Læknablaðið - 15.03.1991, Blaðsíða 10
96
LÆKNABLAÐIÐ
húsum með rakagjöf ekki í meira mæli en í
húsinu þar sem ekki var nein rakagjöf.
í danskri rannsókn þótti sýnt að húsasótt
mætti fremur rekja til loftslags innanhúss
en eðli starfa, notkunar tölva, óánægju með
stjómendur eða samstarfsmenn og skorts á
vinnugleði (24).
Álykta má af niðurstöðum þessarar rannsóknar
að fólki líði best í húsum sem loftræst
eru með opnanlegum gluggum, eru án
vélrænnar endumýtingar loftsins og ekki með
rakagjöfum. Húsasótt virðist vera til hér á
landi en ekkert er sagt um algengi hennar.
SUMMARY
A cross sectional study investigating »sick
building syndrome« was carried out in eight
buildings, ten workplaces, with a questionnaire.
The questionnaire was administrated by mail or at
the workplace. The investigations were either done
at request because of complaints or by the initiative
of the researchers.
In houses which were ventilated solely through
the windows, where there was no mechanical
ventilation or humidifiers the workers had the
lowest prevalence of symptoms. In houses with
mechanical ventilation, which, all but one, were
also humidified, there was higher prevalence of
symptoms compared with the naturally ventilated
houses, regardless of the reason for studying the
house. The serum titer for precipitating antibodies
against antigens from humidifiers was not higher
among workers in houses with humidifiers than in
workers from a control house indicating that the
symptoms were neither prevented or caused by the
exposure to humidifiers.
It is concluded that the most »healthy« houses are
those ventilated through the windows, without
recirculation of air and without humidifiers. Sick
building syndrome appears to exist in Iceland, but
the present study does not deal with its prevalence.
HEIMILDIR
1. State of the art reviews. Occupational Medicine.
Problem buildings: Building-associated illness and
the sick building syndrome. Cone JE, Hodgson MJ,
eds. Philadelphia: 1989.
2. World Health Organization (WHO). Indoor air
pollutants: exposure and health effects. EURO reports
and studies no 78. Copenhagen: WHO Regional
Office for Europe, 1983.
3. Finnegan MJ, Pickering CAC, Burge PS. The sick
building syndrome: prevalence studies. Br Med J
1984; 289: 1573-5.
4. Rindel A, Bach E, Breum NO, et al.
Mineraluldslofter i bömehaver: Den
sundhedsmæssige betydning af at anvende
mineraluldslofter i institutions byggeri. Köbenhavn:
Arbejsmiljöfondet, 1985.
5. Robertson AS, Burge PS, Hedge A, et al.
Comparison of health problems related to work and
environmental measurements in two office buildings
with different ventilation systems. Br Med J 1985;
291: 373-6.
6. Turiel I, Hollowell CD, Miksch RR, et al. The effects
of reduced ventilation on indoor air quality in an
office building. Atmos Environ 1983; 17: 51-64.
7. Valbjöm O, Kousgaard N. Hovedpine og
slimhindegener hjemme og pá arbejde. Statens
byggeforskningsinstitut, SBI-Rapport 175. Hörsholm,
1986.
8. Burge S, Hedge A, Wilson S, et al. Sick building
syndrome: A study of 4373 office workers. Ann
Occup Hyg 1987; 31: 493-504.
9. Colligan MJ. The psychological effects of indoor air
pollution. Bull NY Acad Med 1981; 57: 1014-26.
10. Kreiss K, Hodgson MJ. Building-associated
epidemics. In: Walsh PJ, Dudney CS, Copenhaver
ED, eds. Indoor Air Quality. Boca Raton, CRC Press,
1984: 87-108.
11. Gíslason D, Rafnsson V. Rakatækjasótt á íslenskum
vinnustað. Læknablaðið, 1984; 70: 176-8.
12. Pickering CAC. Humidifier fever. Europ J Respir Dis
1982: Suppl/123. 63: 104-7.
13. Finnegan MJ, Pickering CAC. Building related
illness. Clin Allergy 1986; 16: 389-405.
14. Solomon WR. Fungus aerosols arising from cold-mist
vaporizers. J Allergy Clin Immunol 1974; 54: 222-8.
15. Burge PS, Finnegan M, Horsfield N, et al.
Occupational asthma in a factory with a contaminated
humidifier. Thorax 1985; 40: 248-54.
16. Broome CV, Fraser DW. Epidemiologic aspects of
legionellosis. Epidemiol Rev 1979; 1: 1-16.
17. Friedman S, Spitalny K, Barbaree J, et al. Pontiac
fever outbreak associated with a cooling tower. Am J
Public Health 1987; 77: 568-72.
18. World Health Organization (WHO). Air quality
guidelines for Europe. Copenhagen: WHO Regional
Publications, European Series No 23, 1987.
19. Mölhave L. Human reactions to indoor air pollution:
n-decane. I: Seifert B, Esdom H, Fischer M, et
al, eds. Indoor Air ’87. Proceedings of the 4th
Intemational Conference on Indoor Air Quality and
Climate. Berlin: Institute for Water, Soil and Air
Hygiene, 1987: 97-101.
20. Mölhave L, Bach B, Pedersen OF. Human reactions
to low concentrations of volatile organic compounds.
Environ Int 1986; 12: 167-75.
21. Andersen P, Pedersen OF, Bach B, Bonde GJ. Semm
antibodies and immunoglobulins in smokers and
nonsmokers. Clin Exp Immunol 1982; 47: 467-73.
22. Schwartz B, Gravesen S, Petersen BN, Weeke ER.
Laboratorieundersögelser for allergener i boligen.
Ugeskr Læger 1979; 141: 882-6.
23. Hedge A. Evidence of a relationship between office
design and self-reports of ill health among office
workers in the United Kingdom. J Arch Plan Res
1984; 1: 163-74.
24. Skov P, Valbjöm O, Pedersen BV, The Danish
Indoor Climate Study Group. Influence of personal
characteristics, job-related factors and psychosocial
factors on the sick building syndrome. Scand J Work
Environ Health 1989; 15: 286-95.
25. Skov P, Valbjöm O, The Danish Indoor Climate
Study Group. The »sick« building syndrome in the
office environment: indoor climate and prevalence