The need to be energy-efficient has led people to construct homes with airtight building envelops. This has had some negative effects, such as reducing how well buildings are ventilated. As a result, sick building syndrome and building related illnesses are on the rise. This article discusses how sick building syndrome (SBS) and building related illness (BRI) differ. Use this information to help you to identify which of these two conditions could be affecting you.
Sick Building Syndrome
SBS refers to a condition in which an occupant of a building exhibits certain symptoms, such as dizziness, which disappear once that person exits the building. It is very hard to pinpoint the exact cause of the symptoms that the person suffers from when he or she is inside that building.
Different people living or working within the same building may experience or have different symptoms of the same condition (SBS). For instance, one person may feel that his or her chest is tight. Another person in the same building may cough endlessly.
Building Related Illness
BRI refers to a health condition that someone develops during his or her stay within given a building. That illness can be traced to a specific substance that the individual was exposed to while he or she was living or working in a specific building. For instance, someone could be diagnosed as suffering from Legionnaires' disease.
The symptoms of building related illnesses may persist after someone has left the building from which the exposure took place. This is unlike what happens in sick building syndrome where symptoms generally disappear once the individual leaves the affected building.
The Importance of Indoor Air Quality
Both SBS and BRI can be traced to poor indoor air quality. Poor indoor air quality can be caused by a variety of factors, such as the use of building materials containing toxic substances like formaldehyde. Biological agents, such as mould and pet dander, can also lower the indoor air quality.
Poor indoor air quality can have far-reaching health consequences. It is therefore very important for you to have your home inspected by a certified professional as soon as you suspect that you or a family member has developed SBS or BRI. The professional will interview as many building occupants as possible in order to get an idea about what further investigations to conduct. Only then will a definitive diagnosis be made upon which appropriate remedial measures can be taken to safeguard your family members from further harm. For more information about Air Quality Services, contact professionals today.
Share16 August 2016
It is important to let people know how much energy they are using with normal tasks around the school so they can make some sensible decisions about how they use appliances. We want to make sure that everyone at the school understands the focus on our usage and the effect that we can have on the environment, as well as the larger decision that the school is making such as motion-sensitive lights and replacing our energy-hogging older devices with new lower power using appliances. This blog talks about how to improve the energy efficiency of schools and will be useful for school administrators.