£EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
402F07005
A unique opportunity to..
comprehensive

  ata set on

indoor air
   U.S. office
buildings
                  Building Assessment Survey

                     and Evaluation Study

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Discover the Facts about Indoor Air Quality in
Office Buildings
BASE Study Overview

The BASE Study covers three major areas:
• Environmental and comfort measure-
 ments,
• Building and heating, ventilation,
 and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems
 characterization, and
• Building occupant demographics, symp-
 toms, and perceptions.
Indoor air quality (IAQ) data from
100 randomly selected public and com-
mercial office buildings were collected
using a standardized protocol. Buildings
were selected from 10 climatic regions in
37 cities and 25 states.
The data can be used to examine the re-
lationships among environmental meas-
ures, building characteristics, and
occupant perceptions. In addition, the
data may be used to generate hypothe-
ses on topics such as sick building syn-
drome.
Scientists and policy makers may also
use the data to develop or refine guid-
ance and policy on the design, construc-
tion, operation, and maintenance of
buildings. In addition, the standardized
protocol, established to collect BASE
data, may be useful for future IAQ
benchmarking studies.

The BASE Study was designed
to allow  users to:
• Address the significant data gap that
 exists regarding baseline lAQ-related
 parameters and occupant perceptions
 in typical office environments,
• Provide data and summary information
 on lAQ-related parameters in office
 spaces, and
• Enhance the understanding of IAQ
 and the role of indoor environmental
 factors in  occupant perceptions of
 lAQ-related symptoms.

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Example Uses for BASE Data


Indoor Air Toxics Including
Volatile Organic Compounds
(VOCs)
• Determination of typical indoor pollu-
 tants and concentrations
• Information on indoor sources
• Examining the association of symptoms
 with indoor air toxics
• Examining the association of indoor air
 toxics with building characteristics

Mold and Other Biologicals
• Determination of common indoor and
 outdoor species of fungi and bacteria
• Comparison of bioaerosol testing
 methodologies
• Examining the association of symptoms
 with biological contaminants
• Examining the association of biological
 contaminants with building characteris-
 tics
Homeland Security
• Input into guidance development

General IAQ
• Comparison of collected parameters to
 those reported in similar studies of
 other building types such as schools
• Determination of building factors that
 may be associated with respiratory dis-
 eases (e.g., asthma) or sick building syn-
 drome
• Comparison by building managers of
 their buildings to BASE buildings
• Comparison of problem buildings with
 BASE buildings

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Who Might Use BASE?
The BASE data set standardized
protocol, and other study docu-
mentation materials are intended
for use by scientists, students,
and other researchers.
Beyond the raw data set, data
summaries and useful publica-
tions are available on the BASE
Study web site. This information
is intended for use by building
professionals, environmental con-
sultants, public health officials,
and policy makers working on in-
door environments.
IAQ and BASE:
An  Introduction

Millions of people spend a majority of their
working hours in office environments. In-
door air quality (IAQ) can significantly im-
pact the health, productivity, and sense of
well being of building occupants. Poor in-
door air is estimated to cost the nation tens
of billions of dollars each year in lost pro-
ductivity and countless hours of illness and
discomfort.

Early research concerning IAQ in U.S. public
and commercial office buildings focused on
evaluating buildings whose occupants had
significant public health complaints. Since
baseline information from typical buildings
was sparse, no reference existed with which
to compare the so-called "sick" buildings.
To fill this data gap, the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) conducted the
Building Assessment Survey and Evaluation
(BASE) Study, a cross-sectional study of pub-
lic and commercial office buildings across
the U.S. The information collected
in this study provides normative IAQ data
and symptom incidence in typical office
buildings.

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www.epa.gov/iaq/base
                        Office of Air and Radiation
                        Indoor Environments Division
                        (6609J)
                        EPA 402-F-07-005
                        March 2007

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