Texas Tech Medical Center Lubbock, Texas 79430 Contact: John Walls or Liz Inskip-Paulk Phone: (806) 743-2143 Fax: (806) 743-2118 E-mail: [email protected]
Possible Causes of Sick Building Syndrome Researched by TTUHSC
LUBBOCK -- A study by Texas Tech Medical Center researchers has pinpointed two fungi as possible causes for sick building syndrome.
The study, published in the September issue of the British journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine, is a major step toward solving the riddle of sick building syndrome. Sick building syndrome's symptoms include breathing difficulties, headaches, flu-like symptoms, watering eyes, and allergic rhinitis.
In the study, Texas Tech Medical Center researchers Danny Cooley, William Wong, Cynthia Jumper, M.D., and David Straus, Ph.D, analyzed the indoor and outdoor air quality of 48 U.S. school buildings where complaints had been made about air quality and where respiratory problems were common. More than half of the school occupants who responded to researcher queries complained of increased levels of respiratory levels of respiratory infections such as tonsillitis, bronchitis, and even pneumonia.
In the complaint areas, the study found that the two types of fungi -- Penicillium and Stachybotrys -- were significantly more common in indoor air and building surfaces. A high prevalence of Penicillium molds were found under damp carpets, walls and under vinyl wall coverings. These spores can enter the upper and lower-respiratory tract, causing respiratory problems.
Straus said the findings are significant in treating sick building syndrome, which was first recognized in 1982. "Now that the organisms found in connnection with sick building syndrome have been identified, we should be able to find them, eliminate them, and restore the buildings to healthier conditions," Straus said.
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