Is My Building Sick?
Symptoms
Often the first signs of an air quality problem are employee complaints of symptoms such as:
- Eye, nose, and throat irritation
- Coughing and sneezing
- Headaches
- Fatigue
- Irritability
- Allergies and sinus congestion
- Dizziness
- Difficulty concentrating
- Shortness of breath
- Skin irritation
- Nausea
Of course, these symptoms are not always caused by air quality problems; they can have other causes, including minor illnesses such as the common cold, lack of sleep, smoking, medications, or serious illnesses. Still, if building occupants report these symptoms—especially if the symptoms occur mainly when employees are in the building or when several individuals are affected—their concerns must be taken seriously.
Some individuals are more sensitive to air contaminants than others. Sometimes only one or a few individuals in a building suffer from symptoms, while other employees don't even notice a problem (figure 1). That doesn't mean that problems experienced by a few employees are "all in their head" and can be ignored. A sensitive individual can be the "canary in the coal mine," exhibiting symptoms of a problem that may subtly affect the productivity of most of the workforce. On the other hand, sometimes nobody other than the sensitive individuals will ever be affected. In either case, it's in everybody's best interest to make sure indoor air quality problems don't harm employees.
Figure 1—One of these Forest Service employees could
experience symptoms related to poor indoor air
quality while the other could be unaffected. Natural
sensitivities and stress can make people more likely
to experience symptoms related to poor indoor air quality.
You will often hear the terms "sick building syndrome" and "building-related illness" when poor indoor air quality is discussed. If 20 percent of the building's regular inhabitants experience related symptoms for more than 2 weeks, the problem is classified as sick building syndrome. If the symptoms of the employees are long lasting and can be clinically diagnosed, it is a building-related illness. If you want to know more about sick building syndrome or building-related illness, see the "More Information About Indoor Air Quality" section at the end of this report.
Sometimes working conditions can cause symptoms that employees blame on poor indoor air quality. Noise, too little light, glare, too much or too little heat or humidity, vibration, overcrowding, poor ergonomics, and job-related psychosocial issues can produce symptoms similar to those associated with poor indoor air quality. Those conditions can add stress that may make people more likely to be affected by indoor air quality issues. Problems related to working conditions should be corrected, but are not addressed in this report.
Asbestos and radon are sometimes considered indoor air quality issues. However, symptoms from asbestos and radon usually don't appear for many years after exposure, so these contaminants usually will not produce symptoms that lead to employee complaints about poor air quality. For more information about asbestos in Forest Service buildings, see the "Asbestos" section of the Facilities Toolbox (http://www.fs.fed.us/eng/toolbox/haz/haz02.htm). For more information about radon in Forest Service buildings, see the "Radon" section of the Facilities Toolbox (http://www.fs.fed.us/eng/toolbox/haz/haz05.htm).
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