest]

If you notice, this gentleman's email is listed.

This another " We don't know, must be stress " article.

Bioaerosols and sick building syndrome: particles, inflammation, and allergy.

Laumbach RJ, Kipen HM.

Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, UMDNJ- Wood

Medical School, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, USA.

laumbach@...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Sick building syndrome is a poorly understood condition

that can be vexing to clinicians and public health investigators alike.

Concerns about possible causes have recently shifted to bioaerosols, especially

indoor mold contamination. Recently, controversy over the health effects of

indoor bioaerosols has intensified in the media and in medical forums.

Allergists

and other clinicians are increasingly being asked to evaluate cases of sick

building syndrome attributed to bioaerosol exposure. Although allergy may

play a role, it is unlikely to fully explain the nonspecific symptoms of the

condition. This review of recent literature will attempt to put into context

the

roles of allergy and nonallergic mechanisms in sick building syndrome.

RECENT FINDINGS: Epidemiological and toxicological studies have provided

further

evidence of a possible link between bioaerosol exposure and sick building

syndrome, but continue to have methodological limitations. Cross-sectional

studies of building occupants have found associations between bioaerosols and

symptoms of the condition, but case definitions and exposure assessment remain

problematic. Attempts to develop better exposure assessment and biomonitoring

methods have made limited progress. Toxicological studies of inhalation of

bioaerosols continue to indicate potential toxicity, but at doses that are not

comparable to human exposures indoors. SUMMARY: Epidemiological studies suggest

an association between bioaerosols and sick building syndrome, and

toxicological studies have provided some evidence supporting biological

plausibility.

However, the extent to which bioaerosol exposure may explain the nonspecific

symptoms of the condition is unclear. Nonspecific inflammatory responses to

bioaerosols, modified by psychosocial factors such as stress, may be a

promising area for continued research.

PMID: 15764903 [PubMed - in process]