Table 3.6.

Environmental exposures to cause signs and symptoms related to SBS and other respiratory illnesses

Sources	Potential exposures/factor
Physical environment	High indoor temperature (>23 °C); low relative humidity; low air change
Water damage or leakage	Dampness and mould
Paints	Toluene, propylene, glycol, ethylene glycol, butyl propionate, methyl propanol
Furniture (plywood, plastic)	Formaldehyde, 2-pentyl furan, benzaldehyde, hexanal, pentanal
Carpets	Particles, vinyl acetate, styrene, dodecanol, acetaldehyde
Plastic wall, PVC flooring	Phthalates
Photocopying	Xylenes, benzene, 2-ethyl-1-hexanol
Cleaning agents (Detergents)	Fatty acid salts, organic sulphonates
Cleaning agents (water softeners)	EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid), tripolyphosphates
Cleaning agents (Alkaline agents)	Silicates, carbonates, sodium hydroxide, ammonia
Cleaning agents (Acids)	Phosphoric, acetic, citric, sulphamic, hydrochloric acid
Disinfectants	Hypochlorite, aldehydes, quaternary ammonium compounds
Carbonless copy paper	Crystal violet lactone, trimellitic anhydride (TMA), phenol-formaldehyde resins, azo dyes, diisopropyl naphthalenes (DIPN), formaldehyde, isocyanates, hydrocarbon-based solvents, epoxy resins, aliphatic isocyanates, Bisphenol A, diethylenetriamine
Smoking	Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS)