DOCSLIB.ORG

Recognition of Sick Building Syndrome Has Laid the Foundation to Raise Toxic Tort Litigation to New Heights

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Recognition of Sick Building Syndrome Has Laid the Foundation to Raise Toxic Tort Litigation to New Heights Copyright © 1995 by The School of Law Texas Tech University Lubbock, Texas 79409-0004 Reprinted and Posted with express permission. Gene Heady is a Partner in Smith, Currie & Hancock's Atlanta office. Smith, Currie & Hancock is a national law firm focusing on construction law, government contracts, environmental law, and commercial litigation. Contact Gene at [email protected] or directly at 404-582-8055 STUCK INSIDE THESE FOUR WALLS: RECOGNITION OF SICK BUILDING SYNDROME HAS LAID THE FOUNDATION TO RAISE TOXIC TORT LITIGATION TO NEW HEIGHTS I considered [fresh air] an enemy, and closed with extreme care every crevice in the rooms I inhabited. Experience has convinced me of my error. I now look upon fresh air as a friend: I even sleep with an open window. I am persuaded that no common air from without is so unwholesome as the air within a close[d] room that has been often breathed and not changed. 1 Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin made this statement in response to controversial new theories for building ventilation requirements, which excited considerable debate during the 1700s. Subsequently, in 1863, one of the earliest documented cases of sick building syndrome (then-unnamed) occurred in Columbus, Ohio.2 Ohio State Capitol building employees were plagued by a mysterious illness dubbed "statehouse malaria. " 3 Its source was traced to basement air passages that were clogged with debris, and to raw sewage flowing from water closets into an air duct, instead of into the sanitary sewer system.4 Today, the World Health Organization estimates that nearly thirty percent of all new and remodeled buildings worldwide may be 1. LEWIS W. LEEDS, LECTURES ON VENTILATION AT FRANKLIN INSTITUTE, 1866-67 8 (New York, John Wiley and Sons 1868) (quoting a letter by Benjamin Franklin to Dr. Ingenhaus, Physician to the Emperor at Vienna). Franklin further stated: You physicians have of late happily discovered, after a contrary opinion had prevailed some ages, that fresh and cool air does good to persons in the small-pox and other fevers. It is to be hoped, that in another century or two we may all find out that it is not bad even for people in health. ld. at 9. In 1905, Andrew Harvey, President of the American Society of Heating and Ventilation Engineers added: Within the next 10 years, the people of every state of the Union will have become so well­ informed of the necessity for properly ventilated schools and public buildings that it will be considered as great a crime to construct these buildings without providing for sufficient and proper ventilation, as it would be to erect a building without a proper foundation. Ed Bas, Complaints of Poor IAQ in Buildings Require Quick Response, AIR CONDITIONING, HEATING & REFRIGERATION NEWS, Oct. 24, 1994, at 6. 2. Ohio State Capitol Undergoes HVAC Redesign, AIR CONDITIONING, HEATING & REFRIGERA­ TION NEWS, May 9, 1994, at 13, 25. The statehouse was built between 1839 and 1861. /d. at 13. Four coal-fired steam boilers were installed in 1855, giving the building its first heating and ventilation system. /d. 3. /d. 4. /d. 1041 1042 TEXAS TECH LAW REVIEW [Vol. 26:1041 afflicted with indoor air quality problems that may lead to sick building syndrome.5 The fact that poor indoor air quality has made building occupants sick is not new.6 Widespread recognition of sick building syndrome coupled with proposed governmental regulation of indoor air quality, however, will likely result in an increase in toxic tort litigation.7 This Comment focuses on the recent history of sick building syndrome, its definition, its possible causes, and the existing and potential common law causes of action associated with sick building syndrome. 8 Part I reviews the history of sick 5. UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY, AIR AND RADIATION PuB. NO. ANR- 445-W, INDOOR AIR FACTS No.4 (revised): SICK BUILDING SYNDROME 1 (Apr. 1991). 6. Early treatises on mechanical equipment for buildings recognized the necessity for the proper ventilation of indoor air. See, e.g., 1 LOUIS A. HARDING & ARTHUR C. WILLARD, MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT OF BUILDINGS 274 (1916). Harding and Willard recognized that "[w]herever human beings are present in closed quarters the gaseous products of respiration should be removed as rapidly as possible, and fresh air supplied.'' /d. Early ventilation engineers were also concerned with human odors, dust, and bacteria /d. at 286. To test for bacteria, for example, engineers collected equal volumes ·of both fresh outdoor air and the suspected contaminated indoor air and drew them through separate tubes coated with beef jelly. Jd. Bacteria was then allowed to colonize within the tubes. /d. Engineers then compared the developing bacteria colonies to determine the relative contamination of the indoor air. /d. In a subsequent work, Harding and Willard stated: The vital importance of supplying