How many times have you put up with a sudden headache or bouts of sneezing or burning sensation in the eyes within minutes of walking into, say, your office? Meant to be a hub of productivity, the place becomes a battleground with you pitted against persistent discomfort, the cause of which you are unable to place a finger on. The enemy lies unseen, lurking within the walls and ventilation systems around you.
Sick Building Syndrome
(SBS) is today the least researched and a silent epidemic plaguing our living spaces — homes, schools, workplaces and industrial sites.
SBS is an umbrella term used to describe a range of non-specific health issues linked to poor
indoor air quality
but have no specific cause or diagnosis. It can be caused by a variety of factors, such as inadequate ventilation,
chemical pollutants
,
biological contaminants
or psychological stress.
Dr Shyam Pingle, a board member of the international commission on occupational health told TOI, “Often, printers release volatile gases, ozone, nanoparticles, and other substances that can accumulate in specific areas of buildings with inadequate ventilation. Even air conditioning systems that do not meet the standards set by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) can contribute to improper air exchange. As a result, carbon dioxide may accumulate, leading to chronic long-term discomfort for building occupants who are sensitive or allergic to these elements.”
However, beyond individual discomfort lies a larger concern — productivity plummets, absenteeism rises and healthcare costs spiral.
Rakhi Solanki, a schoolteacher in Paldi, says, “In 2019, my family moved into a new, furnished house. My husband and daughters would often scoff at my ‘imaginary illness’ and body aches. I had been consulting a skin specialist and two general physicians. After four years, when we replaced the false flooring with new tiles, the pain disappeared. The culprit was the fumes from the glue in the false flooring.” The World Health Organization (WHO) recom- mends 15 cubic feet per minute (cfm) of outside air for each building occupant primarily to remove odour.
It’s the everyday things that cause these discomforts — the components of dust in our homes or offices, mites that feed on discarded human skin, and volatile chemicals from fragrances. House dust is an airborne mixture containing fine particles of soil, plant material, particles of human and animal skin and hair, fabric fibres, mould spores, dust mites, fragments and waste of dead insects, food particles and debris — all potential irritants that exacerbate an underlying health condition. All of these can lead to common triggers like coughing, sneezing, red and itchy eyes and even a runny nose..
Pay attention to your body
Experts say the body reacts to irritants in the air by triggering an inflammatory response in the respiratory system. This can cause swelling, mucus production and narrowing of the airways, which can make breathing difficult and uncomfortable. The irritant can also affect the nervous system, causing headaches, dizziness and difficulty concentrating. It can also affect the skin, causing dryness, itching and rashes.
Suketu Panchal, an engineering student, was treated for flu-like symptoms for almost five months. The coughing would not cease, and he also began to lose weight. “When I consulted a specialist, pigeon droppings were found to be the irritant triggering the cough. It disappeared when I moved out of my PG accommodation into a new tenement on Drive-In Road.” Varun Patel, a pulmonologist from Ahmedabad, says, “I have been treating close to 150 patients with Aspergillus infection caused by pathogens in pigeon droppings or their feathers.”
Contaminated workspaces
Even indoor air quality at workplaces may lead to SBS. An important study from Rajkot in November 2022, comprising researchers Nitin Singh, Gaurav Sanghvi, Manish Yadav, Hirendrasinh Padhiyar, Abhishek Gupta, Johnson Christian and Arti Thanki of the department of environmental science and engineering, Marwadi University, Rajkot, tested particulates or bioaerosols in a lab facility of a small wastewater treatment plant.
They found increased levels of PM10 and PM2.5 of 26.49 micrograms per cubic metre and 12.84 micrograms per cubic metre concentrations respectively. A microscopic analysis revealed bacterial dominance of Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereus and Bacillus subtilis among these particles.
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Leaky homes
Even the quality of ambient air can affect people in homes. In December last year, researchers from IIT Roorkee, based on blower door tests conducted in 20 apartment buildings in Ahmedabad, simulated how air quality inside an apartment is affected by outdoor pollutants that enter through doors, windows, crevices and wall openings.
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