Sick Building Syndrome

Sick building syndrome, or SBS, is a term. It is generally used to characterize a collective grouping of severe health and comfort symptoms that result from poor indoor air quality. More accurately, the syndrome is a hypothesis.It is often used to characterise resulting health and discomfort symptoms of people spending too much time

in buildings with little, poor or no air ventilation.

While it is difficult to be exact, It is also quite impossible to pinpoint the exact cause

of the illness(es). However in cases where focus on the illness is possible, and so diagnosed, then the cause is directly linked to specific airborne building contaminant. Then, the disorder is called "building-related illness," or BRI.

Symptoms of Sick Building Syndrome

When numerous occupants in a building share common symptoms such as headaches, itchy eyes, nose or throat, excessive dry cough, nausea, fatigue or trouble concentrating, then the cause may be sick building syndrome. If these symptoms subside once the tenants leave the building, then it is a strong indicator of SBS. However, if a specific chemical or biological contaminant is found to be the cause of discomfort, then the diagnosis may be augmented to building-related illness.Causes of Sick Building Syndrome

CAUSES: Several factors have been identified as indication of sick building syndrome.

What are the factors associated with SBS? These include:

• Indoor chemical contaminants. A good number of indoor products emit volatile organic compounds that can cause SBS when inhaled. These include adhesives, copy machines, carpeting, upholstery, cleaning supplies, pesticides, asbestos fibers, formaldehyde, cigarette smoke and stoves as well.

• Outdoor chemical contaminants: Ventilation systems installed indoors can often pump in outdoor pollution. If air intake vents and windows are located near plumbing vents, sources of motor vehicle exhaust or combustion byproducts, then SBS may result.

• Biological contaminants: Mold, fungus, pollen, bacteria and viruses have been associated with SBS. These indoor contaminants often accumulate in damp areas or where stagnant water is situated.

• Poor ventilation: buildings that fail to properly circulate outdoor air into the indoor environment have been linked to SBS. This is largely due to both stagnation and buildup of indoor chemical contaminants.

How to Fix Sick Building Syndrome: There are a number of potential solutions to sick building syndrome. For the best results, a combination of several solutions may be necessary. Common ways to eliminate sick building syndrome include:

• Upgrade the ventilation rates.

• Install and maintain high-performance indoor air filters. Change all filters regularly.

• If indoor or biological contaminants are to be blamed, then taking steps to eliminate or minimize their prevalence is the preferred solution to SBS. Some of the simplest methods to achieve this is to remove water-soaked carpets; floor rugs / rags; clean the drywalls and ceiling tiles, improve all ventilation in areas of high contaminant concentration (storage closets, bathrooms, etc.), and you must implement indoor smoking bans. Do all cleaning, upkeep and maintenance work during periods of low occupancy.

• Education helps. Ensure all occupants understand indoor hazards and its causes. They must know the solutions, and know for sure that often we ourselves are the cause and solutions of sick building syndrome. Every indoor individual must take relevant steps to reduce rising of these symptoms.