The term "sick building syndrome" was first coined by the World Health Organization half a century ago. According to full-scale studies conducted by American experts, in the United States up to 30% of buildings are unsafe for health. One can only guess about the number of "bad" apartments and offices in Russia. The syndrome causes symptoms similar to respiratory diseases, but due to external factors: mold, dust, harmful volatile substances and other irritants and allergens.
Ecology of premises
Problems of environmental safety of life on planet Earth are discussed all over the world. A lot of research is being done, measures are being planned, funds are being allocated to improve the situation with the state of atmospheric air, ocean water, and soil.
Equally important is the ecology of the premises. The quality of life depends directly on the quality of housing, its hygienic characteristics. According to environmentalists, home air is 9 times more toxic and 5 times dirtier than the outside. In a day, a person “absorbs” up to 3 billion dust particles. These adverse factors significantly impair health.
If the microclimate inside the building is disturbed, a "sick building syndrome" occurs - this is when biological, chemical and other allergens accumulate in the apartment. At first, living or working people have breathing problems, over time, joint pain and insomnia appear.
Definition
We will understand when the term “sick building syndrome” is used. The concept of SBS (from the English Sick building syndrome) is used to describe a situation when residents of certain buildings have a complex of ailments, symptoms, and no specific diseases are manifested.
People are often interested in the inhabitants of which houses the “sick building syndrome” occurs most often. The manifestation of symptoms is mainly associated with too little fresh air in the rooms and its poor quality.
Sources of pollutants can be:
- living organisms (e.g. respiratory by-products, dampness, fungi);
- construction materials and design elements (solvents, paints, wood preservatives, asbestos);
- ventilation and air conditioning systems (microorganisms in ventilation ducts);
- outside air (polluted by chemistry in large cities);
- improper use of the premises (e.g. smoking).
Symptoms
In 1984, WHO reported that “sick building syndrome” is characteristic of 30% of new and reconstructed buildings in the world. With a long stay in them, you may experience:
- headaches, dizziness;
- fainting;
- nausea;
- insomnia;
- symptoms of fatigue;
- irritation of the mucous membranes;
- labored breathing;
- joint pain and others.
"Bad" apartment
Studies show that the deterioration of people's health (irritation of the eyes, skin, upper respiratory tract, headache, fatigue, sleep disturbances) is often associated with poor quality of inhaled air in the rooms. In the atmosphere of closed modern buildings, up to 300 chemical volatile compounds, mites, various endotoxins, mold fungi, and an increased concentration of radon are found. In addition to all of the above, a person in a room is affected by electromagnetic fields, radiation from household appliances (computers, microwave ovens) and radionuclides from building materials. These factors give rise to the “sick building syndrome”.
The term is used when the apartment has a leaking roof, cracks in the walls, and inoperative heating favor the development of colonies of microscopic fungi whose spores are toxic. In winter, household gas is often burned in houses to heat household gas, the combustion products of which are unsafe.
Unfavorable factors
Harmful substances, for various reasons, entering the air of enclosed spaces, cannot even be counted. Back in 1971, a list of fifty chemical elements was compiled from building materials. Today, the volumes of polymers used for the construction of new buildings, repair and decoration of existing premises have significantly increased. We must not forget about the interaction of these chemicals, some of which enhance the action of each other.
Chemical irritants
In all countries, the "sick building syndrome" is accompanied by tangible economic losses, because it is necessary to carry out preventive measures, treat people, and pay sick leave. Moreover, many owners themselves form an unfavorable environment, trying to make the so-called "European-quality repair" using synthetics. Such materials must be subject to state sanitary and epidemiological expertise, and work with them is carried out in ideal conditions (liquid or air modeling in special chambers). In life, everything is more complicated.
The most harmful air components in offices and apartments are formaldehyde and phenol. The concentration of the first in the houses depends on the saturation of the premises with polymers (new furniture made of chipboard, made on the basis of urea and phenol-formaldehyde resins). Formaldehyde is also a source of incomplete gas combustion. Another priority substance in the list of air pollutants is styrene, which is released from heat-insulating products and some moisture-proof wallpapers. Linoleum, varnishes, paints, glue, solvents are sources of benzene, xylene, toluene.
Therefore, the question in which houses there is a "sick building syndrome" can be safely answered - in those where:
- many plastic elements are used (windows, false ceilings, PVC panels);
- new furniture not made from natural materials;
- the floor is covered with linoleum (artificial carpets, laminate);
- insulation, insulation materials applied;
- new buildings, recently renovated premises.
Hazardous Polymers
Polymeric materials that are widely used in modern construction for the manufacture of furniture, as well as floor and wall coverings, contribute to the development of the syndrome. Not the last place in the process of air pollution is given to tobacco smoke and natural gas combustion products. It has been established that sources of pollution and the release of certain chemicals (for example, carbon monoxide) in buildings are more dangerous for health than in open areas.
The presence of polymeric materials leads to the appearance of static electricity. This further worsens the air condition in rooms where people are staying for a long time. Scientists believe that the prevention of "sick building syndrome" should begin with the design of residential buildings. The ecological passport of each house must be issued, and control over the objects that are being built should also be ensured.
High humidity
Stone buildings are the basis of most megacities. For example, according to the GUION, in St. Petersburg, 96.9% of the housing stock is represented by stone buildings. Including: 48.7% of the area is brick buildings, mostly without cladding, 14.8% are residential premises of pre-revolutionary buildings.
The initial moisture level of stone structures is 8-12%, but over time this figure may increase several times. Experts record the rise of soil moisture in a brick wall to a height of five meters.
