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Occupational Rhinitis
Published in John C Watkinson, Raymond W Clarke, Louise Jayne Clark, Adam J Donne, R James A England, Hisham M Mehanna, Gerald William McGarry, Sean Carrie, Basic Sciences Endocrine Surgery Rhinology, 2018
Sick building syndrome (SBS) is described as the high prevalence of eye, nose and throat irritation, fatigue and headache among office workers temporally associated with time at work and characterized by an absence of abnormal physical findings and laboratory results.8 It is a diagnosis of exclusion as multiple causative agents have been implicated. More than 300 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were identified as indoor pollutants causing SBS. They originate from building materials, combustion fumes, cleaning compounds, paints and stains in addition to tobacco smoke. It has been suggested that workers in buildings with mechanical ventilation and air conditioning have a higher risk of SBS symptoms than workers in naturally ventilated buildings.26,27
Indoor Air Pollution
Published in William J. Rea, Kalpana D. Patel, Reversibility of Chronic Disease and Hypersensitivity, Volume 4, 2017
William J. Rea, Kalpana D. Patel
These studies reviewed the literature on IAQ, ventilation, and building-related health problems in schools and identified commonly reported building-related health symptoms involving schools until 1999.246 They collected existing data on ventilation rates, carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations and symptom-relevant indoor air contaminants, and evaluated information on causal relationships between pollutant exposures and health symptoms. Reported ventilation and CO2 data strongly indicate that ventilation is inadequate in many classrooms, possibly leading to health symptoms. Adequate ventilation should be a major focus of design or remediation efforts. Total VOCs, FA (HCHO), and microbiological contaminants are reported. Low HCHO concentrations were unlikely to cause acute irritant symptoms (<0.05 ppm), but possibly increased risks for allergen sensitivities, chronic irritation, and cancer. Reported microbiological contaminants included allergens in deposited dust, fungi, and bacteria. Levels of specific allergens were sufficient to cause symptoms in allergic occupants. Measurements of airborne bacteria and airborne and surface fungal spores were reported in schoolrooms. Asthma and “sick building syndrome” symptoms are commonly reported. The few studies investigating causal relationships between health symptoms and exposures to specific pollutants suggest that such symptoms in schools are related to exposures to VOCs, molds and microbial VOCs, and allergens.246
Well-Being and Resilience
Published in Len Wisneski, The Scientific Basis of Integrative Health, 2017
Choice of profession and the physical conditions under which one works play a large role in career satisfaction and general health and well-being. We work approximately one third of our waking hours, and may not leave the job behind after we return home (Conrad, 1988). At the same time, the workplace can be a dangerous place, both physically and emotionally, negatively impacting health and well-being among workers. The field of “occupational health” emerged and gained traction after World War I, and in 1970 the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) was passed to guarantee Americans a hazard-free workplace. According to the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, between 4700 and 6600 workers have been fatally injured each year since 1992, with an average annual fatality rate falling to 4640 between 2009 and 2014. Furthermore, the World Health Organization in 1983 identified the “sick building syndrome” affecting skin and mucous membranes, producing symptoms such as rhinitis, pruritus, headache, fatigue, and difficulty concentrating in those working in the building. In the United States alone, businesses use close to 65,000 chemicals and 700 new ones are introduced into the workplace per year contributing to chronic disease and reduced lifespan (Emmet, 1991).
Validation of the Brazilian version of the questionnaire for detection of sick building syndrome
Published in International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics, 2023
Joyce Soares e Silva, Márcia Astrês Fernandes
The inferential analysis was guided by Pearson’s χ2 test, and Fisher’s exact test when the assumptions of the first test were not met. The significance level was set at p ≤ 0.05 and the reliability interval at 95%. The inferential analysis parameter for the contrasted groups was the statement that Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) is present in ≥20% of the participants’ responses regarding the symptomatology arising from the work environment, divided into groups involving time working in the building and time working in the sector.
Air pollution and human health risks: mechanisms and clinical manifestations of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases
Published in Toxin Reviews, 2022
Habib Allah Shahriyari, Yousef Nikmanesh, Saeid Jalali, Noorollah Tahery, Akram Zhiani Fard, Nasser Hatamzadeh, Kourosh Zarea, Maria Cheraghi, Mohammad Javad Mohammadi
Indoor and outdoor air pollution is corresponding increase the annual burden of disease in the European Union (EU) (Asikainen et al.2016). Also, poor ventilate indoor and inhalation polluted outdoor air caused a loss of over 2 million healthy life years (Asikainen et al.2016). Based on results from different studies, ventilation was considered to be a significant impact or association with infections, asthma, allergy, sick-building syndrome (SBS) symptoms, and productivity of work (Wargocki et al.2002, Seppanen and Fisk 2004).
Gender differences in public office workers’ satisfaction, subjective symptoms and musculoskeletal complaints in workplace and office environments
Published in International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics, 2018
Sangbok Lee, Myoung Hwan Park, Byung Yong Jeong
As dense work spaces and high-rise buildings have become more common, office managers are paying higher attention to the indoor environmental quality (IEQ) of offices related to sick building syndrome (SBS). The symptoms of SBS are diverse, such as irritation of the eyes, nose and throat, skin rash, headache and even mental fatigue resulting in decreased work efficiency and declined memory [5–7].