It’s Friday morning at the office, and you’ve got a headache. In fact, you’ve had a headache at work every day this month, from the moment you set foot in the office to the time you leave for the day. It could be stress-related, or the product of a flu that’s been going around. But if your mysterious headaches seem to follow the same work schedule as you, the problem may be the office itself. You’re not sick. The building is.

What is sick building syndrome?

Sick building syndrome (SBS) is a general term that describes the health effects of spending time in a contaminated building. It’s often difficult to identify a specific illness or cause of SBS, which should not be confused with building-related illness, an illness attributed to specific airborne contaminants (for example Legionnaires’ disease). Symptoms of SBS usually lessen soon after the sufferer leaves the building. These symptoms include:

• Headache
• Irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat
• Dry cough
• Dry or itchy skin
• Dizziness and nausea
• Difficulty concentrating
• Fatigue
• Sensitivity to odors

What causes SBS?

Improved construction has made buildings more airtight, reducing the amount of fresh air circulating indoors. Add to that more complex building materials and chemicals used in upholstery, detergents, and paint, and you’ve got an indoor environment teeming with pollutants. Here are some specific causes of SBS:

1. Poor indoor air quality. The low-ventilation systems in many newer office buildings recycle as much as 80% of indoor air. Recycled air is much more likely to be contaminated with molds, fungi, and dust mites.
2. Volatile organic compounds, or VOCs. These chemical irritants are released as gases from compounds found in copier and printer toners, glues and adhesives, and markers. Formaldehyde, a common culprit in SBS, can be found in upholstery, drapery fabrics, and some furniture and paneling.
3. Biological contaminants. These include bacteria, molds, pollens, and viruses. Biological contaminants can breed anywhere stagnant water has accumulated, such as ducts, ceiling tiles, and even carpeting and insulation.

The Environmental Protection Agency warns that indoor humidity and temperature levels may increase the effects of SBS. Low humidity can increase dust pollution, and high humidity can create a breeding ground for molds and fungi. Extreme fluctuations in temperature also may help release VOCs into the air, researchers say.

What can I do?

Your best defense against a sick building is to avoid the risks that contribute to SBS. Here’s how:

• Increase ventilation by opening windows and inside doors.
• Avoid potential irritants such as colognes or perfumes, scented soaps, and air fresheners.
• Keep a record of the SBS-related symptoms of coworkers.
• Talk to a local health official about conducting an investigation to find problems linked to SBS in your workplace.

Ask your office manager to:

• Store cleaning products, printer and copier toner, and other sources of contamination in well-ventilated areas away from workstations.
• Restrict smoking to designated areas.
• Maintain a fairly constant temperature and humidity level within the building.
• Alter or remove office furniture or supplies that cause problems for workers.

These strategies can help reduce SBS. One study at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, tracked 1,300 employees with SBS complaints. When the company moved to a new building with better ventilation, restricted smoking areas, and separate air circulation for photocopy rooms, the number of SBS complaints dropped by nearly half.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 15th, 2007 at 7:29 am and is filed under Environment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.