Combat Sick Building Syndrome with Air Purifiers
Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) is a situation that affects many building owners that rent out units to tenants. SBS, as described by PubMed Central, is used to describe a situation in which the occupants of a building experience acute health- or comfort-related effects that seem to be linked directly to the time spent in the building. No specific illness or cause can be identified. The complaints may be localized to a particular room or zone or may be widespread throughout the building. It is important for the building owner to take these observations and complaints seriously and note all the reported symptoms. Some illnesses may also result from other causes like a preexisting illness or other allergies, job-related stress or dissatisfaction and psychosocial factors, so it is important to gather all information and do your due diligence as a building owner.
Symptoms of Sick Building Syndrome
Finding the exact cause of SBS is crucial to treating it. However, this can be done only when you observe the symptoms. Notice if your building occupants are exhibiting the following symptoms:
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Respiratory issues such as cough, chest pain, occupational asthma, shortness of breath, and extrinsic allergic alveolitis in certain cases
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Chronic fatigue and lethargy
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Eye, nose, and throat irritation
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Nausea, dizziness, and headaches
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Rashes and skin irritation
If your occupants tell you that they are experiencing these symptoms, document them and look for the potential cause.
Potential Causes of Sick Building Syndrome
If you suspect SBS, make sure to check the following sources. There could be a combination of factors that are affecting your indoor air quality (IAQ):
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Inadequate ventilation
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Electromagnetic radiation
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Psychological factors
Chemical Contaminants
Outdoor chemical contaminants include car exhaust, urban waste, pesticides, smog, and forest fires and can contaminate the indoor air quality of the entire building. They enter the building through intake vents, windows or other openings.
According to the EPA, chemical contaminants from indoor air sources come from various products inside the building. For example, adhesives, carpeting, upholstery, manufactured wood products, copy machines, pesticides, and cleaning agents may emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including formaldehyde. Environmental tobacco smoke contributes high levels of VOCs, other toxic compounds, and respirable particulate matter. Research shows that some VOCs can cause chronic and acute health effects at high concentrations, and some are known carcinogens
Biological Contaminants
Increased humidity or moisture are common sources of biological contaminants. They are often seen in stagnant water that has accumulated in ducts, humidifiers, and drain pipes where water collects. Biological contaminants include living organisms such as bacteria, mold, viruses, dust mites, cockroaches, and more. It also includes by-products of living organisms such as pet dander, pollen, insect droppings, mold, and more. These biological contaminants settle in different building parts such as carpets, curtains, rugs, tiles, ceilings, air vents, ventilation systems, and more.
Inadequate Ventilation
Depending on when the building was constructed it may not meet correct ventilation standards in order to maintain the health and comfort of building occupants. The HVAC system may also not be up to date and effectively distribute air throughout the building.
Electromagnetic Radiation
Electromagnetic radiation includes visible and invisible light. The CDC describes this as visible radiation we detect with our eyes. The only difference between various colors of light is in their wavelength and frequency or in other words in their energy. Red light, for example, has less energy than purple light. Examples included infrared, microwaves, radio waves, x-rays, and ultraviolet radiation.
Psychological Factors
Cornell University points out that belief and imagination processes work to influence what we create or choose as hypotheses to explain what we believe to be happening in the environment and inside our bodies. Once we believe that the air we are breathing contains a colorless, odorless, yet noxious pollutant which causes eye irritation, we will selectively attend to eye sensations for confirmation of exposure, and unconsciously we even may behave to create this information, by rubbing our eyes more frequently than normal thereby increasing irritation sensations. Such behaviors are, for example, quite common. If a person thinks about how itchy his/her nose is, they will eventually scratch it, and so forth. Complaints of poor IAQ and reports of SBS usually are more perplexing to diagnose because results of IAQ studies of buildings often fail to find highly contaminated air, and in these cases simply increasing the ventilation rate may not resolve IAQ complaints. The reasons for this lie in the research findings that show that IAQ complaints and SBS are influenced by various non-environmental variables, such as personal, occupational, and psychological factors, which are thought to affect individual sensitivities and susceptibilities to IAQ problems (Hedge, Erickson, and Rubin, 1992, 1995, 1996). Understanding the role which these various non-environmental variables can play helps to resolve IAQ problems.
What Do You Do If You Suspect Sick Building Syndrome?
A definitive cause of SBS is difficult to pinpoint. So, property managers must conduct a healthy building inspection to determine whether the occupants suffer from Sick Building Syndrome.
During the inspection ask your occupants and building employees questions to see if they are experiencing any of the symptoms of SBS. Document what year the complex was built and try to look for dirt or dust accumulating near air diffusers. Inspect the HVAC system to identify if there is any mold or microbial growth. Try to detect unusual odors that don’t seem to go away easily. Finally, you can conduct an air sampling for contaminants to get a snapshot. The EPA points out that, “Air sampling should not be undertaken until considerable information on the factors listed above has been collected, and any sampling strategy should be based on a comprehensive understanding of how the building operates and the nature of the complaints.”
If you find that most of these things are happening in the building, it is possible that your building occupants are suffering from SBS.
What is the Solution?
It is important to be proactive if you suspect SBS.
Pollutant source removal or modification
If your inspection uncovers water damage or stagnant water, make sure to remediate the areas. Routine HVAC maintenance, emissions venting, and storage of paints/pesticides/solvents in well-ventilated areas.
Increase ventilation rates
Make sure that your building is up to code and following the OSHA and ASHRAE ventilation standards.
Air cleaning
Commercial air purifiers can be helpful in reducing airborne particles after a remediation and improve the overall air quality. Medify Air’s air purifiers are made with True HEPA filters. The HEPA filter material is tested to remove 99.9% of airborne particles from 0.1 to 0.3 microns.
Most of Medify Air’s air purifiers also utilize carbon filtration which can adsorb chemicals often found in buildings experiencing issues of SBS.
To get high-quality and advanced air purifiers for residential and commercial buildings, explore the offerings at Medify Air. If you are unsure of the correct unit for your space, then you can schedule a consultation and create an air quality plan. Keep your building safe and your tenants healthy with Medify Air purifiers. Contact our sales team now to schedule a consultation.
