ArticleInternational archives of occupational and environmental health2017
SBS symptoms in relation to dampness and ventilation in inspected single-family houses in Sweden.
Article in International archives of occupational and environmental health, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 66 citations in OpenAlex.
- A Systematic Review of Associations between Energy Use, Fuel Poverty, Energy Efficiency Improvements and Health.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- Environmental Drivers of Dry Eye Disease: A Narrative Review of Pollutants, Climate, and Indoor Exposures with Practice Recommendations.Ophthalmology and therapy · 2026Review
- Impact of Household Environmental Conditions on Residents' Health in the Dammam Metropolitan Area, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study.Environmental health insights · 2026Article
- Classroom indoor air quality and its association with sick Building syndrome (SBS) symptoms in a Malaysian university setting.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Need for a Holistic Approach to Assessing Sustainable, Green, and Healthy Buildings.Environment & health (Washington, D.C.) · 2025Review
- AWMF mold guideline "Medical clinical diagnostics for indoor mold exposure" - Update 2023 AWMF Register No. 161/001.Allergologie select · 2024Article
- Making sense of the delegitimation experiences of people suffering from indoor air problems in their homes.International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being · 2022Article
- Occupant health in buildings: Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the opinions of building professionals and implications on research.Building and environment · 2022Article
- Lifestyle behaviors and home and school environment in association with sick building syndrome among elementary school children: a cross-sectional study.Environmental health and preventive medicine · 2020Article
- Children's Respiratory Infections in Tianjin Area, China: Associations with Home Environments and Lifestyles.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Article
- Prevalence and risk factors of pre-sick building syndrome: characteristics of indoor environmental and individual factors.Environmental health and preventive medicine · 2019Article
- Identification of MVOCs Produced byInternational journal of environmental research and public health · 2019Article
- Building and indoor environmental quality assessment of Nigerian primary schools: A pilot study.Indoor air · 2019Article
- Survey datasets on sick building syndrome: Causes and effects on selected public buildings in Lagos, Nigeria.Data in brief · 2018Article
- Face and content validity of an instrument to measure dampness and mold damage in a Spanish-speaking Latin American context.Revista CuidarteArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
purposeTo investigate the relationships between symptoms compatible with the sick building syndrome (SBS) in adults and building dampness and ventilation in single-family houses.
methodsWithin the Swedish BETSI study, a national sample of single-family houses were inspected by professional building experts, and adults living in the houses answered a questionnaire on SBS. Relationships between building factors and SBS were analysed using logistic regression.
resultsOf the respondents, 23% reported having had weekly SBS symptoms during the last three months. A large proportion of houses exhibited building or construction problems. In total, 40% of houses had dampness problems in the foundation, and this was related to a higher prevalence of both mucous and dermal symptoms, and any SBS symptoms. Furthermore, high air humidity was related to more symptoms, with the relationship with absolute humidity being stronger than that with relative humidity or moisture load. Symptoms were also more prevalent in houses with a high U value, reflecting a poor thermal insulation. Compared to natural ventilation, living in a house with mechanical supply and exhaust ventilation was related to a lower prevalence of general symptoms and any SBS symptoms, but there were only weak associations between measured air exchange rate and symptoms.
conclusionsA large proportion of single-family houses have dampness problems in the foundation, and pollutants may enter the living space of the house and affect the health of the occupants. Furthermore, absolute air humidity should be measured more often in indoor air studies.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.