Some Quantitative Relations between Indoor Environmental Quality and Work Performance or Health

Poor indoor environmental quality (IEQ) has been related to increases in sick building syndrome (SBS) symptoms, respiratory illnesses, sick leave, and loss in productivity. Calculations indicate that the cost of poor IEQ can be higher than energy costs FOR space conditioning and ventilation and that many measures taken to improve indoor IEQ will be highly cost-effective when accounting for the monetary savings resulting from improved health or productivity. To enable building professionals to select of building designs and operating practices that account for effects on health and productivity, we need models for quantifying the health and productivity benefits of better indoor environments. Therefore, we have reviewed the literature on the effects of indoor environment on health and performance and used existing data, when possible, to develop some initial models. Based on the best available evidence, we present quantitative relationships between ventilation rates and short-term sick leave, ventilation rates and work performance, perceived air quality and performance, temperature and performance, and temperature and SBS symptoms. We also show that a relationship exists between SBS symptoms and work performance.

[1]  Olli Seppänen,et al.  Effect of temperature on task performance in office environment - eScholarship , 2006 .

[2]  W. Fisk.  HEALTH AND PRODUCTIVITY GAINS FROM BETTER INDOOR ENVIRONMENTS AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH BUILDING ENERGY EFFICIENCY , 2000 .

[3]  David Faulkner,et al.  Indoor Particles and Symptoms Among Office Workers: Results from a Double-Blind Cross-Over Study , 2002, Epidemiology.

[4]  O Seppänen,et al.  Ventilation and health in non-industrial indoor environments: report from a European multidisciplinary scientific consensus meeting (EUROVEN). , 2002, Indoor air.

[5]  INDOOR CARBON DIOXIDE CONCENTRATIONS , VOCS , ENVIRONMENTAL SENSITIVITY ASSOCIATION WITH MUCOUS MEMBRANE AND LOWER RESPIRATORY SICK BUILDING SYNDROME SYMPTOMS IN THE BASE STUDY : ANALYSES OF THE 100 BUILDING DATASET , 2002 .

[6]  K. Heslop.  245. Personal and Environmental Characteristics, Occupational Factors, and Psychosocial Correlates of Sick Building Syndrome in a Biased and Unbiased Population of Office Employees Occupying two Buildings in South Africa , 2003 .

[7]  Povl Ole Fanger,et al.  Pollution source control and ventilation improve health, comfort and productivity , 2000 .

[8]  Mark J. Mendell,et al.  Non‐Specific Symptoms In Office Workers: A Review And Summary Of The Epidemiologic Literature , 1993 .

[9]  Povl Ole Fanger,et al.  COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS OF IMPROVED AIR QUALITY IN AN OFFICE BUILDING , 2002 .

[10]  William J. Fisk,et al.  A conceptual model to estimate cost effectiveness of the indoor environment improvements , 2003 .

[11]  J. Samet,et al.  ESTIMATES OF POTENTIAL NATIONWIDE PRODUCTIVITY AND HEALTH BENEFITS FROM BETTER INDOOR ENVIRONMENTS: AN UPDATE , 2004 .

[12]  William J. Fisk,et al.  Economizer system cost effectiveness: Accounting for the influence of ventilation rate on sick leave , 2003 .

[13]  Povl Ole Fanger,et al.  Human Perception, SBS Sympsoms and Performance of Office Work during Exposure to Air Polluted by Building Materials and Personal Computers , 2004 .

[14]  William J. Fisk,et al.  Cost benefit analysis of the night-time ventilative cooling in office building , 2003 .

[15]  J. D. Spengler,et al.  ESTIMATES OF POTENTIAL NATIONWIDE PRODUCTIVITY AND HEALTH BENEFITS FROM BETTER INDOOR ENVIRONMENTS: AN UPDATE , 1999 .

[16]  K. Reijula,et al.  Prevalence of building-related symptoms as an indicator of health and productivity. , 2006, American journal of industrial medicine.

[17]  Steve Selvin,et al.  Development of New Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) Exposure Metrics and their Relationship to “Sick Building Syndrome” Symptoms , 1998 .

[18]  K. Kreiss,et al.  Building-related respiratory symptoms can be predicted with semi-quantitative indices of exposure to dampness and mold. , 2004, Indoor air.

[19]  D K Milton,et al.  Risk of sick leave associated with outdoor air supply rate, humidification, and occupant complaints. , 2000, Indoor air.

[20]  P. Fanger.  Introduction of the olf and the decipol units to quantify air pollution perceived by humans indoors and outdoors , 1988 .

[21]  David W. Smith,et al.  Building-associated risk of febrile acute respiratory diseases in Army trainees. , 1988, JAMA.

