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Exposure to formaldehyde, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, and terpenes among office workers and associations with reported symptoms

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Abstract

Purpose

To compare exposure to formaldehyde, nitrogen dioxide, ozone and terpenes among office workers with and without sick building syndrome and the odds ratio for exposure. Are there significant differences?

Methods

In this cross-sectional study of office workers, we investigated the associations between exposure to formaldehyde, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, α-pinene, and d-limonene using a case–control analysis. Data on perceived general, mucosal, and skin symptoms were obtained by questionnaires. Personal exposure measurements of the compounds were performed among cases and controls, and the odds ratios for exposures to the substances, both singly and in combination, were investigated.

Results

Exposures varied for formaldehyde between 0.23 and 45 µg/m3, nitrogen dioxide between 0.26 and 110 µg/m3, ozone between <16 and 165 µg/m3, α-pinene between 0.2 and 170 µg/m3, and d-limonene between 0.8 and 1,400 µg/m3. No consistent differences in exposure odds ratios were found between cases and controls or for individual symptoms.

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Acknowledgments

The financial support of the Centre for Environmental Research in Umeå (CMF) and the Swedish Research Council Formas, and European Regional Development Fund—Botnia-Atlantica, is gratefully acknowledged.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical standard

The study was approved by the Ethical Committee of Umeå University, dnr 00-101, and the Ethical Committee at Vasa Sjukvårdsdistrikt, 86/2005. All participants gave their informed consent before included in the study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Dermatology, Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umea University, 901 85, Umeå, Sweden

    Bo Glas & Berndt Stenberg

  2. Division of Epidemiology, Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umea University, 901 85, Umeå, Sweden

    Berndt Stenberg & Hans Stenlund

  3. County council of Västerbotten, 901 89, Umeå, Sweden

    Anna-Lena Sunesson

Authors
  1. Bo Glas
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  2. Berndt Stenberg
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  3. Hans Stenlund
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  4. Anna-Lena Sunesson
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bo Glas.

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Glas, B., Stenberg, B., Stenlund, H. et al. Exposure to formaldehyde, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, and terpenes among office workers and associations with reported symptoms. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 88, 613–622 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-014-0985-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-014-0985-y

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