Many people know, but they hardly think that moisture is a favorable environment for most harmful microorganisms. Cracks in the walls are a conductor of moisture and harmful factors (including fungi). Studies have been conducted on the inhabitants of which houses the "sick building syndrome" occurs. It turned out that the deviation of the microclimate parameters for the worse is observed when a building with brick walls reaches thirty years of age, that is, with physical wear and tear about 25%.
Mold
The increased humidity is dangerous not by itself, but by microorganisms and hornbeams that develop in such an environment. For example, in Sweden, the normative number of colony-forming mold microcells in indoor air should not exceed 174 units. Studies in our country showed an excess of this indicator by 3-6 times.
Meanwhile, with a person staying in infected rooms for a long time, the “sick building syndrome” occurs. Determining the source of mold is associated with a large amount of work - fungal colonies often settle in inaccessible places, in microcracks, under decoration. When mold is clearly visible to the naked eye, then the room is seriously infected, and defeating such an attack is very problematic. Inhalation of contaminated air can result in diathesis, asthma, allergies, cancer, and damage to internal organs.
Sick Building Syndrome: Room Hygiene
A person cannot live without food, water and oxygen. Clean air is the key to health. Most residents of our country spend up to 90% of their time inside buildings. Like people, rooms also need a kind of hygiene.
Competent builders know a lot about the "sick building syndrome" and can tell in which houses it appears most often. As a rule, poor ventilation is to blame, therefore, its inspection and subsequent cleaning should be carried out regularly. Poor air quality can lead to effects such as allergies, eye irritation, hoarseness, coughing, skin diseases, headaches, and general malaise.
Health is not the only reason to clean ducts. The presence of flammable substances in the ventilation system (grease from the stove, clothes fibers from tumble dryers) increases the risk of fire. Therefore, the monitoring of air purity should be carried out regularly.
Inductive ventilation factors
Most of the buildings in Russia belong to the period when plastic windows did not exist. Accordingly, the building codes took into account the presence of microventilation in addition to the hoods in the kitchen and in the bathroom. Thanks to the "breathing" wooden frames, the air in the hall, bedroom, and nursery was regularly updated.
Installation of plastic windows allows to reduce heat loss and increase sound insulation, but completely “turns off” microventilation. This leads to increased humidity and, as a result, the formation of mold. Of course, there are models of windows that provide gas exchange, but most consumers put "what is cheaper." Inexpensive plastic not only violates ventilation, but also additionally releases harmful chemical components.
Among the factors that violate the ventilation of the premises, we especially highlight:
- Installation of plastic windows, exacerbated by the installation of double-glazed windows on the balcony.
- Replacing standard doors with thick doors without ugly gaps.
- Insulation (sealing) of the outer wall.
- Redevelopment of air ducts.
- The output of the oven hood (and other household appliances) directly into the ventilation hole.
Air filtration
Technological solutions exist for safe indoor air. The latest achievements in solving problems are specialized filters, for example, High Security, 3G and others. They are able to capture gaseous and solid pollutants in the ducts, without requiring redevelopment of the premises.
- High Security is designed to filter biological and chemical components.
- A 3G filter is used to maintain healthy air by trapping small and solid particles living in the air, organic substances, and unpleasant odors.
Green Building
For houses with an unfavorable and dangerous microclimate, scientists came up with a special name - "sick building syndrome." In contrast, the so-called "green building" is gaining momentum in developed countries . This direction is becoming widespread in the West. Stakeholders (designers, builders, environmentalists, doctors, insurance companies) realized that it was no longer possible to hush up the problem.
Analysts say that the deteriorating health of residents, the decrease in productivity of office workers, insurance payments block the possible benefits of using old architectural projects and cheap building materials. Chipboard, polymers and paints are being replaced by environmentally friendly materials. New requirements are also imposed on the design of structures, ensuring reliable ventilation and waterproofing.
The microclimate of the premises continues to be investigated. The parameters of its deterioration are related to the age of the building and the physical deterioration of the building envelope. The fracture coefficient of brick walls was determined, at which the quality of the microclimate in the premises is violated.
How about in Russia?
Russians more than others felt what “sick building syndrome” means. The difficult climate coupled with the construction of cheap housing (especially massively practiced during the USSR) gave rise to a lot of communal problems. The country really needs to modernize its housing stock. To avoid such a problem as “sick building syndrome”, which houses are better to live in?
It is worth noting that the Russian market is already responding to the western trend. New requirements for environmental friendliness and energy conservation of real estate are being developed. A striking example of this is new buildings using the principles of "green construction", the main purpose of which is to reduce the total (over the life cycle of the building) harm of the object's impact on the health of residents and the environment. One of the sections of standardization BREEAM and LEED for the classification of buildings in the field of "green building" is devoted precisely to internal air quality, as well as health and well-being. The main lever to achieve the desired result is the use of new technologies and approaches during construction, including solutions for the engineering support of the building.
Prospects
In Russia, green building is only gaining momentum. In the real estate market, average buyers are young people under 35 who have recently started a family. For them, the fact of having their own housing is important, they are not yet ready to pay more for super-quality. They are not afraid of the sick building syndrome, even when it comes to environmental friendliness and future energy savings. But, as you know, if the country has a favorable economic situation, then the demand for quality of life among the population is growing.
Business is showing a greater interest in green building, especially when it comes to building, for example, a business center for own needs. In this case, the opportunity to save on operation up to 40% with a relatively low payback period in excess of investments in the required systems and technologies (about 10-12 years) is a significant enough moment for a reasonable investor.