by River Roshana

Created on: October 15, 2008   Last Updated: February 28, 2009

Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) is a controversial health situation because there are two school of thoughts about this. One argument is that Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) is more of a psychological problem, much like Agoraphobia. Another theory is that this sickness "syndrome" is real and is caused by health irritants and occupational hazards.

Sufferers of this syndrome claim that they feel fatigue, quesyness, nausea, dizzyness, and a general state of weakness when one is in the working place. No matter how unusual this syndrome sounds, it can be possible that the individual's body is reacting to "bad" air in the working place. Some of these may be fungus, allergens like dust mites, toxic chemicals, inadequate ventilation, chemical contaminants from outside sources or even noise pollution.

An example of a case is one who happens to be allergic to dust mites and wheezes and coughs so often in the working place. Though the primary cause is that the person has an allergy, the individual automatically concludes that the workplace is making her or him sick. The situation aggravates as the individual realizes that the moment she/he steps out of the working place all the symptoms of the "sickness" seem to disappear and reocurrs only in the workplace. The individual is perplexed and fretful which causes more stress particularly after hearing the physician say something like, "Nothing is physically wrong with you." More often than not, the same physician tells the patient that the cause may be psychological which in most cases is not completely acceptable to the sufferer because she/he knows that the sickness is real.

Most sufferers of SBS are usually suffering from symptoms of disease and the cause is usually something physical. The difficulty, however, is the inability of the sufferer to specify the definte cause. Most who "feel bad" at the workplace may be affected by biological contaminants such as viruses,molds, bacteria and pollen. These contaminants may be anywhere in the office. They could have been accumulated in humidifiers, ducts, ceiling tiles, carpeting , or even insulation. There is also the possibility that bird or insect droppings may be a source of biological contaminants causing unpleasant symptoms such as cough, wheezing, fatigue, and a general feeling of illness.

In cases such as this, the sufferer should inform the office supervisors so that a thorough investigation of the air quality of the office can be determined. Also to be taken into account is adding

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>