Sick Building Syndrome Testing

Apurva Chawre

Sick Building Syndrome is a term used usually to describe situations where building occupants experience health and comfort related effects, which appear to be linked to a time spent in a building. We do Sick building syndrome testing to identify pollutants which affects your indoor air quality and provide solutions to improve air quality.

Perfect Pollucon Services is an expert who monitor your workplace for the causes of sick building syndrome, which benefits you to keep your workforce happy productive and nontoxic.

Have you ever suffered from sudden headache, nausea, dry cough or itchy skin which somehow seemed to correlate with time spent in a particular building (indoor environment).

Noticed how you got relieved from these soon after leaving the building?

If yes, then there is a possibility you might be suffering from sick building syndrome.

What is Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) and its symptoms?

The symptoms experienced usually disappear in hours, or in some days after the occupant is away from that enclosed environment.

Some of the symptoms usually experienced are;

Eye, Nose or throat irritation (Mucous membrane irritations)
Cold, flu like symptoms (Fever, chills)
Increased incidence of asthma attacks
Unpleasant odour and taste sensation
Headache
Breathlessness, congestion
Nausea, Dizziness
Itchy skin, rashes, itchy and watery eyes
Fatigue, Body aches
Psychological effects: Impaired task performance, depression, mental sickness, difficulty in concentration, forgetfulness, irritability

These experiences/symptoms disappear when complainant is away from that enclosed environment. However, if anyone of you would be experiencing these symptoms, then continue reading to know how to identify, control and eliminate the major contributors to Sick Building Syndrome.

Causes of Sick Building Syndrome (SBS)

There are many factors that could cause Sick Building Syndrome. Commonly cited causes are;

Poor air quality
Inadequate ventilation
Chemical contaminants like VOCs, SOX, NOX, CO, Ozone, CO2, etc
Biological contaminants like viruses, mold, fungi, bacteria, dust mites, insects
Animal droppings
Tobacco smoke
Pesticides
High or low moisture content
Building materials
Noisy work environment
Dust
Illuminance, Rooms with poor lighting

Given the variety of factors that can cause SBS, it is difficult to pinpoint one cause. But, we can always diagnose our symptoms by recording when and where they start and when they go away. Also try to be more specific about the symptoms while recording.

If you are still not able to identify a cause, you can take help of Air Quality Testing Professionals. They would undergo indoor air quality tests to identify causes for sick building syndrome. Some of the tests carried under indoor air quality testing are for Carbon dioxide, Formaldehyde, VOCs, Mold spores, dust mites, wind flow, air ventilation rate, etc. You can contact Perfect Pollucon Services for Sick Building Syndrome testing Services.

Learn more about Ventilation Survey Report and Ventilation Survey Procedure.

Diagnosing our symptoms may be of assistance while preventing and treating SBS.

Sick Building Syndrome prevention

Prevention is the best treatment of any disease. And the best way to prevent Sick Building Syndrome is to reduce exposure to the causes of our symptoms.

Some simple steps to prevent Sick Building syndrome;

Increase ventilation and air distribution rate
Regularly clean wet or damp areas
Regularly vacuum or clean to remove dust
Install air purifiers or air cleaners
Grow indoor plants
Use paints with low VOC ratings
Choose building materials and furniture that release less or no harmful chemicals
Use cleaning products with low fumes and no fragrances
Get a test for possible indoor mold or fungus
Regularly clean light bulbs and replace them.
Maintain 40 – 70 % humidity level

Learn more about VOC Testing Methods & Procedures

Isn’t this simple? You just have to follow some simple steps to eliminate chances of Sick Building syndrome.