sick building syndrome
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What is sick building syndrome?
Sick building syndrome (SBS) applies to instances where building occupants experience nonspecific health effects like headaches, nausea, or irritation of the eyes, nose, or throat. SBS symptoms usually disappear soon after leaving the building and cannot be attributed to a specific cause or illness.
Identified in the 1970s, SBS is often linked to poor indoor air quality. Factors such as inadequate ventilation, chemical contaminants (from cleaning agents or furniture), and biological contaminants (molds, pollen, viruses, or bacteria) can contribute to SBS. Investigations of SBS involve assessing building ventilation, heating, and potential pollutant sources. Addressing SBS may include removing pollution sources, improving ventilation, and installing air cleaning devices.
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What symptoms do people with sick building syndrome usually have?
People with sick building syndrome (SBS) typically experience non-specific health effects such as headache, dizziness, and nausea. Irritated eyes, nose, or throat, dry cough, or skin irritation can also occur. SBS symptoms usually disappear soon after leaving the building, but some effects may linger.
SBS was first identified in the 1970s. A 1984 report by the World Health Organization suggested that up to 30% of new and remodeled buildings may have problems with indoor air quality sufficient to cause health symptoms.
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What types of buildings are most commonly linked to sick building syndrome?
Sick building syndrome (SBS) is a term for nonspecific health effects experienced by occupants of a building, often due to poor indoor air quality (IAQ). Symptoms include headache, nausea, and irritated eyes, nose, or throat, and they typically disappear soon after leaving the building.
SBS was first identified in the 1970s, with the World Health Organization reporting in 1984 that up to 30% of new and remodeled buildings may have IAQ problems sufficient to cause health symptoms. Inadequate building ventilation is the most common cause, which has often been attributed to decreased ventilation standards for commercial buildings to increase energy efficiency. Chemical and biological contaminants may also contribute to SBS.
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What causes sick building syndrome?
Sick building syndrome (SBS) describes a situation where building occupants experience non-specific health effects, such as headaches, nausea, or irritated eyes, that seem linked to time spent in the building.
SBS is often attributed to poor indoor air quality. Inadequate ventilation is a common cause, potentially worsened by energy-saving measures that reduce air exchange. Chemical contaminants like volatile organic compounds from furnishings and cleaning agents, as well as biological contaminants such as molds and bacteria, can also contribute to SBS. It's worth noting that symptoms usually improve soon after leaving the building, and no specific illness can be identified as the cause.
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How does poor ventilation affect sick building syndrome?
Sick building syndrome (SBS) is associated with non-specific health effects that disappear soon after leaving a building and cannot be ascribed to a specific cause or illness. Inadequate building ventilation is the most common cause of SBS. SBS was first identified in the 1970s, and it has been linked to decreased ventilation standards in commercial buildings that were initiated to increase energy efficiency. Poor ventilation can cause increased temperatures and humidity. Common solutions include increasing ventilation rates and air distribution.
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What can be done to prevent or reduce sick building syndrome in buildings?
Sick building syndrome (SBS) can be addressed through several actions. First, confirm that complaints stem from poor indoor air quality by gathering data on ventilation, heating, and potential contaminants. Increase ventilation rates and improve air distribution while removing known pollution sources and installing air-cleaning devices. Ensure appropriate building construction and maintenance, limit pollutant sources, and provide adequate ventilation. Air-to-air heat exchangers can conserve energy during ventilation. These steps can help prevent or reduce SBS in buildings.
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sick building syndrome (SBS), term applied to a situation in which some or all the people occupying a building (usually working or living in it) experience non-specific health effects such as headache; dizziness; nausea; irritated eyes, nose, or throat; dry cough; or skin irritation. The term is sometimes applied to the symptoms themselves also. These effects may be localized to a part of the building or be present throughout and are usually assumed to be caused by poor indoor air quality (IAQ). The definition of SBS requires that the symptoms usually disappear soon after leaving the building, though some effects may linger, and that the symptoms cannot be ascribed to a specific cause or illness. SBS is differentiated from building-related illnesses, which are diagnosable illnesses attributed to specific airborne contaminants within a building.
SBS was first identified in the 1970s, and a 1984 report by the World Health Organization suggested that up to 30% of new and remodeled buildings may have problems with IAQ sufficient to cause health symptoms. Inadequate building ventilation is the most common cause; the appearance of SBS in the mid-1970s has often been attributed to decreased ventilation standards for commercial buildings to increase energy efficiency, following the Arab oil embargo of 1973. Chemical contaminants are also potential contributors to SBS; these include volatile organic compounds emitted by carpeting, upholstery, cleaning agents, and other sources and combustion products including particulate matter and carbon monoxide produced from heating devices such as fireplaces and stoves. Biological contaminants such as molds, pollen, viruses, bacteria, and animal droppings may also contribute to SBS.
Investigation of SBS requires first ascertaining whether the complaints are actually due to poor IAQ; if so, the investigation will gather information about the building’s ventilation, heating and air conditioning system, possible sources of internal contaminants, and possible pathways for exterior pollutants to enter the building. Air sampling alone rarely provides sufficient information to solve the problem, because in SBS buildings contaminant concentration levels rarely exceed existing standards. The most common solutions to SBS include removing a known source of pollution, increasing ventilation rates and air distribution, and adding air cleaning devices.
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SBS is difficult to study because its symptoms are commonplace and could have many causes, such as allergies or stress, and may be influenced by psychological factors, such as dislike of a job or workplace. In addition, because many different aspects of the indoor environment can contribute to SBS, it is often difficult to identify the cause or causes for a particular case, and extensive renovations may fail to solve the problem. There is also a natural opposition between the interests of building owners and occupants in a case of suspected SBS. The occupants may believe SBS is causing their health symptoms and demand building inspections and modifications, while the owner may not believe that the building is the cause of their symptoms and may therefore be reluctant to pay for any inspections or alterations. In addition, some clinicians believe that SBS is not a meaningful term and should be abandoned, while others have argued that investigations into SBS should include evaluation of psychological and social as well as physical, environmental, and biomedical factors.