Ihrig Andreas, Hoffmann Joerg, Triebig Gerhard
Institute and Policlinic of Occupational and Social Medicine, University Hospital Heidelberg, Hospitalstrasse 1, 69115 Heidelberg, Germany.
Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 2006 Apr;79(4):332-8. doi: 10.1007/s00420-005-0042-y. Epub 2005 Dec 20.
The aim of the study is to examine the impact of personal traits and habituation on the intensity of self reported health symptoms and complaints.
Forty-three healthy male volunteers were exposed to ammonia vapours in concentrations of 0, 10, 20, 20/40, and 50 ppm on five consecutive days. To explore a possible influence of habituation on the perception of symptoms, the study group was divided into 30 men who were not familiar with the smell of ammonia, and ten participants regularly exposed to ammonia at the workplace. The perceived acute health symptoms and self-reported changes of well-being were assessed by the German version of a questionnaire of the Swedish Performance Evaluation System (SPES). Personal traits were ascertained with the positive and negative affectivity schedule (PANAS) and the Freiburger Persönlichkeits Inventar (FPI).
There are significant associations between personal traits and the amount of complaints. Subjects with high positive affectivity report less respiratory and irritative complaints, whereas persons with negative affectivity report significantly more olfactory and respiratory symptoms. In general, the strength of these correlations decreases with higher exposure levels. At ammonia concentration above 20 ppm, these associations were no more statistically significant. During the daily exposures, the score of symptoms did not vary significantly. The perceived intensity of health symptoms and annoyance increased with the concentration of ammonia, while the self-reported dimensions of well-being decreased. Workers familiar with the smell of ammonia vapours reported less symptoms compared to naïve subjects.
Habituation to ammonia vapours as well as personal traits influence the reporting of complaints particularly at low exposure. Both factors should be considered in the examination of chemosensory irritative compounds.
本研究旨在探讨个人特质和习惯化对自我报告的健康症状及不适强度的影响。
43名健康男性志愿者连续5天暴露于浓度为0、10、20、20/40和50 ppm的氨气中。为探究习惯化对症状感知的可能影响，研究组分为30名不熟悉氨气味的男性和10名在工作场所经常接触氨的参与者。通过瑞典绩效评估系统（SPES）问卷的德文版评估所感知的急性健康症状和自我报告的幸福感变化。使用积极和消极情感量表（PANAS）及弗赖堡人格问卷（FPI）确定个人特质。
个人特质与不适数量之间存在显著关联。积极情感高的受试者报告的呼吸和刺激性不适较少，而消极情感高的人报告的嗅觉和呼吸症状明显更多。一般来说，随着暴露水平升高，这些相关性的强度会降低。在氨浓度高于20 ppm时，这些关联不再具有统计学意义。在每日暴露期间，症状评分没有显著变化。健康症状和烦恼的感知强度随氨浓度增加而增加，而自我报告的幸福感维度则下降。与未接触过氨的受试者相比，熟悉氨气味的工人报告的症状较少。
对氨气的习惯化以及个人特质会影响不适的报告，尤其是在低暴露水平时。在检查化学感觉刺激性化合物时应考虑这两个因素。
