sick building syndrome

Malaise diagnosed in the early 1980s among office workers and thought to be caused by such pollutants as formaldehyde (from furniture and insulating materials), benzene (from paint), and the solvent trichloroethene, concentrated in air-conditioned buildings. Symptoms include headache, sore throat, tiredness, colds, and flu. Studies have found that it can cause a 40% drop in productivity and a 30% rise in absenteeism.

Work on improving living conditions of astronauts showed that the causes were easily and inexpensively removed by potplants in which interaction is thought to take place between the plant and micro-organisms in its roots. Among the most useful are chrysanthemums (counteracting benzene), English ivy and the peace lily (trichloroethene), and the spider plant (formaldehyde).