[Damages to health in schools. Complaints caused by the use of formaldehyde-emitting materials in school buildings].

Low formaldehyd-concentrations were measured in three Cologne schools (mean 1 = 0,4425; mean 2 = 0,5725; mean 3 = 0,1292 ppm). As the main sources of emission were identified formaldehyd-urea-bound chip-plates in acoustic-ceilings and wainscots. To study the connection between the complaints of pupils and CH20-emissions 1594 pupils of these schools were questioned using a specially elaborated questionnaire. The questions concerned multiple complaints and disturbances of health as well as their anamnesis in chronological relationship with school attendance. Compared to controls consisting of 497 pupils of a school, where no CH2O-emitting chip-plates were used, the inquiry showed a significant increase (p less than 0,00005) of so-called functional disturbances (headache, disorder of concentrating ability, dizziness, nausea), affections of the respiratory tract (irritation of the mucosa of the nose and the pharynx, dry cough) and irritation of the conjunctiva. In regard to the anamneses, the difference between the investigation-group and the control-group was even more significant and additional complaints such as somnipathy, abdominal pain, skin disease were observed frequently. Comparing the normal distribution of so-called functional disturbances in pupils found in literature, the examined group of this study showed an even higher rate of the relative accumulation. The repeated investigation in one school (n = 328) 8 months after removal of the emission-sources demonstrated a very clear reduction of complaints by an average of 71,2 per cent.