This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages)
This article may have misleading content. Please help clarify the content.(November 2022)
This article needs more reliable medical references for verification or relies too heavily on primary sources. Please review the contents of the article and add the appropriate references if you can. Unsourced or poorly sourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Sick building syndrome" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR(November 2022)
(Learn how and when to remove this message)
Medical condition
Sick building syndrome
Specialty
Environmental medicine, immunology
Sick building syndrome (SBS) is a condition in which people develop symptoms of illness or become infected with chronic disease from the building in which they work or reside.[1]
The main identifying observation is an increased incidence of complaints of symptoms such as headache, eye, nose, and throat irritation, fatigue, dizziness, and nausea. The 1989 Oxford English Dictionary defines SBS in that way.[2] The World Health Organization created a 484-page tome on indoor air quality back in 1984 when SBS was attributed only to non-organic causes, and suggested that the book might form a basis for legislation or litigation.[3]
The outbreaks may or may not be a direct result of inadequate or inappropriate cleaning methods.[2] SBS has also been used to describe staff concerns in post-war buildings with misplanned building aerodynamics, defects in the construction materials or assembly process and-or inadequate maintenance.[2] Certain symptoms tend to increase in severity with the time people spend in the building; often improving over time or even disappearing when people are away from the building.[2][4] SBS is also used interchangeably with "building-related symptoms", which orients the name of the condition around patients' symptoms rather than a "sick" building.[5]
Attempts have been made to connect sick building syndrome to various causes, such as contaminants produced by outgassing of some types of building materials, volatile organic compounds (VOC), improper exhaust ventilation of ozone (byproduct of some office machinery), light industrial chemicals used within, or lack of adequate fresh-air intake/air filtration (see minimum efficiency reporting value).[2] Sick building syndrome has also been attributed to heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. However, there have been inconsistent findings on whether air conditioning systems result in SBS or not.[6]
^"Sick Building Syndrome" (PDF). World Health Organization. n.d.
^ abcdePassarelli, Guiseppe Ryan (2009). "Sick building syndrome: An overview to raise awareness". Journal of Building Appraisal. 5: 55–66. doi:10.1057/jba.2009.20.
^European Centre for Environment and Health, WHO (1983). WHO guidelines for indoor air quality: selected pollutants(PDF). EURO Reports and Studies, no 78. Bonn Germany Office: WHO Regional Office for Europe (Copenhagen).
^Stolwijk, J A (1991-11-01). "Sick-building syndrome". Environmental Health Perspectives. 95: 99–100. doi:10.1289/ehp.919599. ISSN 0091-6765. PMC 1568418. PMID 1821387.
^Indoor Air Pollution: An Introduction for Health Professionals(PDF). Indoor Air Division (6609J): U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. c. 2015.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
^Shahzad, Sally S.; Brennan, John; Theodossopoulos, Dimitris; Hughes, Ben; Calautit, John Kaiser (2016-04-06). "Building-Related Symptoms, Energy, and Thermal Control in the Workplace: Personal and Open Plan Offices". Sustainability. 8 (4): 331. doi:10.3390/su8040331.
and 24 Related for: Sick building syndrome information
Sickbuildingsyndrome (SBS) is a condition in which people develop symptoms of illness or become infected with chronic disease from the building in which...
government employees was condemned for sickbuildingsyndrome; that is, something indeterminate about the building itself made the occupants ill. "Condemnation...
manifestations in people working in office buildings with different prevalences of the sickbuildingsyndrome compared with the general population". International...
suggested as specific causes. These symptoms have been related to SickBuildingSyndrome, which involves symptoms such as irritation to the eyes, skin, and...
BACnet is a communication protocol for building automation and control (BAC) networks that use the ASHRAE, ANSI, and ISO 16484-5 standards protocol. BACnet...
1990). "In the Region: Connecticut and Westchester; The Problem of 'SickBuildingSyndrome'". The New York Times. Retrieved August 15, 2009. "ASHRAE Standard...
and E. The building received a Civic Trust Award in 1964. The Health Department's headquarters became notorious for sickbuildingsyndrome and the DHSS...
removing four of the five main toxins involved in the effects of sickbuildingsyndrome. However, its rate of filtration is too slow for practical indoor...
and well-being of building occupants. It has also been linked to sickbuildingsyndrome, reduced productivity, and impaired learning in schools. Common...
1930s. More recently, S. chartarum has been linked with so-called sickbuildingsyndrome. However, the link has not been firmly established in the scientific...
neutral temperature: Findings from a field study in Hyderabad, India". Building and Environment. 45 (3): 519–536. doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2009.07.006. Retrieved...
Pollen for allergic people Rabies Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) Sickbuildingsyndrome Psychological hazards include but are not limited to stress...
Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) (British) Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) (British) Verein Deutscher Ingenieure (VDI)...
mechanical room, boiler room or plant room is a technical room or space in a building dedicated to the mechanical equipment and its associated electrical equipment...
discovered that the building suffered from sickbuildingsyndrome, and although several hotels expressed interest in acquiring the building from its owners...
morale, but absences can also be caused by workplace hazards or sickbuildingsyndrome. Measurements such as the Bradford factor, a measurement tool to...
interior air from improperly maintained or defective systems, causing sickbuildingsyndrome and adverse effects for asthma and allergy sufferers. This can also...
reflexa Green wall Indoor air quality Phytoremediation Rain garden Sickbuildingsyndrome BC Wolverton; WL Douglas; K Bounds (September 1989). Interior landscape...
A building envelope or building enclosure is the physical separator between the conditioned and unconditioned environment of a building, including the...
Global Information
