Nami Imai

Psychosocial factors that aggravate the symptoms of sick house syndrome in Japan.

Over the last 30 years in Japan, there has been a 10% increase in the number of people suffering from sick house syndrome due to toxic chemicals released from construction materials and wallpaper. This syndrome can develop into the more complex and disabling, chemical sensitivity syndrome, so preventing early exposure to toxins at home is critical in reducing the likelihood of health problems in the community. A qualitative study was undertaken using ethnographic methods to identify the psychosocial aggravating factors of sick house syndrome. As a result, the participants identified three aggravating factors that extended the period of exposure of the participant to toxic chemicals: a lack of knowledge about the disorder; the difficulty in establishing a diagnosis; and the difficulty of taking radical measures to improve the home environment. Public awareness of sick house syndrome and the dangers of toxicity from construction materials is vital to eliminate these aggravating factors and to prevent illness.

Chalcones from Angelica keiskei Induce Apoptosis in Stomach Cancer Cells

ABSTRACT Apoptosis was observed in human stomach cancer KATO III cells exposed to two chalcones isolated from the stems of ashitaba (Umbelliferae, Angelica keiskei). Exposure of the KATO III cells to the chalcones, identified by mass spectrometry (MS) and 1H-NMR to be xanthoangelol and 4-hydroxyderricin, produced oligonucreosomal-sized fragments, a characteristic of apoptosis. The DNA fragmentation of the KATO III cells could be observed at concentration of 10 μg L-1 at 2 days after the addition of the chalcones to a culture of KATO III cells, fragmented DNA of human stomach cancer KATO III cells. These findings suggest that growth inhibition by xanthoangelol and 4-hydroxyderricin results from the induction of apoptosis by these chalcones.

Psychosocial Factors that Aggravate the Symptoms of Sick Building Syndrome and a Cure for Them

Sick building syndrome patients often aggravate their symptoms because they do not recognize their condition or are unable to take appropriate radical measures due to financial, physical, or psychological reasons. In this chapter, we describe those reasons and give possible solutions. Sick building syndrome patients suffer from head-related symptoms, cognitive symptoms, affective symptoms, neuromuscular symptoms, musculoskeletal symptoms, skin-related symptoms, genitourinary symptoms, gastrointestinal symptoms, heart/chest-related symptoms, and airway and/or mucous membrane-related symptoms. These symptoms resemble symptoms caused by exhaustion, a cold, and/or aging. Therefore, patients are not able to recognize that their symptoms are caused by sick building syndrome, which leads to them aggravate their condition. In addition, psychosocial reasons may be responsible for symptom aggravation. The author’s main subject of research is sick building syndrome, and this chapter describes the reasons for symptom aggravation of sick building syndrome and possible solutions based on experience.

Is it Safe Enough to Depend on Ventilation? Recommendation of Radical Measures for Addressing Sick Building Syndrome

In Japan, the desire to reduce energy consumption and incorporate earthquake resistant features in structures has led to the construction of airtight buildings, which has in turn increased the incidence of sick building syndrome (SBS). Measures typically implemented for reducing indoor air pollution, such as improved ventilation and the use of absorbent materials, have been found to be insufficient. Indeed, the only solution to this problem is the replacement of those materials that contribute to indoor air pollution with materials that do not. However, this situation is complicated by the fact that measuring indoor air pollution is difficult. In addition, the parties responsible for managing public buildings frequently attempt to hide such problems to avoid incurring expenses associated with their repair or to avoid being implicated in public health issues. The transport of numerous chemicals into public buildings, which may also increase indoor air pollution, further complicates the issue of mitigating and preventing SBS. Consequently, safe materials should always be used from the outset to construct or refurbish private and public facilities.

Necessity of Counseling Institutions for Sick Building Syndrome Patients

As described in Chap. 6, many sick building syndrome patients aggravate their symptoms because there are not enough counselling institutes for sick building syndrome patients. I am studying nursing care for sick building syndrome and chemical sensitivity and giving lectures to architects, regional medical staff, educators, and food suppliers on how to prevent symptom aggravation and avoid getting sick. During these lectures, I recommend avoiding all toxic chemicals in daily life because once a patient get sick house syndrome, they can become very sensitive to many kinds of chemicals that are found in daily supplies such as food, soap, synthetic detergent, and cosmetics. Sick building syndrome can also resulted in multiple chemical sensitivity, which is untreatable. However, if people recognize the risk of toxic chemicals in daily life and try to avoid them, getting sick building syndrome becomes a chance to prevent other illnesses. In this chapter, we will describe findings obtained from our clinical experience.