Since the 1970s, increasing numbers of buildings have been designed and constructed to conserve energy and reduce air conditioning costs by minimizing air leakage through the building envelope. However, concern has arisen that such construction practices may compromise indoor air quality and thereby pose a threat to worker health. The term """"""""sick building syndrome"""""""" (SBS) has been used to describe epidemics of symptoms or illness that occur in such workplaces and lack a specific etiology as in Legionnaires Disease or hypersensitivity pneumonitis. There have been relatively few attempts under controlled laboratory conditions to study SBS. We hypothesize that the autonomic nervous system plays a key role in modulating a number of SBS symptoms and propose to investigate the role of olfaction and other sensory cues in driving SBS. In this pilot study, we will test the feasibility of measuring changes in physiological, biochemical and cytological parameters that might underlie the symptoms of SBS and in neurobehavioral performance during controlled exposure of volunteers to volatile organic compounds (VOC). We also propose to test a method of masking the odor of VOC over a period of several hours.
