CIGARETTE smoke wafting about a room may cause many illnesses, but apparently not the ''sick building syndrome'', say researchers from Cornell University.
Researchers say there is no certain cause of sick building syndrome, the symptoms of which are headaches, dizziness, coughing and so on, manifest by a number of people who share a building.
However, Cornell scientists are zeroing in on two suspects: man-made mineral fibres in the air and a high level of job stress among individuals with symptoms.
After analysing reports of sick building syndrome that involved about 4,000 workers in 27 locations across nine states, the American study found that the man-made fibre and job stress links stood out the most prominently, reported Alan Hedge, a Cornell associate professor of design and environmental analysis.
''People who report sick building syndrome symptoms are being exposed to real irritants, but in many cases they are evidently not from gases in the air,'' Professor Hedge said.