densely occupied rooms or buildings with conditioned air is each day becoming more generally recognized. That the ill effects of repeated and protracted exposure to stagnant and overheated air result in the slow but sure production of throat and lung trouble and reduced vitality and efficiency has been conclusively shown by the repeated observations of many eminent physicians, both in this country and abroad. Even a reduction of the death rate in prisons and hospitals has resulted when proper ventilation has been installed. In this connection, Prof. S.H. Woodbridge states: "Prison records show reduced death rates chiefly as a result of effective ventilation. In one case the rate diminished from a yearly average of eighty deaths to one of eight, each period covering the same and a considerable number of years.'' LOUIS A. HARDING & ARTHUR C. WILLARD, HEATING, VENTILATING AND AIR CONDITIONING 468-69 (1937). 7. Recently, the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (''OSHA'') proposed the adoption of standards to address indoor air quality in work environments. See generally Proposed Rules of the Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, on Indoor Air Quality, 59 Fed. Reg. 15,968, 15,971 (1994) (to be codified at 29 C.F.R. pts. 1910, 1915, 1926, 1928) (proposed Apr. 5, 1994). The proposed standards explicitly recognize sick building syndrome and building-related illness. !d. at 15,970-972. Sick building syndrome was also at issue in recent debates respecting the proposed Indoor Air Act of 1994. See generally 140 CONG. REC. Hl0,593-02, H10,596 (Oct. 3, 1994) (statement of Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy, III, arguing that "inhalation of contaminants accounts for hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of complaints of immediate sick building symptoms such as asthma, bronchitis, headaches, fatigue, and dizziness, and nausea"). The bill, H.R. 2919, passed on a motion by Representative Waxman with an amended title to read: "A bill to authorize a national program to reduce the threat to human health posed by exposure to contaminants in the air indoors." !d. at H10,597. 8. Possible or pending governmental attempts to regulate indoor air quality are beyond the scope of this Comment. For a discussion of governmental regulation respecting indoor air quality, see generally Grace C. Guiffrida, Comment, The Proposed Indoor Air Quality Acts of 1993: The Comprehensive Solution to a Far-Reaching Problem?, 11 PACE ENVTL. L. REV. 311 (Fall 1993); Steven A. Loewy et al., Indoor Pollution in Commercial Buildings: Legal Requirements and Emerging Trends, 3 U. BALT. J. ENVTL. L. 29 (Winter 1993). 1995] SICK BUILDING SYNDROME 1043 building syndrome as it grew out of the energy crisis of the 1970s and details three recent high profile cases of sick building syndrome. Part II defines sick building syndrome, considers its possible causes, and examines its prevalence in commercial buildings. Part III reviews the contemporary technical approaches taken to prevent and solve sick building syndrome problems. An attorney should be particularly aware of and consider these approaches when advising owners, architects, engineers, and contractors on the preparation and acceptance of contract documents for new construction. Next, Part IV addresses some common law causes of action that an attorney should consider or expect to encounter when faced with a sick building syndrome claim. Fin~ly, Part V focuses on. common law negligence as a possible cause of action. This part considers the respective duties of owners, architects, engineers, and contractors; addresses the inherent difficulties in establishing causation when faced with a sick building syndrome claim; and argues for a good faith extension of the personal injury exception to the economic loss doctrine. I. A QUARTER CENTURY OF ENERGY CONSERVATION The 1970s was a decade of tremendous change with respect to our nation's use of energy. The Arab Oil Embargo of 1973 heightened awareness of the benefits of a national commitment to the conservation of natural resources. Energy conservation became a major economic and political issue.9 The building industry responded with numerous methods of making homes and workplaces more energy efficient. One method employed to increase energy efficiency was to make buildings ''tighter. ''10 Changes in design and construction inade buildings ''tighter'' by reducing 11 the introduction of outside air. To accomplish this reduction, builders and designers weatherstripped or sealed openings that allowed outside air to infiltrate the building envelope and adjusted mechanical ventilation and air conditioning systems to reduce the amount of outside air drawn into a building. 12 The concept was simple: Reduce the introduction of outside air, and there is less air volume to heat or cool. 13 Accordingly, in 1973, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning 9. RICHARD SCHOEN, NEW ENERGY TECH.'PilOLOGIES FOR BUILDINGS 1 (1975). Schoen stated that in 1975 the construction phase of buildings consumed eight percent of U.S. electrical energy production, and building operations consumed forty percent /d.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Sick Building Syndrome
