By: Janice Hamilton
Does this scene sound familiar? At the office, you experience a sore throat, a dry nose, fatigue, headaches, dizziness, nausea, and perhaps forgetfulness. Then, when you get home, the symptoms generally disappear.
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Symptoms like sore throat, dry nose, fatigue, headaches, dizziness, nausea and forgetfulness are not just in your head. Researchers agree that sick building syndrome is real |
If you answered 'yes' to that question, you may be suffering from sick building syndrome, or SBS.
Rest assured - the symptoms are not "just in your head." Researchers agree that SBS is real, the result of a wide range of possible problems with the office environment, including inadequate ventilation and the growth of fungi. Identifying the main cause of your particular problem, however, may not be a simple matter.
A few of these building-related maladies can make you seriously ill. The best known of these is Legionnaires' disease, a sometimes-fatal, influenza-like illness caused by bacteria that can grow in contaminated air-conditioning systems. The disease, which is now treatable with antibiotics, got it its name after a group of American Legion members attending a convention were infected in 1976.
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Some World Health Organization experts think up to 30 per cent of new or renovated office buildings may cause air quality-related health complaints |
According to Concordia University engineering professor Fariborz Haghighat, dramatic illnesses like Legionnaire's Disease are rare. It is much more common for workers to struggle with the day-to-day symptoms of SBS; in fact, some World Health Organization experts think that up to 30% of new or renovated buildings may cause air quality-related health complaints. And not all office workers are affected to the same degree. While some sick buildings may cause symptoms in the bulk of the workforce, in other cases only the more sensitive subjects suffer.
"The main cause of complaints is the lack of fresh air," says Haghighat, who recently studied 20 Montreal office buildings. Fresh air needs to circulate freely in order to flush out old, stale air, but building managers sometimes reduce fresh air to cut heating and cooling costs. Too many people may work in a space than it was designed for, or, especially in remodeled buildings, vents may be placed so that fresh air doesn't reach the areas where people work. And sometimes outside air intakes bring in air that is contaminated with vehicle exhaust or other pollutants.
Low levels of many contaminants often circulate in office air, including formaldehyde and other volatile organic compounds from building materials, carpets, furnishings, cleaning materials, paints and adhesives; fumes from copying and printing machines; cigarette smoke; pesticides; and asbestos.
The role of biological pollutants, such as moulds, fungi and bacteria that grow in air conditioners or other moist areas, is of increasing concern to SBS researchers. High concentrations of unusual, toxic fungi that thrive in wet areas can be spread through ventilation systems. At McGill University, epidemiologist Dr. Richard Menzies reduced the incidence of SBS by using ultraviolet light to kill these fungi, and he is experimenting further.
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You should keep a diary of your symptoms and speak to your co-workers and supervisor or union representative |
Other factors that may contribute to discomfort include temperatures that are too warm or too cold, uncomfortable humidity levels and lack of daylight. The individual employee's inability to control these factors may add to distress. Researchers are still examining the role of psychological and social factors, such as job-related stress, in SBS.
Wanda Howe, of the Inquiries Office of the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, frequently fields questions about office air quality, and observes that callers are particularly frustrated when experts have tested the air in their buildings and can't identify a specific irritant.
If you think SBS is affecting you and your office colleagues, there is a good chance you can do something about it by identifying and eliminating the sources of contaminants in the air, and improving ventilation.
You should keep a diary of your symptoms and speak to your co-workers and supervisor or union representative. Then arrange for an expert to look at the problem along with the building owner. Regular preventive maintenance of the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system is key. Leaks that cause moisture problems should be remedied. And while there are no occupational health and safety regulations for indoor air quality, the Canadian Building Code recommends following U.S. guidelines for ventilation and thermal comfort.
Each building has its own set of problems and solutions, but common to all are the need for preventive maintenance, good design, cooperation between the parties involved and education.
Janice Hamilton is a Montreal freelance journalist specializing in science and health issues.
Get More/Do More
Send for Office Air: A Worker's Guide to Air Quality in Offices, Schools and Hospitals. It is available free from Communications Directorate, Health Canada, Tunney's Pasture, Ottawa, K1A 0K9. You can also download it from Health Canada (see address below.)
You can direct questions to the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) at 1-800-668-4284.
CCOHS also publishes an Indoor Air Quality Health and Safety Guide for $10.00 per copy ($8 a copy for orders of five or more.) Call to order, or go to www.ccohs.ca.
www.epa.gov/iaq - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has a good overview of office air quality issues.
www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ehp/ehd - Health Canada's Environmental Health Program. Search for office air quality.
www.presenting.net/sbs/sbslinks.html - Interesting links on SBS from a personal web page.
www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers - Information about a variety of occupational health and safety issues.
www.cdc.gov/niosh/baqtoc.html - Building Air Quality - A Guide for Building Owners and Facility Managers. Quite technical, but you can download all or parts of this U.S. government document.
res.agr.ca/brd/mycology/course/iaqlinks.htm - Links to all you ever needed to know about moulds and fungi.
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