Abstract
We surveyed local government entities for 47 prefectures, 11 government-designated cities and the 23 wards of Tokyo with questionnaires to characterize the current health and resident assistance programs against indoor environmental problems. The local government entities were grouped into five regions.
Although about half of the local government entities had established health assistance programs by 2000, the annual number of actual cases in more than half of the local government entities was less than fifty. Moreover, the cases were concentrated in city areas. Only twenty percent of the local government entities had assistance programs for chemical sensitivity. The main methods of program implementation included distributing pamphlets, receiving consultations or complaints from residents, and examining the indoor environment. The target pollutants were usually formaldehyde and VOCs, followed by ticks and molds. Consultation hotlines or windows for indoor environment problems were established in sixty percent of the local government entities and the establishment rate was higher in city areas. However, specialists or specialty organizations for indoor environment were not involved in such assistance programs.
For resident assistance programs, the number of consultations or complaints was higher in city regions and was rapidly increasing each year. The most common complaints were regarding bad physical conditions or unpleasant odors in newly constructed or remodeled units. The method of learning about indoor environmental problems for the program personnel with little experience was through communication in the workplace or books. The Society of Indoor Environment, Japan did not contribute very much to the learning processes. The Society is expected to play a role in supplying information and enlightenment activities on the indoor environment, and also to become the window for consultations. Thus, we suggest that the Society should cooperate better with governmental agencies.