    THE FACILITY MANAGER’S GUIDE TO SICK BUILDINGS & INDOOR AIR QUALITY SICK BUILDINGS INDOOR DEFINITION: A building in which the environment puts the occupants at risk AIR QUALITY (IAQ) for upper respiratory infections DEFINITION: The temperature, humidity, ventilation and chemical or biological contaminants of the air inside a building 1 OUT OF 4 buildings in the US can be classified as SICK Around the world, a death occurs EVERY 20 SECONDS 64 MILLION WORKERS due to poor indoor air quality frequently experienced two or more symptoms associated with SICK BUILDING SYNDROME (SBS) at work including: 2 OUT OF 3 indoor air quality • Nose irritation • Eye irritation • Headaches problems involve INEFFICIENT HVAC AND AIR DUCT SYSTEMS 20 PERCENT OF ALL A buildup of JUST .042 INCHESof ILLNESSES are either caused by, dirt on a heating or cooling coil can result or aggravated by, polluted indoor air in a decrease in efficiency of 21 percent Indoor air pollution ranks 1 OUT OF 6 as one of the TOP FIVE people who suffer from allergies environmental risks to do so because of the direct public health since 1990 relationship to fungi and bacteria in AIR DUCT SYSTEMS THE COST OF SICK BUILDINGS IAQ problems cost the US economy $60 BILLION= Estimated loss as much as $168 BILLION PER in productivity due to poor indoor YEAR air quality US adults miss about 14 million The efficiency of a cooling system workdays per year as a result of with dirty coils can be reduced by ASTHMA, an issue commonly AS MUCH AS 30 PERCENT triggered by poor IAQ Indoor air pollution is one of our “biggest environmental health threats..
    [Show full text]
  • Green Buildings, Organizational Success, and Occupant Productivity
    Green Buildings, Organizational Success, and Occupant Productivity Judith H. Heerwagen, Ph.D. J.H. Heerwagen & Associates, Inc. 2716 NE 91st St. Seattle, Washington 98115 [email protected] Published in a special edition of Building Research and Information Vol. 28 (5), 2000:353-367 London, UK Cost + Value symposium paper. Final. 1 GREEN BUILDINGS: A Strategic Perspective A recent survey by U.S. Green Building Council shows that many of its members believe sustainable building design will become a more common practice once the human benefits are identified, primarily the productivity gains believed to be associated with the provision of high quality interior environments (USGBC, 1999). However, there is little understanding of how such benefits might accrue. That is, what are the key green building features and attributes? How do these physical elements affect the physiological, psychological, cognitive, and social functioning of building occupants? Just as important from a business perspective: can green buildings affect high-level organizational outcomes, such as profitability, customer satisfaction, and innovation? If so, what are the linkages? A full understanding of the human and organizational benefits of green buildings demands a broader perspective that links building design, organizational performance, and human factors research. Recent research on the biophysical foundations of organizations also suggests that a better understanding of business-society-nature links could provide beneficial insights about green buildings and business strategy (Gladwin et al, 1995). As the most visible manifestation of corporate values and ethics, buildings provide a unique insight into the workings of an organization – a view that is not well understood.
    [Show full text]
  • Choosing the Best Strategies for Supporting New Teachers
    01-Hicks.qxd 10/26/2004 11:30 AM Page 5 1 Choosing the Best Strategies for Supporting New Teachers “We cannot hold a torch to light another’s path without brightening our own.” Ben Sweetland STRATEGY 1: Don’t underestimate the rigors of the “induction” period for new teachers. What the Research Says This study revealed that learning to become a mentor is a conscious process of induction into a different teaching context and does not “emerge” naturally from being a good teacher of children. • 5 01-Hicks.qxd 10/26/2004 11:30 AM Page 6 6 • What Successful Mentors Do The study took place in Israel at a high school where the teacher-mentor worked as a teacher-leader within her English department. An English teacher in her 40s, with 15 years of teaching experience, was assigned a role as a mentor without any formal training. The research focused on one mentor and the process of learning to mentor to provide a more in-depth and substantial account of the subtleties and complexities of the process of learning to “read” mentoring situations. “Reading a mentoring situation” in this context describes the forms and meanings that the mentor attributed to her first year of mentor induc- tion. It is the case of how one experienced teacher in English learned to analyze one aspect of her learning in talking to mentor teachers of English about her formative stages of mentor induction experiences. The metaphor for the mentored relationship is to compare the inter- active process of reading, combining textual information with the infor- mation the reader brings to the text, as a dialog between the reader and the text.
