Sick Building Syndrome

General Information:

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People spend most of their time indoors with some estimates being that humans spend more than 90% of their lives inside constructed environments. Over time, the construction of buildings has increasingly focused on energy efficiency and comfort. Central heating and cooling systems are the norm, and home and office construction has moved toward minimizing heat or cool air loss by making buildings more airtight. At the same time, more complex materials are being used for furniture, clothing, fabrics, cleaners, detergents, and preservatives. Coupled, these and other parallel trends have created buildings where the exposure to foreign proteins, dusts, and gases through inhalation has gone far beyond what historically has been the case. This fact sheet discusses the concept of the "sick building syndrome," the types of allergens or stimuli most likely to be found in today's buildings, and how individuals can better cope with contemporary construction of indoor environments.

What is "Sick Building Syndrome"?

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In the 1970s, health care providers were faced with increasing numbers of people having headaches and allergic-like reactions to unspecified stimuli. Some of the reactions included lethargy, fatigue, headache, dizziness, nausea, irritation of mucous membranes, eye and/or nasopharyngeal irritation, and sensitivity to odors. Through exploration over several years, these reactions were linked to common symptoms of people in specific buildings and a lack of symptoms when these people were not in the buildings. This spectrum of specific and non-specific complaints, when tied to a particular building, became known as the "sick building syndrome."

What are the symptoms frequently associated with sick building syndrome:

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• Headache, fatigue and shortness of breath.
• Sinus congestion, cough and sneezing.
• Eye, nose, throat, and skin irritation.
• Dizziness and nausea.

Because not everyone has the same sensitivities, it is understandable that one building occupant may suffer from the above symptoms while another person in the same area may have no ill effects. People who are most susceptible to the effects of poor indoor air quality are:

• Individuals suffering from allergies or asthma.
• People with respiratory diseases.
• People with compromised immune systems.
• Contact lens wearers.

How Can I Know if a Health Reaction is Due to a Sick Building?

The following list can be used as a guide to help you determine if you have a potential outbreak of “sick building syndrome”:

• Symptoms are widespread among building occupants.
• The symptoms disappear when people leave the building for long periods of time (e.g., weekends).
• The onset of the symptoms is sudden.
• Persons with allergies, asthma or chemical sensitivities have reactions indoors but not when they are outside.
• A doctor has found a building occupant has an indoor air-related illness
.

Killing black mold products:

Clean-air is a Biocide that controls contaminants that often cause poor indoor air quality and "sick building syndrome" at the source of the HVAC system. Also, Clean-air MicroBiocide prevents damage caused by plugged drains by eliminating slime deposits. Clean-air is user friendly and there is no need to evacuate the premise during application. It is easily applied with the use of the sprayer provided or with any compressed air sprayer or fogging device for central air conditioning units.