Textile wall materials and sick building syndrome

We studied the relation between the amount of textile and other soft fiber wall materials used in the office and the symptoms related to sick building syndrome in two identical, mechanically ventilated, eight-story office buildings. The study population consisted of 400 workers (85% of the source population): 264 males (66%) and 136 females (34%). A self-administered questionnaire inquired about the occurrence of symptoms and related personal and environmental determinants. The office environment was assessed concurrently. Exposure was defined as the surface area of textile or other soft wall material (SWM) in the office. The outcomes were formed using the 7-d prevalences of individual symptoms, including mucosal irritation score (eye irritation, nasal dryness, nasal congestion, pharyngeal irritation); allergic reaction score (eye irritation, nasal congestion, nasal excretion, sneezing); asthma reaction score (wheezing, breathlessness, cough); skin reaction score (dryness, itch, or irritation, rash); and general symptom score (headache, lethargy). In the logistic regression controlling for potential confounders, the adjusted odds ratio for the symptoms of mucosal irritation was 1.82 (95% confidence interval [95% CI] = 1.14, 2.90) in the low-exposure group, compared with the unexposed reference group; and 2.46 (95% CI = 1.15, 5.28) in the high-exposure group, compared with the reference group. Corresponding odds ratios for the symptoms of allergic reaction were 1.82 (95% CI = 1.14, 2.90) and 3.16 (95% CI = 1.41, 7.09). No difference was found in the risk for asthmatic or skin reactions or general symptoms. The results support a hypothesis that textile and other soft-fiber wall materials used in the office environment are possible determinants of sick building syndrome.