Aims: To test whether the inflammatory potential of dust samples might be used to differentiate schools with high and low prevalence of building related symptoms (BRS) among the occupants.
Methods: Ten schools with high prevalence of BRS and 10 schools with low prevalence were selected. Dust collected from floors, horizontal surfaces, and exhaust outlets was tested at five concentrations on the lung epithelial cell line A549. The potency of the dust (PF) to stimulate IL-8 secretion was calculated from the initial linear part of the dose-response curves. The organic fraction of the dust samples was determined by incineration.
Results: The schools with low prevalence of symptoms had a BRS% of 4.4-11.0 and the schools with high prevalence a BRS% of 19.6-31.9. The PF of floor dust and surface dust correlated, and the PF was associated with the organic content of the dust. The schools with low prevalence of symptoms had a significantly lower PF than the schools with high prevalence. Using the cut point value of 4.5 ng IL-8/mg floor dust, significantly more high prevalence schools were found above the cut point than below.
Conclusion: The PF of the floor dust samples correlated significantly with the prevalence of symptoms in the schools. The content of endotoxin and microorganisms did not seem to explain the inflammatory potential of the dust or BRS, and the substances in the dust causing the inflammatory potential are presently unknown.