Sick Buildings
As we enter into many buildings each day, whether it is for work, schools, eating at a restaurant or even the local police station, are we thinking that our everyday exposures can be harmful to our health? ... Twenty years ago, sick buildings complaints were frequently ignored because many believed the idea from becoming sick from being at work was a case of emotional disputes, but as times have changed and theses approaches have faded and become more concentrated on due to the research that links the symptoms caused my sick buildings. ... Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) currently identifies the indoor air quality in buildings and homes one of the top five environmental health issues. Of the 90% of time people spend in buildings; half of that time is spent at work. The pollutant levels at these office buildings are two to five times more concentrated than the outdoor air we breathe. A 1984 World health Organization Committee suggested that up to 30% of all new and remodeled buildings are currently the topics of complaints due to the response if the 1970’s energy crisis. ... Since the energy crisis, buildings began to create airtight buildings with little to no window for air ventilation. Some of the diseases caused by sick buildings are Sick Building Syndrome (SBS), which affects building occupants that experience severe health and comfort effects that appear to be linked to the amount of time spent in that particular building. ... If a building is poorly ventilated or rarely cleaned the system will pump the harmful contaminants through buildings and homes. ... Buildings are tightly sealed and may lack adequate ventilation leading to mold and moisture buildup. Mol spores travel in and out of buildings as the air circulates with the movement of people and their belongings. ... Although there may be visual identification of the presence of mold in buildings or on materials but that does not necessarily mean people will contract and health affects.