Chemicals lingering in home and office air could be the reason for mysterious illnesses, say scientists in Japan. 

Sick building syndrome is a combination of ailments, such as headaches, coughs, dizziness, nausea and skin irritations, often associated with a person's place of work. It is thought to be related to indoor air quality, explains Mark Clayton from the US Environmental Protection Agency.  'Many organic compounds such as 2-ethyl-1-hexanol have been found to exist in the indoor environment and may contribute to sick building syndrome,' he explains.  

 

Workers can suffer headaches, coughs and other ailments from a sick building

 

Kiyoshi Sakai and his team at the Nagoya City Public Health Research Institute, Japan, have monitored the annual changes in the amount of 2-ethyl-1-hexanol in different office buildings in Nagoya. 'There was no apparent downward trend in the indoor air 2-ethyl-1-hexanol concentration for successive years,' says Sakai. This suggests that the emission can continue for a long time, he explains. 

2-ethyl-1-hexanol is not found directly in building materials, furniture or fixtures, but it is thought to come from the decomposition of PVC flooring, says Sakai.  Juana Mari Delgado-Saborit, an expert in environmental health sciences, at the University of Birmingham, UK, says this work shows 'it is important to avoid the use of some compounds that could lead to the formation of other toxic compounds during the lifetime of the building materials.'
 
Sakai and his co-workers now plan to look further into the source of 2-ethyl-1-hexanol with the aim of reducing its emissions to improve indoor air quality.

Leanne Marle

Enjoy this story? Spread the word using the 'tools' menu on the left or add a comment to the Chemistry World blog