[22]  O Seppänen,et al.  Association of ventilation system type with SBS symptoms in office workers. , 2002, Indoor air.

[23]  D. Menzies,et al.  Effect of a new ventilation system on health and well-being of office workers. , 1997, Archives of environmental health.

[24]  P Wargocki,et al.  Perceived air quality, sick building syndrome (SBS) symptoms and productivity in an office with two different pollution loads. , 1999, Indoor air.

[25]  Tadj Oreszczyn,et al.  The Effects on Health and Self-estimated Productivity of Two Experimental Interventions which reduced Airbourne Dust Levels in Office Premises , 2000 .

[26]  Pawel Wargocki,et al.  The performance and subjective responses of call-center operators with new and used supply air filters at two outdoor air supply rates. , 2004, Indoor air.

[27]  A. Myhrvold,et al.  Pupils health and performance due to renovation of schools , 1997 .

[28]  Povl Ole Fanger,et al.  European Indoor Air Quality Audit Project in 56 Office Buildings , 1996 .

[29]  Olli Seppänen,et al.  Indoor air quality requirements for healthy office buildings: Recommendations based on an epidemiologic study , 1991 .

[30]  P. Fanger,et al.  The effects of outdoor air supply rate in an office on perceived air quality, sick building syndrome (SBS) symptoms and productivity. , 2000, Indoor air.

[31]  J. Jaakkola,et al.  Effects of Temperature and Humidification in the Office Environment , 2001, Archives of environmental health.

[32]  W. Fisk,et al.  Association of ventilation rates and CO2 concentrations with health and other responses in commercial and institutional buildings. , 1999, Indoor air.

[33]  R Menzies,et al.  The effect of varying levels of outdoor-air supply on the symptoms of sick building syndrome. , 1993, The New England journal of medicine.

[34]  P O Fanger,et al.  Impact of indoor air temperature and humidity in an office on perceived air quality, SBS symptoms and performance. , 2004, Indoor air.

[35]  P. Skov,et al.  Influence of indoor climate on the sick building syndrome in an office environment. The Danish Indoor Climate Study Group. , 1990, Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health.

[36]  M. Mendell,et al.  Environmental risk factors and work-related lower respiratory symptoms in 80 office buildings: an exploratory analysis of NIOSH data. , 2003, American journal of industrial medicine.

[37]  Povl Ole Fanger,et al.  Ventilation and health in nonindustrial indoor environments , 2001 .

[38]  M. G. Apte,et al.  Associations of indoor carbon dioxide concentrations, VOCS, environmental susceptibilities with mucous membrane and lower respiratory sick building syndrome symptoms in the BASE study: Analyses of the 100 building dataset , 2002 .

[39]  O Seppänen,et al.  Ventilation and performance in office work. , 2006, Indoor air.

[40]  K W Tham,et al.  Effects of temperature and outdoor air supply rate on the performance of call center operators in the tropics. , 2004, Indoor air.

[41]  Jorma Railio,et al.  The effect of air temperature on labour productivity in call centres—a case study , 2002 .

[42]  J. Daisey,et al.  VOCs and "Sick Building Syndrome": Application of a New Statistical Approach for SBS Research to U.S. EPA BASE Study Data , 1999 .

[43]  D Faulkner,et al.  Worker performance and ventilation in a call center: analyses of work performance data for registered nurses. , 2004, Indoor air.

[44]  James A Hanley,et al.  Effect of ultraviolet germicidal lights installed in office ventilation systems on workers' health and wellbeing: double-blind multiple crossover trial , 2003, The Lancet.

[45]  P. Krause,et al.  Report of an Outbreak: Nursing Home Architecture and Influenza‐A Attack Rates: Update , 2004, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

[46]  G. Raw,et al.  Further findings from the office environment survey , 1990 .

[47]  Olli Seppänen,et al.  Sick building syndrome, sensation of dryness and thermal comfort in relation to room temperature in an office building: Need for individual control of temperature , 1989 .

[48]  Taylor Francis Online.  HVAC & R research , 1995 .

[49]  Alan Hedge,et al.  Effects of a Furniture-integrated Breathing-zone Filtration System on Indoor Air Quality, Sick Building Syndrome, and Productivity , 1993 .

[50]  Povl Ole Fanger,et al.  The effect of a personalized ventilation system on perceived air quality and SBS symptoms , 2002 .

[51]  K. Heslop.  86. Prevalence of Sick Building Syndrome Symptoms, Absence Rates, and Self-Reported Productivity/Work Disruption Among Office Employees in two Buildings in South Africa , 2003 .