Sick building syndrome

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Classification according to ICD-10
T75.8 Sick building syndrome
ICD-10 online (WHO version 2019)

The term sick building syndrome (short SBS ; English sick building syndrome , sick house syndrome ') or building disease describes a situation in which residents of a building symptoms of diseases associated with too much time in a building to be connected seem to have - but no specific causes can be identified. There are also symptoms that are primarily caused by dry air in buildings.

According to a review by the Department of Technology & Architecture at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts , the WHO distinguishes between two types of SBS: the temporary SBS , which describes the complaints shortly after moving into a building, and the permanent SBS , which continues after moving into a building.

causes

According to the international convention (WHO 1982, MULHAAVE 1989), Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) is used if more than 10 to 20% of the employees in a building experience unspecific complaints or symptoms that quickly subside after leaving the building. The causes of sick building syndrome cannot be determined with absolute certainty. Possible causes can be pollutants ("home poisons ") that occur in indoor air. These include, for example, poisonous vapors, so-called volatile organic compounds , which are released by certain sources, for example from newly installed materials, such as floor and carpet adhesives and poisons from furniture (lacquers, paints and coatings), as well as minerals from insulation materials for pest control, and detergents. In addition, poorly maintained or poorly maintained air conditioning systems or recirculating air circuits can cause harmful substances, odors, pollen, fungal spores and germs to enter the room air. Tobacco smoke also plays an important role. Some of these substances are also classified as carcinogenic.

Symptoms and ailments

The symptom complexes are summarized by various authors and experts in a large number of disease descriptions, for example as eco-syndrome, multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS syndrome) or sick building syndrome, a phenomenon in which those affected become ill due to a "disease-causing" Building feel sick. According to current estimates, around 400,000 people in Germany are affected by such hypersensitivity to chemicals, reports the German Allergy and Asthma Association (DAAB).

According to the "White Paper on Allergy", an eco-syndrome is understood to mean clinical pictures that are associated with different, very subjective complaints, "combined with the conviction that one is ill from environmental pollutants". In public discussion, the term is often used synonymously with multiple chemical sensitivity. However, medical professionals mainly use the term to define complaints that are associated with chemical substances. However, these are present in extremely low concentrations, so that they are generally no longer considered harmful. With conventional detection methods, no clear cause of the disease can be determined. Malaise, fatigue and insomnia are rather mild complaints.

But allergies, headaches, damage to the immune system, irritation of the eyes and airways as well as disorders of kidney and liver function mean considerable restrictions in everyday life and reduce the quality of life. It can even trigger depression. Since some substances are classified as carcinogenic, pollution in indoor air can not only lead to SBS, but in severe cases even to cancer.

Statutory guidelines on prevention

The European Construction Products Directive and the German Construction Products Act form the legal basis for around 20,000 different materials and products across Europe . The CE mark ( Conformité Européenne , European conformity) is proof of the European internal market. National regulations apply to “hygiene, health and environmental protection”. With the CE mark, the manufacturer confirms the conformity of the product with the applicable EC directives and compliance with the "essential requirements" specified therein. Among them is - in the first place - the release of toxic gases. In Germany, the Committee for the Health Assessment of Building Products (AgBB) was founded in 1997 . The AgBB developed the assessment scheme for the health assessment of the emission of volatile organic compounds from building products that are used in interiors.

Measures to improve air quality

In order to better deal with this problem, it is necessary that the window is opened really regularly. It is best to ventilate the room every few hours for around ten minutes.

Natural air filters
The American space agency NASA has been working on a space sub-project for over 20 years to eliminate environmental toxins from closed spaces. Scientists discovered that there are plants that can absorb toxins from the air.
Technical measures
All volatile organic compounds and many chemical compounds can be safely removed by installing ionization devices with ionization tubes in the respective ventilation technology of buildings. But small ionization modules also improve the ion concentration in residential buildings and can be integrated into controlled home ventilation.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts - Technology & Architecture - ionized air in the interior PDF, edition 01/2013, accessed June 7, 2013.
  2. ↑ Indoor pollution and sick building syndrome (PDF; 99 kB) Final report from www.uni-saarland.de (1998)
  3. ↑ When the environment makes you sick www.stern.de , accessed on August 16, 2013.
  4. ↑ Interior Landscape Plants for Indoor Air Pollution Abatement (PDF; 1.16 MB) Final report from 1989.

Web links

Wiktionary: ion concentration  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations