Citation

Otto DA, Hudnell HK, House DE, Mølhave L, Counts W. Arch. Environ. Health 1992; 47(1): 23-30.

Affiliation

Health Effects Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1992, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/00039896.1992.9935940

PMID

1539999

Abstract

Exposure to a low-level mixture of volatile organic compounds, typical of those found in new buildings, has been reported to impair neurobehavioral function in persons who have experienced sick building syndrome (SBS). Sixty-six healthy young males who had no history of chemical sensitivity were exposed for 2.75 h to a complex mixture of volatile organic compounds at 0 and 25 mg/m3. Even though subjects reported more fatigue and more mental confusion following exposure to volatile organic compounds than to clean air, performance on 13 neurobehavioral tests was not affected. Practice or learning effects were observed if administration of many behavioral tests were repeated. Further studies are needed to clarify the relationship of exposure to volatile organic chemicals, neurobehavioral performance, and subject characteristics, e.g., age, gender, and chemical sensitivity.

Language: en