Authors

• Finell, Eerika (University of Helsinki. Department of Social Psychology)
• Finnish Literature Society (SKS). Folklore Archives

Keywords

air pollution, allergies, building standards, buildings, diseases, housing conditions, mould in buildings, public health risks, respiratory tract diseases, well-being (health)

Abstract

The forty texts in the data deal with the participants' personal experiences of indoor air quality problems in Finland and the impact of poor indoor air quality on the lives of the participants and people close to them. The data were collected in 2014 by researcher Eerika Finell in collaboration with the Finnish Literature Society (SKS).

The majority of texts begin with memories of the time when the participants first encountered indoor air quality problems as well as the place where it happened. The participants discuss their experiences and the impact of poor indoor air quality on their health and describe symptoms, such as respiratory tract diseases, caused by mold or other pollutants in buildings.

The texts also describe support and treatment received for problems caused by poor indoor air quality. The participants also discuss deficiencies in social and structural attitudes towards indoor air quality concerns. The structure of the texts was not controlled, and some texts also contain pictures and drawings.

Background information includes the participant's occupation, year of birth, region of residence (NUTS3) and gender. The participants could decide for themselves which background information to share.

The dataset is only available in Finnish.