interleukin-8 and Sick-Building-Syndrome

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) received a request for evaluation of a water-damaged office building which housed approximately 1300 employees. Workers reported respiratory conditions that they perceived to be building related. We hypothesized that these symptoms were associated with airways inflammation. To test this hypothesis, we assessed airways inflammation in employees using exhaled breath condensate (EBC) and the fraction of exhaled nitric oxide (FENO). In September 2001, a health questionnaire was offered to all employees. Based on this questionnaire, NIOSH invited 356 symptomatic and asymptomatic employees to participate in a medical survey. In June 2002, these employees were offered questionnaire, spirometry, methacholine challenge test, allergen skin prick testing, EBC and FENO. FENO or EBC were completed by 239 participants. As smoking is highly related to the measurements that we used in this study, we included only the 207 current non-smokers in the analyses. EBC interleukin-8 (IL-8) levels, but not nitrite, were significantly higher among workers with respiratory symptoms and in the physician-diagnosed asthmatic group. Of the analyses assessed, EBC IL-8 showed the most significant relationship with a number of symptoms and physician-diagnosed asthma.. Implementation of exhaled breath condensate and exhaled nitric oxide in indoor air quality problems.

Topics: Adult; Air Pollution, Indoor; Airway Obstruction; Exhalation; Female; Fungi; Humans; Interleukin-8; Male; Middle Aged; National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, U.S.; Nitric Oxide; Occupational Diseases; Occupational Exposure; Respiratory Hypersensitivity; Sick Building Syndrome; Skin Tests; Surveys and Questionnaires; United States; Workplace

To test whether the inflammatory potential of dust samples might be used to differentiate schools with high and low prevalence of building related symptoms (BRS) among the occupants.. Ten schools with high prevalence of BRS and 10 schools with low prevalence were selected. Dust collected from floors, horizontal surfaces, and exhaust outlets was tested at five concentrations on the lung epithelial cell line A549. The potency of the dust (PF) to stimulate IL-8 secretion was calculated from the initial linear part of the dose-response curves. The organic fraction of the dust samples was determined by incineration.. The schools with low prevalence of symptoms had a BRS% of 4.4-11.0 and the schools with high prevalence a BRS% of 19.6-31.9. The PF of floor dust and surface dust correlated, and the PF was associated with the organic content of the dust. The schools with low prevalence of symptoms had a significantly lower PF than the schools with high prevalence. Using the cut point value of 4.5 ng IL-8/mg floor dust, significantly more high prevalence schools were found above the cut point than below.. The PF of the floor dust samples correlated significantly with the prevalence of symptoms in the schools. The content of endotoxin and microorganisms did not seem to explain the inflammatory potential of the dust or BRS, and the substances in the dust causing the inflammatory potential are presently unknown.

Topics: Adolescent; Air Pollution, Indoor; Allergens; Cell Line; Cross-Sectional Studies; Denmark; Dust; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Epithelial Cells; Female; Humans; Interleukin-8; Male; Pneumonia; Prevalence; Respiratory Mucosa; Schools; Sick Building Syndrome