

The current fashion for wood-burning stoves, scented candles, oil burning diffusers and incense is also increasing the risk of potentially harmful emissions in the home. These products can sometimes emit volatile organic compounds which can cause serious health conditions if they are consumed at high levels. Properties in urban areas can be particularly impacted by pollutants from other busy roads, nearby buildings, and industrial businesses.Īlternatively, these chemical contaminants might originate from indoor sources – even from the use of everyday substances in the home such as cleaning products, adhesives, and upholstery disinfectants.
#SICK BUILDING SYNDROME WINDOWS#
These might originate from the outdoors – such as from vehicle exhaust fumes and plumbing vents which enter the property through windows and other openings. The most common causes, however, do tend to be the spread of chemical contaminants within the building. Rather, there are a range of activities inside and outside a residential property that could spark a case of Sick Building Syndrome in the home – from microwave radiation to smoke from a wood-burning stove. There isn’t one singular cause of Sick Building Syndrome. And because this adulterated air has a tendency to circulate quickly, from room to room or even building to building, it is often tricky to treat. The causes behind this can be wide and varied, from poor drainage systems in modern city centre apartments to the circulation of fungal spores in traditional period properties, but the syndrome is almost always exacerbated by poor ventilation which allow contamination to build up over time. But more recent research shows that Sick Building Syndrome also be caused by contaminated air in residential properties. In the past, Sick Building Syndrome has been typically associated with open plan office spaces where hundreds of co-workers would be breathing recycled air circulated through old-fashioned ventilation units. It occurs when chemical and biological contaminants circulating through buildings are inhaled by humans and subsequently manifest into a range of illnesses and conditions, from the common cold to more severe breathing problems. Sick Building Syndrome was first identified in the 1970s and has developed into a complex health issue which can affect people of all ages.
