Research

The aim of this study was to develop a test, based on human biology, that can identify both indoor air and “sick buildings” that are harmful to health, regardless of what is polluting the indoor air.

Everybody in an indoor space must breathe the air, so there is a great need for reproducible sampling methods that are suitable for assessing health hazards of the air or structures of a building suspected of causing indoor air -related problems.

No inhalation toxicity assessment (H314) is currently required of non-volatile substances (European REACH). However, our study shows that non-volatiles can mobilise into humid air.

The hypothesis for our study was that air and airborne moisture are carriers of possible toxic compounds and these compounds can be collected as condensate using dry ice.

Penicillium expansum was identified as a major contaminant in indoor air, settled dust and materials of several buildings connected to indoor air related health complaints.

The new approach in indoor air toxicological assessment is to collect a water sample by condensing it from the air. Dew point is reached by using collectors with cold surfaces.

The aim of the study was to estimate the risks of different symptoms after the exposure to indoor air dampness microbiota (DM).

Indoor air dampness microbiota (DM) is a big health hazard. Sufficient evidence exists that exposure to DM causes new asthma or exacerbation, dyspnea, infections of upper airways and allergic alveolitis.

The impurities of the air inside the buildings and the resulting adverse health effects have become an increasing problem. Typically indoor air impurities are mixtures of many chemical substances at relative low concentrations.

There is an on-going debate on how to best test toxic indoor air. Toxicological methods based on condensed water samples and cell culture technique are newly introduced research tools which were tested in this study.

In 2017, the largest study ever in Finland on the effects of indoor air in schools on teachers’ health was conducted: a record of 4,920 teachers answered the survey. 85% of them reported health problems that were connected with the indoor air in their teaching premises.

We aimed to establish an etiology-based connection between the symptoms experienced by the occupants of a workplace and the presence in the building of toxic dampness microbiota.

Indoor air is typically a mixture of many chemicals at low concentrations without any adverse health effects alone, but in mixtures they may cause toxicity and risks to human health. The aim of this study was by using new approach methods to assess the potential toxicity of indoor air condensates.

The impurities of the air inside the buildings and the resulting adverse health effects have become an increasing problem.

There is an on-going debate on how to best test toxic indoor air. Toxicological methods based on condensed water samples and cell culture technique are newly introduced research tools which were tested in this study.

We aimed to establish an etiology-based connection between the symptoms experienced
by the occupants of a workplace and the presence in the building of toxic dampness microbiota.

Potential markers were sought to diagnose mold hypersensitivity. Indoor air condensed water and human macrophage THP-1 test were applied to evaluate the buildings. Basophil activation tests (BAT) were conducted and mold-specific immunoglobulins (IgE, IgG, IgA, and IgD) were measured in study subjects’ serum and feces.