What is “sick building” syndrome?
Indoor air pollution problems don’t only happen in homes. The environment in office buildings may cause some health problems. Even though most can be treated, some pose serious risks. Sometimes, people have symptoms that do not fit the pattern of any illness and are hard to trace to a source. This problem has been labeled “sick building” syndrome. People may suffer from one or more of these symptoms: • dry or burning in nose, eyes, and throat • sneezing • stuffy or runny nose • fatigue or feeling tired or sluggish • headache • dizziness • nausea • feeling irritable • being forgetful There is no single way in which these health problems appear. In some cases, problems begin as workers enter their offices or office buildings and go away as workers leave their offices or office buildings. At other times, symptoms continue until the illness is treated. Sometimes, there are even outbreaks of illness among many workers in a building.
Sick building syndrome describes a situation where an unusually high number of workers in a building experience health problems that seem to be associated with the amount of time the ill person has spent indoors. A key to the acuteness of the problem shows that when the person leaves the building their symptoms are relieved. If you suspect a problem and the illness cannot be identified, call a mold professional to inspect your surroundings.
A sick building is a building can result from the presence of large quantities of multiple fungi such as Aspergillus. Individuals who would normally not experience ill effects from contact with normal levels of these fungi become reactive to the large quantities in the sick building and are said to have “sick building syndrome”. Many other causes of sick buildings have been described, most without any involvement of fungi.
The term ” sick building syndrome ” (SBS) is used to describe situations in which building occupants experience acute health and comfort effects that appear to be linked to time spent in a building, but no specific illness or cause can be identified. The following have been cited causes of or contributing factors to sick building syndrome: 1. Inadequate ventilation In an effort to achieve acceptable Indoor Air Quality or IAQ while minimizing energy consumption, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) recently revised its ventilation standard to provide a minimum of 15 cfm of outdoor air per person (20 cfm/person in office spaces). Up to 60 cfm/person may be required in some spaces (such as smoking lounges) depending on the activities that normally occur in that space. 2. Chemical contaminants from indoors sources Most indoor air pollution comes from sources inside the building. For example, adhesives, carpeting, upholstery, manufactured wo
Indoor air pollution problems don’t only happen in homes. The environment in office buildings may cause some health problems. Even though most can be treated, some pose serious risks. Sometimes, people have symptoms that do not fit the pattern of any illness and are hard to trace to a source. This problem has been labeled “sick building” syndrome. People may suffer from one or more of these symptoms: • dry or burning in nose, eyes, and throat • sneezing • stuffy or runny nose • fatigue or feeling tired or sluggish • headache • dizziness • nausea • feeling irritable • being forgetful There is no single way in which these health problems appear. In some cases, problems begin as workers enter their offices or office buildings and go away as workers leave their offices or office buildings. At other times, symptoms continue until the illness is treated. Sometimes, there are even outbreaks of illness among many workers in a building. In other cases, health symptoms only show up in a few work
