Is indoor environment a risk factor of building-related symptoms?

Kayo Tsumura; Hiroko Nakaoka; Norimichi Suzuki; Kohki Takaguchi; Yoshitake Nakayama; Keiichi Shimatani; Chisato Mori

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0279757

Is indoor environment a risk factor of building-related symptoms?

PLoS One. 2023 Jan 25;18(1):e0279757. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0279757. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Kayo Tsumura^{1

2}, Hiroko Nakaoka^{2

3}, Norimichi Suzuki², Kohki Takaguchi², Yoshitake Nakayama², Keiichi Shimatani², Chisato Mori^{2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Graduate School of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.
² Center for Preventive Medical Sciences, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.
³ Department of Bioenvironmental Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.

Abstract

The indoor environment, particularly indoor air quality (IAQ), is significantly associated with building-related symptoms (BRSs) in humans. In our previous studies, we demonstrated a significant relationship between BRSs and indoor chemical concentrations. In Japan, the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare (MHLW) guideline recommends an air quality target of 13 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and a provisional target of 400 μg/m3 for total VOCs (TVOC). The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between TVOC levels and the risk of BRSs using the Japanese provisional target TVOC level of 400 μg/m3. The relationship between odor intensity and BRSs while the TVOC levels were under 400 μg/m3 was also examined. The study was conducted in a laboratory house (LH) on the campus of Chiba University from 2017-2019. The study included 149 participants who spent 60 minutes in the LH. The participants were asked to evaluate the IAQ of the LH. A significant relationship between the risk of BRSs and the provisional target TVOC level was observed (odds ratio: 2.94, 95% confidence interval: 1.18-7.35). Furthermore, a significant relationship between odor intensity and risk of BRSs in spaces with TVOC levels less than 400 μg/m3 was detected (odds ratio: 6.06, 95% confidence interval: 1.21-30.44). In conclusion, the risk of BRSs is significantly lower in spaces with low TVOC levels and low odor intensity. Reducing the concentration of airborne chemicals and odor intensity may improve IAQ and prevent BRSs.

Copyright: © 2023 Tsumura et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Air Pollutants* / analysis
Air Pollution, Indoor* / adverse effects
Air Pollution, Indoor* / analysis
Environmental Monitoring
Humans
Risk Factors
Universities
Volatile Organic Compounds* / adverse effects
Volatile Organic Compounds* / analysis

Substances

Volatile Organic Compounds
Air Pollutants

Grants and funding

The study was supported by a grant from the Sekisui House Ltd. and Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C) Grant Number (19K12455, 18K13885). This work was supported by JST OPERA Program, Japan (Grant Number JPMJOP1831). The sponsor had no control over the interpretation, writing, or publication of this work. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.