Can buildings make you sick? 

If you are an occupant of a building and you are experiencing acute health and comfort effects that appear to be linked to time spent in a building you need to know about Sick Building Syndrome (SBS). This term Sick Building Syndrome is used to describe situations in which a substantial proportion of building occupants experience discomfort and health effects that are relieved upon leaving the building. The complaints may be localized in a particular room or zone, or may be widespread throughout the building.

Indoor air quality may well be one of the most serious and least understood health problems facing industrial nations. In fact, The Environmental Protection Agency has reported that sick buildings cause an estimated loss of $61 billion a year in employee absenteeism, medical costs, reduced productivity, and lower earnings.

The causes of sick building syndrome are numerous but can be avoided with proper foresight by the designer and builder. A paradox in the building industry has caused an outbreak of Sick Building Syndrome. As engineers invent new and more efficient ways of holding air inside a structure, this contained air is often insufficiently circulated, allowing mold spores and mildew to collect which impedes free and clean breathing by the persons inside the building.

Human symptoms of Sick Building Syndrome range from repetitive office headaches
and common cold like symptoms to very serious ailments such as respiratory infections, asthma and extreme allergies. In some cases where radon or asbestos are present in the building, Sick Building Syndrome can lead to life-threatening illnesses, namely cancer.

The main causes of Sick Building Syndrome are:
· Poor Ventilation
· Lack of air movement
· Humidity
· Airborne pollution
· Biological contamination
· Uncomfortable temperature

According to a survey by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA),
one-third of the 70 million Americans who work indoors are quartered in buildings that are breeding grounds for an array of contaminants, from molds and bacteria to volatile organic compounds like formaldehyde. A 1996 Cornell University study found the problem was even worse: in every one of 35 buildings surveyed for the study, at least 20% of the occupants had experienced symptoms related to Sick Building Syndrome. Fear of job loss and eviction appear to be key factors in a widespread reluctance among employees and tenants to file complaints.