Air conditioned buildings increase risk of sickness
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《英国医生杂志》
Women who work in air conditioned offices are more than twice as likely to see an ear, nose, and throat specialist says new research.
The research, based on nearly 1000 women in France, shows that those who worked in buildings with air conditioning systems also had more sickness absence.
"Exposure to systems was a strong and significant risk factor for otorhinolaryngologist attendance and sickness absence," says a report of the research in the International Journal of Epidemiology ( 2004;33: 1-4).
Modern office blocks may look good on the outside, but for workers the inside story can be one of ill health
Credit: FRANK MONACO/REX
The authors say that air conditioning systems are increasingly common in the workplace and that, although they are energy efficient, they have also been implicated in several building related illnesses, including sick building syndrome, whose symptoms can include eye, skin, and upper airway irritation, as well as headache and fatigue.
"Many studies have considered possible causes and preventive measures for sick building syndrome, yet no attempt has been made to assess the overall health effects and economic impact of air conditioning use in professional buildings. This work is, to our knowledge, the first description of a link between ventilation type and healthcare indicators," wrote the authors, from the French Institute of Health and Medical Research and the Claude Bernard Hospital, Paris.
The researchers investigated the relation between ventilation in the workplace, use of health services, and sickness absence in a nationwide sample of 920 professionally active women aged 49-65 years who had been recruited in France for another study. The results show 15% of the women worked in buildings with air conditioning systems.
The authors then compared the heath service use and absence records of the women whose offices were air conditioned with the use and records of those whose offices had natural ventilation.
The women who worked in air conditioned offices were 2.3 times more likely (odds ratio 2.33 (95% confidence interval 1.35 to 4.04)) to consult an otorhinolaryngologist than the women who worked in buildings with natural ventilation, and the likelihood of sickness absence was 1.7 times higher in the women working with air conditioning.
They added, "In temperate areas, characterised by mild winters and cool summers, the benefits yielded by such systems' energy efficiency and alleged productivity gains might be outweighed by losses resulting from sickness absence and sick building symptom-related discomfort. In more varied climates, these results could stimulate research into ventilation-related health."(Roger Dobson)
The research, based on nearly 1000 women in France, shows that those who worked in buildings with air conditioning systems also had more sickness absence.
"Exposure to systems was a strong and significant risk factor for otorhinolaryngologist attendance and sickness absence," says a report of the research in the International Journal of Epidemiology ( 2004;33: 1-4).
Modern office blocks may look good on the outside, but for workers the inside story can be one of ill health
Credit: FRANK MONACO/REX
The authors say that air conditioning systems are increasingly common in the workplace and that, although they are energy efficient, they have also been implicated in several building related illnesses, including sick building syndrome, whose symptoms can include eye, skin, and upper airway irritation, as well as headache and fatigue.
"Many studies have considered possible causes and preventive measures for sick building syndrome, yet no attempt has been made to assess the overall health effects and economic impact of air conditioning use in professional buildings. This work is, to our knowledge, the first description of a link between ventilation type and healthcare indicators," wrote the authors, from the French Institute of Health and Medical Research and the Claude Bernard Hospital, Paris.
The researchers investigated the relation between ventilation in the workplace, use of health services, and sickness absence in a nationwide sample of 920 professionally active women aged 49-65 years who had been recruited in France for another study. The results show 15% of the women worked in buildings with air conditioning systems.
The authors then compared the heath service use and absence records of the women whose offices were air conditioned with the use and records of those whose offices had natural ventilation.
The women who worked in air conditioned offices were 2.3 times more likely (odds ratio 2.33 (95% confidence interval 1.35 to 4.04)) to consult an otorhinolaryngologist than the women who worked in buildings with natural ventilation, and the likelihood of sickness absence was 1.7 times higher in the women working with air conditioning.
They added, "In temperate areas, characterised by mild winters and cool summers, the benefits yielded by such systems' energy efficiency and alleged productivity gains might be outweighed by losses resulting from sickness absence and sick building symptom-related discomfort. In more varied climates, these results could stimulate research into ventilation-related health."(Roger Dobson)