    [Show full text]
  • The Emergence and Preservation of Sick Building Syndrome
    Karolinska Institutet, Department of Public Health Sciences Division of Social Medicine, SE-171 76 Stockholm, Sweden The emergence and preservation of sick building syndrome Research challenges of a modern age disease Akademisk avhandling som för avläggande av doktorsexamen i medicinsk vetenskap vid Karolinska Institutet offentligen försvaras i föreläsningssalen, Institutionen för Folkhälsovetenskap, Avdelningen för Socialmedicin Norrbacka, plan 2 fredagen den 11 juni 1999 kl 1300 Åke Thörn Handledare Fakultetsopponent Professor Leif Svanström Docent Per-Olof Östergren The emergence and preservation of sick building syndrome Research challenges of a modern age disease Copyright © Åke Thörn ISBN 91-628-3555-6 Karolinska Institutet, Department of Public Health Sciences Division of Social Medicine SE-171 76 Stockholm, Sweden Printed in Sweden by Repro Print AB To my parents and Gudrun ”Vårt vetande mångfaldigas - hur till slut rymma det? Genom koncentration enligt principen - Icke allt, men det hela - i delen.” (”Our knowledge is multiplying how make room for it? By concentrating according to the principle - Not all, but the whole - in the part.”) Hans Larsson Professor of Philosophy, Lund University: Postscriptum, Albert Bonniers Förlag Stockholm, 1944 CONTENTS i. List of publications ii Abstract iii Glossary, concepts and abbreviations 1 BACKGROUND 1 1.1 Introduction 1 1.2 History of indoor environment health problems 2 1.3 The Sick Building Syndrome 3 1.3.1 Definitions 3 1.3.2 Criticism of the SBS definition 5 1.4 Distribution of non-specific
    [Show full text]
  • A Management Factor at Sick Building Syndrome: Are Old Or New School Buildings Sick?
    Educational Policy Analysis and Strategic Research Volume 15, Issue 1 March 2020 epasr.penpublishing.net ISSN: 1949-4270 (Print) 1949-4289 (Online) A Management Factor at Sick Building Syndrome: Are Old or New School Buildings Sick? Canan Demir Yildiz To cite this article Yildiz, C.D. (2020). A Management Factor at Sick Building Syndrome: Are Old or New School Buildings Sick?. Educational Policy Analysis and Strategic Research, 15(1), 209-231. doi: 10.29329/epasr.2020.236.12 Published Online March 24, 2020 Article Views 11 single - 17 cumulative Article Download 22 single - 31 cumulative DOI https://doi.org/10.29329/epasr.2020.236.12 Pen Academic is an independent international publisher committed to publishing academic books, journals, encyclopedias, handbooks of research of the highest quality in the fields of Education, Social Sciences, Science and Agriculture. Pen Academic created an open access system to spread the scientific knowledge freely. For more information about PEN, please contact: [email protected] This document downloaded from 96.253.117.48 [2 times] Midlothian / United States on Wed, 08 Apr 2020 22:15:04 +0300 Pen Academic Publishing, Canakkale/Turkey Telephone: +90 286 243 06 66 | Fax: +90 286 213 08 00 | [email protected] | www.penpublishing.net Educational Policy Analysis and Strategic Research, V 15, N 1, 2020 © 2020 INASED A Management Factor at Sick Building Syndrome: Are Old or New School Buildings Sick? Canan DEMİR YILDIZ1 Muş Alparslan University Abstract The training and learning activities for students are primarily conducted in closed environments. The symptoms resulting from living environments in occupied buildings are referred to as “sick building syndrome (SBS).” The aim of this study is to evaluate the SBS associated with the age of a school building.
