Sick Building Syndrome
What is Sick Building Syndrome? It is a situation where occupants of a building or other indoor space experience symptoms such as headache; eye, nose, or throat irritation; dry cough; dry and itchy skin; rash; dizziness and nausea; fatigue; or difficulty concentrating. There is no known cause for these symptoms, and they usually disappear once the sufferers leave the building.
Sick Building Syndrome is not to be confused with Building Related Illness. The symptoms of Building Related Illness can usually be attributed to a specific cause, such as bacteria, virus or other infectious agents. Symptoms can clinically be defined and can include cough, chest tightness, fever, chills and muscle aches. In the case of Building Related Illness, the sufferer continues to experience symptoms even after leaving the building, and may require an amount of time to recover from the illness.
While Building Related Illness can be addressed by medically treating the affected individuals, the same cannot be said about Sick Building Syndrome, since the cause of the symptoms are unknown. The best course of action is to inspect the “sick” building and to identify possible sources of or conditions contributing to air contamination, and then to take action to correct the situation. Solutions may involve the following: (1) ensuring proper air conditioner filter cleaning and/or replacement; (2) installing ventilation to move contaminants to the outdoors; and/or (3) ascertaining that the air conditioning system is operating at an air distribution rate that meets ventilation standards.
References
Healthy Building. “Sick Building Syndrome and Building Related Illness” Environmental Consulting. October 2, 2015.
United States Environmental Protection Agency “Indoor Facts No. 4 (revised) Sick Building Syndrome”. EPA Air and Radiation, Research and Development. February 1991.