Bio-aerosols and the Sick Building Syndrome

Abstract

Sick building syndrome is the name given to a set of varied symptoms experienced by a number of people working predominantly in hermetically sealed and air-conditioned buildings. The syndrome, which is probably multifactorial, can be diagnosed only after eliminating all other building-related-illnesses since it is not, as a rule, accompanied by any organic lesion or discernible physical sign. The symptomatology includes different classes of symptoms: - Respiratory manifestations - Ocular manifestations - Cutaneous manifestations - Odour and taste complaints - Neuropsychic manifestations Diagnosis of sick building syndrome (SBS) should be confirmed once all other building related illnesses have been eliminated: infectious disease, allergic manifestations, humidifier fever or allergic rhinitis. A considerable number of factors are supposed to provoke SBS: physical factors, chemical factors, psychological factors. But the most important are biological factors. They include dusts and various particles such as actinomycetes, other germs or moulds. To conduct building-associated investigations, it is necessary to appreciate the qualitative assessment of the disorders by questionnaires, interviews and parameters of the building and the air-conditioning system. Then the quantitative assessment must be determined by the tests of respiratory function and the effectiveness of the ventilation. The treatment of SBS is not specific because it is a multifactorial syndrome. "The sick building syndrome" (SBS) is the name given to a set of very varied but chiefly respiratory symptoms felt by a number of people, predominantly women, working in large, hermetically sealed and often air-conditioned buildings. The syndrome, which is probably multifactorial, is mainly diagnosed by exclusion, since it is not as a rule accompanied by any organic lesion or discernible physical sign. It is currently the subject of numerous research projects because it is often found in the major cities of the Western world, particularly in very high buildings (skyscrapers) among office staff who work in an artificial atmosphere for several hours a day. SBS can therefore be diagnosed only after eliminating all other building-related illnesses, that can be contracted by staying in this type of building for prolonged periods.