Sick building syndrome (SBS), also known as building-related symptoms, is a condition that develops when occupants experience adverse health effects when in an enclosed space with poor air quality. In building-related symptoms, no other illness is known to contribute to the symptoms. Diagnosing SBS is challenging because there are many symptoms and no known cause.
This article discusses everything you need to know about SBS and building-related symptoms.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/GettyImages-13656498251-d5de3697594845f595edcf267bb3dc0b.jpg "What Is Sick Building Syndrome (or Building-Related Symptoms), and Could You Have It? (1)")
What Is Sick Building Syndrome (SBS)?
SBS, which has evolved to be known as building-related symptoms, is a phenomenon that causes acute health symptoms and discomfort to develop when a person is in a certain building and no other illnesses or causes can be identified. It is often associated with enclosed buildings that have poor air quality. People who spend a lot of time in office buildings are the most likely to experience SBS, but symptoms can develop in any building with poor air quality.
What Are Building-Related Symptoms?
The symptoms that develop in building-related symptoms can mimic allergies. Building-related symptoms include:
- Headaches
- Runny or congested nose
- Dry and itchy skin
- Dry and sore eyes
- Dry and sore throat
- Cough or wheezing
- Skin rashes
- Feeling fatigued
- Having difficulty concentrating
Is It Building-Related Symptoms or Something Else?
Since building-related symptoms can mimic other health concerns, it can be hard to differentiate between it and something else. It would help to monitor your symptoms and take note of when they develop. You might have the syndrome if symptoms only develop while you are in a specific building.
For a proper diagnosis and to rule out other causes, visit a healthcare provider to discuss your symptoms. There is no diagnostic test a healthcare provider can run to prove that a particular building is causing your symptoms. Instead, your provider will look into ruling out all other causes of your symptoms before reaching the diagnosis of building-related symptoms.
How Do You Know If You Have Allergies?
What Causes Building-Related Symptoms?
The leading cause of building-related symptoms is unknown. The symptoms only develop when a person is in a specific building. There are some theories as to what contributes to sick building syndrome, including:
- Poor ventilation and poorly maintained air-conditioning or heating systems
- Air recycling
- Substances in the air, such as dust, smoke, fumes, or fabric fibers
- Artificial bright lights or flickering lights
- Crowding in the building, such as small cubicles placed close together or crowded desks
- Buildings that are located in high-pollution cities
- Outside traffic noise
- Using fans
- Lack of sunlight
- Inadequate office cleaning
- Temperature and humidity levels in the building
- Exposure to tobacco smoke
- Using photocopiers
- High workload
- Poor job satisfaction
How to Manage Mold Allergy Symptoms Year-Round
How Are Building-Related Symptoms Diagnosed?
It can be challenging to diagnose building-related symptoms because the symptoms only develop in a specific space, and they are nonspecific, meaning they could be attributed to other health disorders. To determine if you have building-related symptoms, a healthcare provider will conduct different tests and evaluations in the process of elimination to rule out any other conditions that present with the same symptoms.
They will do this by inquiring about your lifestyle, work and home life, and the frequency and severity of symptoms. They will then conduct the appropriate tests to rule out other things, such as allergies, and then go from there. Once building-related symptoms have been identified after ruling out other conditions, treatment can begin.
How to Prevent Airborne Allergies
How Is SBS, or Building-Related Symptoms, Treated?
There are no medical treatments for building-related symptoms. Therapies focus on reducing exposure to the building that causes symptoms and alleviating symptoms through various methods, including:
- Opening the windows in your home or office to improve ventilation
- Controlling the temperature in the building throughout the day
- Reducing stress levels surrounding the office and work
- Taking regular breaks from the screen
- Taking lunch and other breaks outside of the office
Finding a Solution for Building-Related Symptoms
If you have been diagnosed with building-related symptoms, speak to your supervisor and the building owner or manager to determine what may be done to improve the workplace environment. If that doesn’t work, you can speak to your local health authority for advice on how to deal with SBS in the workplace.
What’s the Outlook for Building-Related Symptoms?
The overall outlook for building-related symptoms is good if steps are taken to improve the environment in the building in question or if you are no longer occupying that space. In some cases of severe building-related symptoms, you may need to make different work arrangements, such as working from a home office full- or part-time to avoid prolonged periods of exposure.
If the issue lies with air quality or other fixable issues within the building, having the building manager or landlord take care of those problems can also eliminate symptoms for employees that develop building-related symptoms.
Can Building-Related Symptoms Be Prevented?
There are no prevention techniques for building-related symptoms because it’s hard to tell if there are substances in the air that will cause symptoms. That said, you can minimize or prevent symptoms from developing through the treatment options above.
Summary
Sick building syndrome, also known as building-related symptoms, is a phenomenon that develops in some people when they are in certain buildings. While any enclosed space can lead to sick building syndrome, building-related symptoms are usually experienced in office settings with open floor plans. Building-related symptoms are similar to allergic symptoms, such as dry eyes, dry and itchy throat and skin, coughing, headaches, and more.
If you experience building-related symptoms but are unsure of what's causing them, see a healthcare provider. They may be able to identify the cause of your symptoms, give you a proper diagnosis, and help you determine how to cope with and eliminate symptoms.
4 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
UK National Health Service. Sick building syndrome.
Sayan HE, Dülger S. Evaluation of the relationship between sick building syndrome complaints among hospital employees and indoor environmental quality. Med Lav. 2021 Apr 20;112(2):153-161. doi:10.23749/mdl.v112i2.11012
Abdel-Hamid MA, A Hakim S, Elokda EE, Mostafa NS. Prevalence and risk factors of sick building syndrome among office workers. J Egypt Public Health Assoc. 2013 Aug;88(2):109-14. doi:10.1097/01.EPX.0000431629.28378.c0
Jafari MJ, Khajevandi AA, Mousavi Najarkola SA, Yekaninejad MS, Pourhoseingholi MA, Omidi L, Kalantary S. Association of sick building syndrome with indoor air parameters. Tanaffos. 2015;14(1):55-62.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/VerywellBioPicAngelicaBottaro-203f7e803ab444b2b5c13b4252d11159.JPG "What Is Sick Building Syndrome (or Building-Related Symptoms), and Could You Have It? (2)")
By Angelica Bottaro
Bottaro has a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and an Advanced Diploma in Journalism. She is based in Canada.
See Our Editorial Process
Meet Our Medical Expert Board
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?
