Sick Building Syndrome: Psychological, Somatic, and Environmental Determinants

Abstract

The authors aimed to examine potential relationships between work-related symptoms attributed to sick building syndrome (SBS) and certain psychological, somatic, and environmental factors. The multidisciplinary, cross-sectional study comprised 171 female subjects working in air-conditioned and naturally ventilated nonindustrial office buildings. The authors collected information concerning symptoms related to SBS and made assessments of quality of life by using appropriate questionnaires. They assessed the women's levels of emotional stability or neuroticism using the Cornell Index. They determined skin and airway reactivity markers and indoor microclimate data by using standardized methods. The study showed that the subjects had a high prevalence of fatigue (60.2%), sore and dry eyes (57.9%), and headache (44.4%), as well as a generally high score according to the SBS Index. Neuroticism and subjectively estimated physical health as well as the type of building ventilation significantly contributed to the prediction of the SBS Index, explaining 15% of the variance.

Risk Factors for the Onset of Nonspecific Low Back Pain in Office Workers: A Systematic Review of Prospective Cohort Studies

“…Office work also unavoidably causes mental stress, which may play an intermediate role in causing LBP. 15 Studies have identified several individual factors associated with LBP in office workers, including older age, female sex, high body mass index, smoking, and previous symptoms. 3,16,17 Regarding work-related risk factors, more senior position, sitting for long hours, poor workstation ergonomics, and awkward working postures have been linked to increased risk of LBP.…”

Sick Building Syndrome and Its Associating Factors at a Hospital in Kashan, Iran

“…The most common symptom is various in different studies; in some studies, the most common symptoms were headache, fatigue, and dry skin (4). While, in some other studies, weakness and fatigue are considered as the most common symptoms (5). According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the most common symptom of SBS is intellectual fatigue, but respiratory symptoms generally have the more frequency (6).…”

The relationship between upper extremity musculoskeletal symptoms attributed to work and risk factors in office workers

“…It is also postulated that office workers who reported unacceptable indoor air quality may be exposed to sick building syndrome (Jaakkola and Miettinen 1995). Another plausible explanation of the findings is that a low satisfaction with the work environment condition may increase mental stress which plays an intermediate role in causing symptoms (Gomzi et al 2007). …”