Objective: Sick building syndrome (SBS) with the symptoms, such as ocular and skin impairments, upper respiratory infections, focusing problems, headache and fatigue, and causing anxiety in employees is seen as a widespread public health problem in the modern office environments. In this study, we aimed to evaluate environmental risk factors in the indoor air and their impacts on the employees’ health and to discuss solution offers in non-industrial workplaces.
Material and Method: In this cross-sectional study including 269 persons which conducted in Istanbul in 2008 summer, complaints and health problems defined by the employees about indoor environment were evaluated using indoor air quality questionnaire that was prepared and formed from international standard forms. Moreover, the possible chemical and physical risk factors were measured in the working environment.
Results: The most frequently identified environmental problems were dry air (31.6%), closeness (49.1%), dust or pollution (26.8%), heat problems (45.7%), and symptoms associated with the workplace were headache (30.1%), ocular problems (24.2%) and back pain (33.1%). The presence of at least one symptom with regard to the workplace was found to be 68.0%. Conclusion: Physicians must consider patient’s work environment when evaluating some unidentified diseases. In this study back pain, headache was often observed in the employees also temperature, age, using photocopy machine was effective. Indoor air quality must be monitored and controlled in the workplaces. When specific casual agents fail to be identified, the changes like trying to decrease possible sources of environmental pollutants and improving ventilation should be implemented.

Indoor air quality (IAQ) Sick building syndrome (SBS) Public health Occupational medicine