The Effects of Sick Building Syndrome
Have you ever noticed that when you turn on your heater or air conditioner, your eyes start to moisten or you start sneezing? If this is the case, you may be suffering from “Sick Building Syndrome.” When dust, pollen, pet dander, and other allergens accumulate inside the ducts, Sick Building Syndrome develops. As these allergens collect, they are blasted into the air and absorbed when the air conditioner or furnace is turned on. Watery eyes, sneezing, and other allergy symptoms ensue. Dirty air ducts are a typical cause of Sick Building Syndrome, therefore if you have allergy problems, you should get your ducts cleaned.
Sick building syndrome (SBS) is a medical condition where people in a building suffer from symptoms of illness or feel unwell for no apparent reason. The symptoms tend to be temporary and disappear when the person leaves the building. SBS can affect a single room or an entire building and it can occur in both new and old buildings. Studies have shown that SBS is more common in office buildings than in any other type of building.
The main symptom of sick building syndrome is respiratory irritation but other symptoms may include skin irritation, headaches, dizziness, nausea, and fatigue. The symptoms occur when people are in the building and often improve or go away completely when they leave.
There are a number of potential causes of sick building syndrome but most cases are due to a combination of factors. These include poor ventilation, high levels of carbon dioxide, low humidity levels, temperature extremes, pollutants from outside the building (e.g., vehicle exhaust), and indoor pollutants from office equipment (e.g., photocopiers) or cleaning products.
Most cases of sick building syndrome can be treated by making changes to the environment such as increasing ventilation or adding humidifiers to increase humidity levels. In some cases, using different office equipment or switching to less-toxic cleaning products may also be necessary. In rare cases where sick building syndrome is caused by an infectious disease (e.g., tuberculosis), specific treatment for the disease will be required in addition to environmental changes.
If you’re experiencing symptoms like watery eyes, sneezing, respiratory irritation, skin irritation, headaches, dizziness, nausea, and fatigue without any apparent cause, you may be suffering from sick building syndrome. Sick building syndrome is more common in office buildings than any other type of building and it’s usually caused by a combination of poor ventilation, high carbon dioxide levels, low humidity levels, temperature extremes, pollutants from outside the building, and indoor pollutants from office equipment or cleaning products.
Most cases of sick building syndrome can be treated by making changes to the environment such as increasing ventilation or adding humidifiers to increase humidity levels but in some cases, additional treatment may be necessary. If you think you may have sick building syndrome, talk to your doctor about what options are available to you.