Did you know that The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that illnesses related to Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) could lead to the premature death of 3.2 million individuals. The diseases that occur through home air pollution are insufficient combustion of solid fuels and cooking kerosene. Researchers consider the quality of the indoor environment to be the ultimate reason for the occurrence of sick building syndrome. The WHO introduced SBS in 1983, and thousands of research experiments have examined this concern, since then.

The WHO defines Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) as any pain or irritation without an identifiable cause. SBS is a condition where building occupants experience health issues and discomfort associated with time spent indoors. It features symptoms that occur while spending time in indoor settings such as workplaces, homes, gyms, etc. Since humans spend about 90% of their time indoors, it is crucial to ensure good indoor environmental quality.

To all the researchers and enthusiasts in this field, I present keyword statistical analysis based on SBS. Past studies on sick-building syndrome, primarily focused on seven keywords or factors. The factors are building types, indoor environment, ventilation, humans, risk, psychosocial factors, and health. Furthermore, each keyword has certain parameters to understand and assess the same. To get a better understanding of the causes affecting the indoor environment, grab the following:

a) Building types:

The three major indoor spaces that have a high impact from sick building syndrome are:

• Home
• School
• Office

b) Human:

In the humane aspect, a specific set of people are more vulnerable to sick building syndrome due to longer indoor stays. They are:

• Women
• Children
• Office Workers

c) Risk:

A few health-impacting factors can risk your life and last negative impact throughout your life. Those factors include:

• Indoor air: volatile organic compounds, formaldehyde, and carbon dioxide.
• Microorganisms: fungi, mold, and bacteria.
• Indoor climate: dust, bioaerosols, and dampness.

d) Ventilation:

One of the most crucial factors in evaluating the overall indoor efficiency of a space. The ventilation factors are:

• Natural Ventilation
• Ventilation system
• Ventilation rate

e) Indoor Environment:

The primary cause of Sick Building Syndrome is often attributed to the quality of the indoor environment. The IEQ factors include:

• Indoor Air Quality
• Indoor Pollution
• Thermal Comfort
• Air-Conditioning

f) Health:

Every disease starts with a symptom and leads to illness. The factors that impact health in the indoor environment are:

• Symptoms: asthma, allergy, respiratory symptoms
• Illness: multiple chemical sensitizations, hypersensitization pneumonitis, and chronic fatigue syndrome

e) Psychosocial

The effective performance of an occupant depends on the quality of the environment. Poor air quality and a rise in temperature can significantly affect productivity. To reduce sick building syndrome, consider the following factors:

• Stress
• Cognitive Performance

10 Causes Affecting Indoor Environment:

1) Inadequate Ventilation:

Ventilation is the flow and circulation of outside air within the space to dilute and remove internal contaminants. When a space lacks this essential process without the right size and number of windows or openings, it leads to discomfort.

Impact: This inadequate ventilation can increase thermal discomfort and lead to respiratory issues and headaches.

2) Intemperate Humidity:

It is a situation when you feel the flow of air is difficult to breathe and move as it presses against your skin. Generally, humidity is a measure of water content in air in the form of gas, sometimes populated with hydrogen and nitrogen. In this scenario, our lungs have to work harder to get oxygen in the air.

Impact: When an occupant experiences it in the same indoor space for quite a long time, it can significantly affect health. The possible concerns are mold & mildew, allergies, and respiratory issues.

3) Thermal Discomfort:

It is a personal subjective condition that an individual experiences in a setting that is either closed, partly closed, or semi-open. The rise in air temperature, ambient temperature, relative humidity, and insufficient ventilation collectively contribute to thermal discomfort. This is one of the primary reasons architects use passive design strategies in their architectural designs.

Impact: Uncomfortable temperatures can lead to fatigue and reduce concentration in a workspace or school. This extreme temperature can intensify pre-existing health conditions.

4) Lack of Daylight:

Natural daylight is a significant factor in maintaining both physical and psychological well-being. Factors like the amount of light, sight, view, glare, illumination level, uniformity of daylight (UDI), and the rendering quality of light are crucial. Also, insufficient exposure to those factors can have several negative impacts.

Impact: Daylight helps to regulate the body’s internal clock, which includes sleep patterns, hormone release, and overall mood. Insufficient daylight can disrupt the circadian rhythm and also lead to reduced vitamin D levels, depressive symptoms, and eye strain.

