For many people living in the Greater Phoenix area, spring time, and February in particular, is a time where everyone seems to fall ill due to allergies, etc. But one of the more interesting “illnesses” that Parker & Sons, one of Arizona’s highly esteemed HVAC, electrical, and plumbing service providing companies wants you to know about is Sick Building Syndrome (SBS).While buildings don’t become sick like humans or other living things, they can certainly make their occupants ill. “Sick building syndrome is a real thing. And it is a really serious thing!” said Parker & Sons representative, Justine Kelly. “It is all about air quality… if the air is not good and clean, then people are bound to become sick. It is really an inevitable and unfortunate thing, but a thing that the public should be very aware of… especially for people who live in apartments and condos…”
Sick building syndrome has a few causal factors, but the vast majority of causes relate to the following: poor air quality due to poor ventilation within the building, chemical contaminations coming from both indoor and outdoor sources, volatile, natural organic compounds, and biological contaminants.
Additionally, the presence of things such as mold, bacteria, pollen, and other allergens all contribute to sick building syndrome, and all have a negative impact on people’s short and long term health.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a study conducted in 1984 exposed that nearly 30% of all remodeled and new buildings around the world were filled with these causal items, which in turn, led to the understanding that sick building syndrome was real and something that needed to be addressed with great concern and caution.
“The symptoms of having sick building syndrome come off as pretty mild, “said Justine Kelly. She further added to the statement by saying that “…it is usually confused with a virus or a cold, or a mild flu.” Symptoms of sick building syndrome really do mimic mild illnesses or allergies, as many people claim to suffer from fatigue, headaches, irritated eyes, sore throats, dry skin, or asthmatic symptoms.
If you believe that you could be suffering from sick building syndrome, it is important to contact your physician, as well as ensure that the building you are living in is up to regulatory code.