Discussion
Air conditioned offices were originally designed for the
comfort, wellbeing, and convenience of the people who were to
work in them.3 The ideal working environment was considered
to be a controlled one with no large swings in temperature or
large changes in relative humidity and with an air supply
sufficient to remove odours. The results of this study would
indicate that, at least in the offices we studied, this goal has yet
to be achieved. Indeed, examination of the excesses of symptoms
shown in tables II and III shows that there is a large discrepancy
between reality and the ideal office environment.