Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 2, 2026
08:47
Symptom Assessment of Patients with Allergic Rhinitis Using an Allergen Exposure Chamber
Published on: March 3, 2023
Evaluating building-related symptoms using the US EPA BASE study results.
H S Brightman1, D K Milton, D Wypij
1Environmental Health & Engineering, Inc., Newton, MA 02494, USA. hbrightman@eheinc.com
Indoor Air
|August 23, 2008
Summary
Most office workers report building-related symptoms, with 45% experiencing at least one. This study emphasizes that building health exists on a continuum, not a simple healthy versus unhealthy dichotomy.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Occupational Health
- Building Science
Background:
- The United States Environmental Protection Agency's Building Assessment Survey Evaluation (BASE) study collected baseline data on 100 U.S. office buildings in the 1990s.
- Previous research, like the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) study, focused on 'complaint' buildings, potentially skewing perceptions of building health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze self-reported work-related symptoms and workplace characteristics from the BASE study.
- To compare BASE study findings with NIOSH data to understand symptom prevalence and grouping in office buildings.
- To establish normative data for U.S. office buildings regarding occupant-reported symptoms.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of self-reported work-related symptoms and job/workplace characteristics from 4326 respondents in the BASE study.
- Factor analysis to identify distinct symptom groups: 'tiredness', 'mucosal irritation', 'neuropsychological', and 'lower respiratory'.
- Comparison of symptom prevalence and distributions between the BASE sample and NIOSH study data.
Main Results:
- Four distinct symptom groups were identified, consistent across both the BASE and NIOSH studies.
- While symptom prevalence was higher in the NIOSH 'complaint' building study, there was overlap in symptom distributions with the BASE sample.
- In the BASE survey, 45% of workers reported at least one work-related symptom, and 20% reported at least three.
Conclusions:
- Most office buildings have occupants reporting building-related symptoms, indicating a continuum of building health rather than a binary classification.
- The identified symptom groups and normative BASE data provide practical tools for investigators to identify Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) problems.
- It is more productive to view building-related health issues as a spectrum rather than categorizing buildings as strictly 'healthy' or 'unhealthy'.
