Prevalence and risk factors of pre-sick building syndrome: characteristics of indoor environmental and individual factors

Abstract

Background: With the aim to prevent sick building syndrome and worsening of allergic symptoms, primarily resulting from the indoor environment, the relationships among people's residential environment in recent years, their lifestyle habits, their awareness, and their symptoms were investigated using an online survey. Methods: In the survey, respondents experiencing symptoms specific to sick building syndrome, although they were not diagnosed with sick building syndrome, were categorized in the pre-sick building syndrome group. The relationships among individual characteristics, residential environment, and individual awareness were analyzed. Results: Results showed that the prevalence of pre-sick building syndrome was high among young (aged 20-29 years) population of both sexes. In addition, "condensation," "moisture," "musty odors" in the house, and the "use of deodorant and fragrance" were all significantly associated with pre-sick building syndrome. Conversely, there was no significant association with recently built "wooden" houses that are highly airtight and have thermal insulation. Conclusions: Efficient "ventilation" plans and "ventilation" improvement and air conditioning systems to prevent mold and condensation in rooms are necessary to maintain a good, indoor environment that is beneficial for health. Efforts should also be made to encourage individuals to regularly clean and effectively ventilate their homes.

Lifestyle behaviors and home and school environment in association with sick building syndrome among elementary school children: a cross-sectional study

“…More than 50% of the respondent’s homes in this study were positive for one or more dampness indicators. Notably, we found a significant association between dampness index (0–4) values and SBS symptoms, which also supports previous studies [ 1 , 10 , 17 , 26 , 27 ]. Specifically, our stepwise analysis in Table 5 confirmed a persistent and significant association between dampness index (0–4) and all SBS symptoms, thus indicating that dampness is the most common independent indoor variable for SBS.…”

“…This indicates that SBS may be experienced in children independent of allergic symptoms. This could be attributed to factors other than allergic diseases, such as indoor environmental pollutants (e.g., dampness, chemicals, and/or microbial factors), which may increase SBS in non-allergic children [1,8,10,11,27]. Further, our stepwise analysis revealed that the presence of any allergies (an independent variable) was associated with mucosal and skin symptoms (Table 5), which also supported previous studies [13,26].…”

“…Multifamily homes, lack of ventilation, and wall-to-wall carpet were important significant home building characteristics in association with general and mucosal SBS. Studies have reported the relationship of no ventilation and wall-to-wall carpeting of home, school, or in office buildings with SBS in children or adults [ 27 , 30 , 31 ]. This could reflect the abovementioned common variables in different building types such as home, school, or office are related to SBS.…”

Assessment of Personal Relaxation in Indoor-Air Environments: Study in Real Full-Scale Laboratory Houses

“…For example, reducing the concentration of sum of volatile organic compounds (ΣVOCs) in living environments and the odor of specific chemicals can reduce the occurrence of building related symptoms (BRSs) [3,4]. In epidemiological studies, lifestyle changes such as frequent ventilation and cleaning were shown to reduce the occurrence of BRSs, asthma, and other allergic symptoms [5][6][7][8][9]. Very recently, improving the indoor-air environment through ventilation has proven effective against COVID19 infection [10,11].…”

Influence of Superabsorbent Polymers on Moisture Control in Building Interiors

“…People spend more than 80% of their time indoors thus securing optimal conditions is crucial to avoid any unfavorable consequences [14]. According to current data, the Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) is connected with a substantial share of modern buildings, public in particular [15]. The syndrome associates several health problems of people who work or live in these areas, such as respiratory illnesses, wheezing, skin or eye irritation and concentration disorders [16,17].…”