Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Search research articles

Related Experiment Videos

Diagnosing the tight building syndrome.

¹Northeast Center for Environmental Medicine, Syracuse, NY 13219.

Environmental Health Perspectives

|December 1, 1987

Summary

Formaldehyde exposure can cause environmentally induced illness (EI) with diverse symptoms. A simple intradermal injection can provoke and relieve these symptoms, helping identify formaldehyde as a trigger.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Granular hydrogels as brittle yield stress fluids.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2025

Same author

Foliar-Applied Small Molecule that Suppresses Biofilm Formation and Enhances Control of Copper-Resistant Xanthomonas euvesicatoria on Pepper.

Plant disease·2019

Same author

Rotational diffusion of spherical colloids close to a wall.

Physical review letters·2012

Same author

The microbiological and technological properties of bruised beef.

Meat science·2011

Same author

The effect of bruised beef addition on the quality of processed meat products.

Meat science·2011

Same author

Characterization of cationic vector-based gene delivery vehicles using isothermal titration and differential scanning calorimetry.

Methods in molecular medicine·2011

Area of Science:

Environmental Medicine
Toxicology

Background:

Environmentally induced illness (EI), also known as tight building syndrome, presents with a wide range of non-specific symptoms.
Formaldehyde is one of several chemicals implicated in EI, but definitive diagnosis can be challenging due to symptom variability.

Observation:

Patients with suspected EI exhibit symptoms such as headache, dizziness, nausea, weakness, and cognitive difficulties.
The non-specific nature of these symptoms often baffles medical professionals across various specialties.

Findings:

A straightforward office procedure involves intradermal injection of formaldehyde to demonstrate its role in triggering EI symptoms.
This diagnostic method can provoke the characteristic symptoms within minutes of administration.

Implications:

The formaldehyde provocation test offers a tangible way to link patient symptoms to chemical exposure.
Confirming formaldehyde as an etiologic agent empowers patients to implement control measures and manage their condition effectively.

Related Experiment Videos