5) Artificial Lighting Load:

The type, intensity, and quality of artificial lighting can impact occupant health. There needs to be more lighting to make tasks easier to perform and lead to slower work performance. The ultraviolet radiation and blue components have the potential to cause harm.

Impact: Visible and IRA radiations penetrate deep into the skin and eye, while UVC, IRB, and IRC are less. Overexposure to UV causes short-term burns and long-term skin cancer risk. Nighttime exposure increases breast cancer risk, sleep, gastrointestinal, mood, and cardiovascular disorders.

6) Indoor Air Pollution:

Indoor air pollution poses a significant risk to human health due to harmful pollutants. It is a major concern in developing countries, where often people burn fuel for cooking and heating. The lack of indoor green plants, carpet in all entrances, air curtains, and more results in poor indoor air quality in habitable spaces.

Impact: Indoor air pollutants like dust, mold, and VOCs can irritate the respiratory tract and trigger allergic reactions. It causes headaches and migraines and eye, nose, and throat irritation. Long-term exposure to these pollutants can impair cognitive function, concentration, memory, and mental performance. The overall impact can significantly affect the quality of life

7) Noise & Vibration:

In residential, commercial, and industrial settings, acoustic comfort is often an overlooked aspect of an indoor environment. The placement, size, and usage of HVACs to mechanically ventilate lead to noise and vibration problems. Several types of office equipment, such as phones, computers, fax machines, and printers, as well as noise from outside, contribute significantly to the overall noise level. Additionally, efficiency in the learning process between instructors and students has a key impact on the success of acoustics.

Impact: Poor acoustics and noise can cause stress and begin with symptoms like headaches, high blood pressure, digestive disorders, hypertension, stomach ulcers, and more. These symptoms and concerns have previously been associated with Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) and its links to noise and vibration.

8) Chemical Contaminants:

The pollutants produced in indoor environments can negatively affect occupant health from various sources within the building. This chemical presence can contribute to sick building syndrome (SBS). The chemical contaminants include asbestos, fiberglass, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, and cigarette smoke. Uncontrolled entry of contaminants into the interior areas can be caused by carelessly placed windows, openings, ventilation vents, plumbing vents, car exhaust, building exhaust from the kitchen and bathroom, and combustion byproducts from the environment.

Impact: Chemical pollutants may result in long-term problems, including cancer, neurological disorders, and respiratory ailments. The short-term symptoms include headaches and general discomfort.

9) Spatial Discomfort

The concepts “visual,” “thermal,” “acoustic,” and “air quality” may all be defined with ease, but “spatial” cannot. Even yet, they are essential for comprehending human needs and the useful application of space. Spatial discomfort refers to physical dissatisfaction with the layout and design of indoor spaces. It includes cramped space, uncomfortable furniture, poor ergonomic design, and poorly arranged workstations.

Impact: For instance, a cramped workspace or poor workstation can cause back or neck pain. Overcrowded workspaces not only cause ergonomic issues but also hinder airflow, increasing the pollutants. It can also cause chronic pain like back, shoulder, and joint pains. Ultimately, it reduces job satisfaction and productivity.

10) Uncontrolled tobacco smoke:

Tobacco smoke is a significant source of indoor air pollution in commercial and industrial settings. Exposure to tobacco smoke, particularly for non-smokers, results in health risks due to passive smoking (secondhand smoke). In environments lacking designated smoking areas or smoking rooms, uncontrolled tobacco smoke exacerbates indoor air pollution by contributing to elevated levels of harmful pollutants.

Impact: It can cause lung cancer and mucous membrane irritation and affect the bronchial or alveolar immune systems.

Several symptoms attributed to sick building syndrome (SBS) may occur when inhabitants are exposed to poor indoor settings. Sick building syndrome poses a risk to the well-being of its occupants and has an undesirable impact on productivity. On the flip side, the idea of a “healthy building” emphasizes its most promising ideas, which include maintaining IAQ and temperature control, making the most of daylight, offering an ergonomic workspace, and giving inhabitants opportunities to interact with nature.

Let’s avoid sickness by addressing Sick Building Syndrome (SBS)!

Content Writing And Research By: Ar. Baarat Krishna