A malaise that affects
occupants of a contaminated building during the time they spend in the
building and then diminishes during periods when they are away from the
building. Cannot be traced to specific pollutants or sources within the
building. The occupants complain of irritation in the eyes, nose and
throat. Manifestations also include a general feeling of mental
tiredness and a sense that there is a persistent odor in the space. See
also Building-Related Illness.
Indoor air pollution, despite rumors
to the contrary, is a source-dominated problem. Traditionally, planners
think that correcting the air quality in a building means changing,
adjusting, increasing or decreasing ventilation. Although ventilation is
often used as the panacea for the sick building, facility users cannot
cure the problem until the sources of indoor air pollution are
controlled.
Planners should do a "walk-through" analysis of their
HVAC system, including HVAC control strategies, if inadequate indoor air
quality is reported. The initial investigation should also include
available documentation of potential pollution sources and building
occupant concerns. Planners should also account for the impact of
lighting, acoustics, ergonomics and interpersonal relationships on sick
building syndrome complaints.
Ventilation systems can cause their
own potential problems in a sick building environment. It is important
that outdoor air used to dilute pollutants actually gets down to the
occupant of a workspace. A common ventilation design problem is that
locating supply and return air in the ceiling can prevent the
ventilation air from mixing throughout the space. The better design puts
the inlet and outlet systems at different levels in the room. The design
requires more expensive construction but provides better ventilation to
remove pollutants.
During the first six months of operation, a
building should provide excess ventilation. Increased ventilation rates
help overcome the problems associated with emission from construction
materials (off-gassing), a major cause of sick building syndrome.
