Airborne gram-negative bacteria and endotoxin measured across office buildings with differing symptom rates

Teeuw KB, Vandenbroucke-Grauls CMJE, Verhoef J (1994) · Archives of Internal Medicine 154(20):2339–2345

A survey of office buildings reported substantially higher airborne endotoxin concentrations in buildings where occupants reported more symptoms.

What they studied

A survey of 1,355 employees across 19 governmental office buildings in the Netherlands.

Air sampling for gram-negative bacteria and endotoxin.

Comparison of buildings classified by occupant symptom prevalence.

Airborne endotoxin concentrations were reported as several times higher in the higher-symptom buildings.

Gram-negative bacteria were recovered more frequently in those buildings.

The authors reported that measured physical building characteristics did not explain the symptom difference.

Cross-sectional design; exposure and symptoms measured concurrently.

Office buildings, not residences.

The study does not establish that endotoxin caused the reported symptoms.

This entry reports the study. It is not a statement about any building Sage Co. designs or constructs.

Teeuw KB, Vandenbroucke-Grauls CMJE, Verhoef J (1994). Airborne gram-negative bacteria and endotoxin in sick building syndrome: a study in Dutch governmental office buildings · Archives of Internal Medicine 154(20):2339–2345 · Read at the source

Last reviewed August 30, 2026.