Indoor air effects after building renovation and in manufactured homes.

PROBLEM

The objective was to measure and compare the neurobehavioral and respiratory effects of exposures to indoor air in people living in manufactured homes and occupying buildings during renovation and compare them with effects on subjects exposed to formaldehyde at work.

METHODS

Ten people living in manufactured homes and 10 people exposed to chemicals during renovation of their offices or homes had measurements made of balance, visual fields, reaction time, hearing, grip strength, and vibration sense. Psychological measurements included cognition, recall, perceptual motor speed, long-term memory, and mood states.

RESULTS

Exposures to indoor air were associated with abnormal simple and choice reaction time, abnormal balance with the eyes open and with the eyes closed, abnormalities of color confusion index, scotoma in visual fields, reduced verbal recall, digit symbol score, and elevated abnormal moods. The effects on the two groups of 10 were similar and resembled those from formaldehyde exposure but with less cognitive impairment.

CONCLUSIONS

Adverse effects from indoor air in manufactured homes and during renovations were less severe but similar to those from occupational formaldehyde exposures. This suggests that formaldehyde has a major role in health problems from indoor air.