Sick Building Syndrome: Causes, Symptoms, and Solutions

Understanding Sick Building Syndrome: Causes and Solutions

Improving indoor air quality is now a major concern for people all across the county, and for good reason. According to the American Lung Association, individuals in the United States spend up to 90% of their time inside a building. Unfortunately, not all structures are built to the same specifications, and sometimes, contaminants, design flaws, or poor ventilation can make certain buildings unhealthy for occupants. Let’s dive into the facts about sick building syndrome, including causes, symptoms, and effective methods for resolving the issue.

Understanding Sick Building Syndrome

If you’ve never heard of it before, you’re likely wondering: What is sick building syndrome? To put it simply, sick building syndrome is a term that refers to a range of harmful symptoms people experience when they’re inside certain buildings. In 2023, a research article by Frontiers found that among 261 study participants, some 41% reported experiencing health problems associated with the structure they occupy. While this particular study focused on how poor housing conditions contribute to sick building syndrome, the findings illustrate how environmental factors associated with certain buildings can have a dramatic impact on the health and well being of those inside.

Common Causes of Sick Building Syndrome (SBS)

There are many different reasons why people experience SBS when in or around certain buildings. In some cases, indoor pollutants come from biological sources like mold, pollen, viruses, bacteria or fungus are the main culprit causing unpleasant symptoms. Other times chemical indoor contaminants are to blame for sick building syndrome symptoms, such as volatile organic compounds released from indoor sources like aerosols, cleaning products, or construction materials. Chemical contaminants may also stem from outdoor sources that get inside the building, such as polluted air from a nearby congested roadway that finds its way into the air intake vents. Other common causes of SBS include:

Poor Ventilation: Inadequate ventilation may cause buildings to retain more contaminants and pollutants that can cause SBS in people. Buildings that contain fireplaces, stoves or furnaces are especially at risk as combustible materials release harmful VOCs into the indoor air and should explore improving ventilation rates.

Building Design Flaws: Sometimes the design of the building is to blame for SBS symptoms. These flaws may include poor air sealing of windows or doors, air intake vents located near known sources of pollution, or water leaks caused by a damaged roof.

Psychological Factors: The way occupants feel about the building may also contribute to sick building syndrome. General unhappiness with the job or lack of cohesion among coworkers may exasperate symptoms.

Symptoms of Sick Building Syndrome

People who suffering from SBS may experience a range of common symptoms such as dizziness, general malaise or “brain fog”, headaches, congestion, and throat irritation. Various physical symptoms resembling allergies or asthma may also be observed, including shortness of breath and coughing. Those with pre-existing risk factors like heart disease or diabetes may experience more severe symptoms. Long-term exposure to contaminants such as VOCs can also contribute to the development of certain cancers in people. Due to the strain these symptoms have on the body, people with sick building syndrome may become exposed to mental health risks as well like depression or anxiety.

Differentiating SBS from Similar Conditions

Due to the wide variety and ranging severity of SBS symptoms people experience, it’s easy to confuse SBS with other health issues. One of these conditions is multiple chemical sensitivity or MCS, a malady which causes some people to have unusually adverse reactions to low levels of various chemicals in the environment. In order to differentiate SBS from other illnesses, it’s necessary to conduct thorough sampling of the indoor air and determine the levels of contaminants circulating through the building.

At Attune IoT, we provide the smart building technology you need to quickly determine the types of pollutants or contaminants that could be making occupants sick. With our indoor air quality sensors, you’ll gain real-time access to all the factors impacting indoor air quality, including relative humidity, VOC levels, the presence of mold spores, and any traces of chemicals that could be causing sick building syndrome.

Importance of Indoor Air Quality

There is no debate about how poor air quality affects the well being of employees. According to a 2021 Harvard study, contaminated indoor air can cause cognition issues in workers which directly undermines their overall productivity. For this reason, investing in air quality improvements should take center stage for businesses seeking to get the most out of their workforce. By understanding the basics of IAQ metrics and the sources of potential contaminants, building managers are far better equipped to prevent issues like sick building syndrome from ever occurring in the first place.

Strategies for Prevention and Mitigation

Clogged, dirty or obsolete ventilation systems will contribute to the prevalence of SBS in your building. Consider putting resources toward air duct cleaning to remove dust and debris that could be undermining the efficiency of your ventilation systems. If your current HVAC units are inadequate for providing consistent ventilation throughout your building, it may be time to invest in more up-to-date models.

Using standard air filters may also contribute to more pollutants and contaminants making their way into air. To improve air quality, it may be time to start utilizing HEPA filters which are far better at capturing dust, mold spores, pollen and other forms of particulate matter.

Finally, make it a priority to make sure your building infrastructure receives consistent maintenance and cleaning to prevent the accumulation of indoor pollutants. This includes regularly vacuuming carpets, mopping up any standing water, and quickly addressing leaks that can disrupt humidity levels.

Role of Building Design and Maintenance

Taking steps to make your building more efficient can help offset the costs of energy improvements meant to improve indoor air quality. Explore green building solutions such as using recyclable materials for renovations or new construction to help save money. In addition, certain sustainability upgrades provide valuable tax breaks and incentives that can make your IAQ upgrades far more affordable. As you begin to revamp building infrastructure and maintenance routines for optimal performance and efficiency, be sure to conduct regular assessments to determine its impact on air quality.

Identifying and Diagnosing SBS

Understanding the extent to which SBS may be affecting your building, it’s essential to have access to the right technology. At Attune IoT, our integrated air quality monitoring solutions will help you to solve smart building problems faster and more efficiently than ever before. Track VOCs, C02, ozone levels, particulate matter, mold spores and harmful chemical levels in real-time so you can stop sick building syndrome from impacting occupants at your building. If you’re ready to take the next step in indoor air quality optimization, schedule a demo with us today to get started.