Lowering TVOC is necessary to prevent sick building syndrome

Abstract

Background: Sick-building syndrome (SBS) is a range of symptoms such as eye irritation, sore throat, and headaches that occur when entering a newly constructed or remodelled building. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are suspected to be one of the major causes of SBS. Therefore, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan set the indoor air guideline values about 13 VOCs to prevent SBS. However, the number of the SBS patients has not decreased although the concentration levels of the 13 VOCs have become extremely low in recent years. Aims: The aim of this study is to examine the kind of VOCs and the concentration level of the total VOCs (TVOCs) in the current houses and buildings. Methods: Chemiless Town is a model town constructed under the concept of “Environmental Preventive Medicine” in the campus of Chiba University, Japan. In Chemiless Town, in which houses and buildings are constructed with as fewer chemicals as possible, eight Laboratory Houses (LHs) were set up for the purpose of researching the VOCs from building and interior materials. To find the causing chemicals of SBS, 81 VOCs in indoor air of the 29 rooms of the LHs were analyzed and calculated from April 2007 to December 2012.Results: The concentration levels of each VOC were extremely variable depending on the materials of the houses and the seasons. When TVOC concentration value was higher than 1,000?g/m3 or below 100?g/m3, 75% of the TVOCs was the 10 highest concentration levels of VOCs. Also, when TVOC concentration value was higher than 1,000?g/m3, 75% of the TVOCs was occupied by unregulated VOCs.Conclusion: It is important to lower the TVOCs to prevent SBS; however, it is difficult if only 13 regulated VOCs are analyzed. To lower the TVOCs, unregulated VOCs also should be analyzed and lowered.