Allostatic Load Model Associated with Indoor Environmental Quality and Sick Building Syndrome among Office Workers

Abstract

This study investigates whether indoor environmental quality (IEQ) influences allostatic load (AL) and whether AL can be a predictor for sick building syndrome (SBS). We also assessed and compared the associations between AL and SBS versus 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) and SBS. A total of 115 office workers from 21 offices completed self-reported SBS questionnaires, and provided 11 biomarkers for their AL. Multiple linear regressions and logistic regression analysis were applied to examine the correlations between IEQ and AL or 8-OHdG and between AL or 8-OHdG and SBS, respectively. Our data revealed that the neuroendocrine system was correlated with CO2, the difference between indoor and outdoor CO2 levels (dCO2), and the indoor-outdoor ratio of CO2 (CO2 I/O). Metabolic system effects were associated with illumination. The relationships between illumination, CO2, dCO2, CO2 I/O and 8-OHdG were consistent with those and AL in specific systems. Furthermore, we found that risks for SBS syndromes were related with neuroendocrine and metabolic system of the AL. 8-OHdG was associated with eye dryness or irritation, eye tiredness and vomiting. We conclude that IEQ significantly influences AL and that AL can be a predictor for reporting SBS with information on system-specific effects.

Indoor Air Quality in the Metro System in North Taiwan

“…The EPA requires that the indoor air quality (IAQ) of rapid transit systems to comply with the stipulated standards for CO, CO 2 , and HCHO [5]. Previous studies have associated poor indoor air quality with building-related symptoms and oxidative stress [6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14]. The accumulation of indoor CO 2 , HCHO, TVOCs, O 3 , PM 10 , bacteria and fungal contamination significantly increases the risks of sick building syndrome (SBS) [6,7,8,9,10,11], and high urinary 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) levels [12,13,14].…”

“…Previous studies have associated poor indoor air quality with building-related symptoms and oxidative stress [6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14]. The accumulation of indoor CO 2 , HCHO, TVOCs, O 3 , PM 10 , bacteria and fungal contamination significantly increases the risks of sick building syndrome (SBS) [6,7,8,9,10,11], and high urinary 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) levels [12,13,14]. Urinary 8-OHdG is considered as a biomarker for oxidative stress and has been significantly associated with building-related complaints in office workers [14,15], the exposure to polyaromatic hydrocarbons in traffic conductors and Chinese military cooks [16,17] as well as the exposure of PM 10 and PM 2.5 in bus drivers [18].…”

“…The accumulation of indoor CO 2 , HCHO, TVOCs, O 3 , PM 10 , bacteria and fungal contamination significantly increases the risks of sick building syndrome (SBS) [6,7,8,9,10,11], and high urinary 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) levels [12,13,14]. Urinary 8-OHdG is considered as a biomarker for oxidative stress and has been significantly associated with building-related complaints in office workers [14,15], the exposure to polyaromatic hydrocarbons in traffic conductors and Chinese military cooks [16,17] as well as the exposure of PM 10 and PM 2.5 in bus drivers [18]. In addition, HCHO may cause nasal and eye irritation, neurological effects, and increased risk of asthma or allergies, and is genotoxic, causing DNA adduct formation and clastogenic effects [19].…”

A Review of Studies Related to Sick Building Syndrome Among Office Personnel

“…Fourteen articles were reported as cross-sectional studies (Abdel-Hamid, Hakim, Elokda, & Mostafa, 2013;Azuma, Ikeda, Kagi, Yanagi, & Osawa, 2015;Brasche et al, 2004;Glas, Levin, Stenberg, Stenlund, & Sunesson, 2004;Jaakkola, Yang, Ieromnimon, & Jaakkola, 2007;Jung, Liang, Lee, Hsu, & Su, 2014;Kubo et al, 2006;Lim et al, 2015;Lu, Lin, Chen, & Chen, 2015a;Lu et al, 2007;Mendell, Lei-Gomez, Mirer, Seppänen, & Brunner, 2008;Reijula & Sundman-Digert, 2004;Skyberg et al, 2003), three were longitudinal studies (Azuma, Ikeda, Kagi, Yanagi, & Osawa, 2017;Mizoue, Andersson, Reijula, & Fedeli, 2004;Tsai et al, 2012), two were case-control studies (Glas, Stenberg, Stenlund, & Sunesson, 2008, one was a cohort study (Neuner & Seidel, 2006), one was a case report (Nakazawa et al, 2005), one was a systematic review together with epidemiological modelling (Fisk, Mirer, & Mendell, 2009), and one was a cost-benefit study (Fisk, Black, & Brunner, 2011).…”

“…All studies were conducted among office personnel from different parts of the world, including Asian countries, Nordic countries, a European country, a Middle-Eastern country, and the United States (Table 1). Five articles studied office personnel in Japan (Azuma et al, 2015(Azuma et al, , 2017Kubo et al, 2006;Mizoue et al, 2004;Nakazawa et al, 2005), four in Taiwan (Jung et al, 2014;Lu et al, 2015aLu et al, , 2007Tsai et al, 2012), four in the United States (Fisk et al, 2011(Fisk et al, , 2009Mendell et al, 2008;, two articles each in Sweden (Glas et al, 2004(Glas et al, , 2008, Finland (Jaakkola et al, 2007;Reijula & Sundman-Digert, 2004), and Germany (Brasche et al, 2004;Neuner & Seidel, 2006), and one each in Norway (Skyberg et al, 2003), Egypt (Abdel-Hamid et al, 2013), and Malaysia (Lim et al, 2015). Another article studied office personnel in northern Sweden and northern Finland in the same setting (Glas et al, 2015).…”