Have you ever experienced headaches, difficulties in breathing, itching of the skin, and eye irritation upon entering a building?
If so, it may be symptoms of sick building syndrome. Fret not as most of these symptoms tend to fade off a few hours after leaving the premise in which you’re experiencing said symptoms.
Many of us are hit with the abovementioned scenarios when we visit some places and more often than not, we’re unable to put our fingers on what exactly is causing us to feel that specific way. Well, to look more into this phenomenon, we’ve decided to dig a little into what sick building syndrome is. Here is what we found out!
TOUCH BASE
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), sick building syndrome (SBS) is a condition where a person exhibits certain symptoms when they have entered a building and these symptoms can be experienced without tangible causation. These symptoms may materialise on multiple occasions if the person visits the same building again.
According to the WHO, SBS is a condition where a person exhibits certain symptoms when they have entered a building and these symptoms can be experienced without tangible causation.
THE CULPRITS
There is no definite answer as to what causes sick building syndrome. However, that did not stop experts from coming up with plausible explanations as to what may trigger symptoms. The causes behind SBS may be:
- Insect or animal droppings – This revolves around pest droppings such as rodents and cockroaches.
- Bustling work environments – Noisy workplaces is believed to trigger SBS.
- Humidity – Moisture found in humidity facilitates the growth of mould.
- Stress at work or at school – High stress levels may induce unintended health consequences.
- Pesticides – Chemicals from pesticides may trigger symptoms when inhaled.
- Carbon monoxide – Sources that emmit carbon monoxide such as car exhaust may trigger SBS.
- Asbestos – Some types of paints and wall insulations found in buildings such as offices may trigger symptoms.
- Chemical fumes from cleaning products – Indoor chemicals such as bleach and insecticides needs to be used with caution.
- Smoke from tobacco products – Environmental tobacco smoke most commonly caused by cigarettes may induce symptoms of SBS.
- Mold or fungus – Poor building sanitation that does not handle mold or fungus issues may trigger symptoms.
The symptoms of SBS are so wide that sometimes it can be mistaken for symptoms of the common cold or flu. The wide variety of symptoms also makes it difficult to narrow down the main cause.
The symptoms
According to the MyHEALTH portal set up by the Ministry of Health, symptoms of SBS can be divided into three different groups called Group A, Group B and Group C. Here are the breakdowns of each group.
Group A:
- Headache
- Lethargy
- Nausea
- Dizziness
Group B:
- Congestion
- Swollen eyes
- Irritation that affects the eyes, nose, and throat
- Subclinical symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, and nausea
- Cough
- Shortness of breath
- Fever after entering the building
- Diagnosed infections
BOTTOM LINE
Whilst you may not know the exact causes of SBS, you can still take some well-deduced precautions or steps to reduce the risk factors of SBS by:
- Thorough office, home, or building maintenance.
- Avoiding or minimising the use of toxic building materials when renovating the house.
- Eco-friendly pest control done by licensed operators.
- Regular cleaning to avoid dust accumulation.
- Avoid smoking or being in the vicinity of a person who’s smoking.
- Proper maintenance of air conditioners at home.
- Conduct immediate fix ups such as repairing leakages to avoid fungus growth.
- Consider installing an air purifier.
Whilst it’s widely thought that poor indoor air quality may be the main cause behind SBS, the precise cause is still unknown. Despite the lack of concrete causation, you can still take necessary precautions to decrease your risk factors.
