Is Your Building Making You Sick?

We spend 90% of our time indoors. While it’s widely accepted that outdoor air pollution has an impact on health, the effects of indoor air pollution are less recognised. There’s a phenomenon that causes a range of symptoms from stuffy noses to asthma, that is a result of the indoor air pollution in your building. This is known as Sick Building Syndrome.

The air outside may be thick and foggy with air pollution compared to inside, but the air indoors is two to five times more polluted than outdoor air. Often, we’ll see buildings that are sealed shut to save on heating and air conditioning costs, however an airtight building may not have proper ventilation to remove the pollutants from the air. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, poor indoor air quality can be found in about 30% of new and remodelled buildings.

These pollutants can cause respiratory, skin and neurological issues. Often occupants may mistake these symptoms with a cold or even flu. However, a key difference is that these symptoms are often alleviated when the occupant leaves the building.

Just some of the long list of symptoms include:

• Breathing difficulties
• Congestion
• Tightness in the chest
• Throat, eye and nasal irritation
• Allergy like symptoms such as sneezing
• Dry, itchy skin
• Dizziness
• Fatigue
• Nausea
• Body aches
• ‘Foggy’ head
• Headaches
• Forgetfulness
• Fever and chills

The biggest contributor to Sick Building Syndrome is ineffective ventilation. Throughout the day, contaminants are emitted into the air. These can include things like formaldehyde from wooden furniture and floors, ozone from printers, pesticides, condensation from kitchens, and even breathing.

With an effective ventilation system, these pollutants are extracted from the air to allow occupants to breath healthier, cleaner air.