    [Show full text]
  • Preventing Violence and Harassment in the Workplace
    Preventing violence and harassment in the workplace About the authors Vittorio Di Martino is an international consultant, specialising in health and safety at work, enterprise development and organisational well-being. He was responsible for the programmes on stress and violence at work at the International Labour Organisation, Geneva, from 1988 to 2001 and is currently Visiting Fellow in Employment Policies at the University of Bath and Senior Research Fellow at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST). Helge Hoel is a lecturer in Organisational Psychology and International Business at the Manchester School of Management, UMIST. Together with Cary Cooper, he undertook the first large-scale nationwide survey of bullying in the UK. He has published extensively in the areas of bullying, violence and harassment in the workplace. Cary L. Cooper, CBE, is BUPA Professor of Organisational Psychology and Health at UMIST. He is the author or editor of over 100 books and over 300 scholarly articles in organisational health. He has been a temporary advisor to the World Health Organisation and the International Labour Organisation. Preventing violence and harassment in the workplace Vittorio Di Martino, Helge Hoel and Cary L. Cooper Wyattville Road, Loughlinstown, Dublin 18, Ireland - Tel: (+353 1) 204 31 00 - Fax: (+353 1) 282 42 09 / 282 64 56 e-mail: [email protected] - website: www.eurofound.eu.int Cataloguing data can be found at the end of this publication Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 2003 ISBN 92-897-0211-7 © European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, 2003 For rights of translation or reproduction, applications should be made to the Director, European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, Wyattville Road, Loughlinstown, Dublin 18, Ireland.
    [Show full text]
  • Abc of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
    ABC OF OCCUPATIONAL AND ENVIRONMENT OF OCCUPATIONAL This ABC covers all the major areas of occupational and environmental ABC medicine that the non-specialist will want to know about. It updates the OF material in ABC of W ork Related Disorders and most of the chapters have been rewritten and expanded. New information is provided on a range of environmental issues, yet the book maintains its practical approach, giving guidance on the diagnosis and day to day management of the main occupational disorders. OCCUPATIONAL AND Contents include ¥ Hazards of work ¥ Occupational health practice and investigating the workplace ENVIRONMENTAL ¥ Legal aspects and fitness for work ¥ Musculoskeletal disorders AL MEDICINE ¥ Psychological factors ¥ Human factors ¥ Physical agents MEDICINE ¥ Infectious and respiratory diseases ¥ Cancers and skin disease ¥ Genetics and reproduction Ð SECOND EDITION ¥ Global issues and pollution SECOND EDITION ¥ New occupational and environmental diseases Written by leading specialists in the field, this ABC is a valuable reference for students of occupational and environmental medicine, general practitioners, and others who want to know more about this increasingly important subject. Related titles from BMJ Books ABC of Allergies ABC of Dermatology Epidemiology of Work Related Diseases General medicine Snashall and Patel www.bmjbooks.com Edited by David Snashall and Dipti Patel SNAS-FM.qxd 6/28/03 11:38 AM Page i ABC OF OCCUPATIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL MEDICINE Second Edition SNAS-FM.qxd 6/28/03 11:38 AM Page ii SNAS-FM.qxd 6/28/03 11:38 AM Page iii ABC OF OCCUPATIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL MEDICINE Second Edition Edited by DAVID SNASHALL Head of Occupational Health Services, Guy’s and St Thomas’s Hospital NHS Trust, London Chief Medical Adviser, Health and Safety Executive, London DIPTI PATEL Consultant Occupational Physician, British Broadcasting Corporation, London SNAS-FM.qxd 6/28/03 11:38 AM Page iv © BMJ Publishing Group 1997, 2003 All rights reserved.
    [Show full text]
  • Sick Building Syndrome by WHO.Pdf
    Sick building syndrome By: World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe Summary Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) describes a medical condition where people in a building suffer from symptoms of illness or feel unwell for no apparent reason. The symptoms tend to increase in severity with the time people spend in the building, and improve over time or even disappear when people are away from the building. Sick Building Syndrome results in substantial disruption of people's work performance and personal relationships, and considerable loss of productivity. Sick Building Syndrome is wide spread and may occur in offices, apartment houses, nurseries and schools, resulting in substantial costs to the community. Even though the cause effect relations are unclear it is possible to remedy buildings with SBS problems, and for new buildings the chances of avoiding SBS problems are also good. Local Government actions can be both for implementing curative measures and for taking preventive actions. These measures and actions range from simple to radical. In recent years it has become apparent that occupants of buildings suffer a number of relatively minor illnesses where there is no apparent cause, yet it has been established that these are caused in some way by the building. The symptoms are varying degrees of irritation of the eyes, nose, throat or skin plus general symptoms such as lethargy and headaches. Because these illnesses may happen in the building or elsewhere, it was initially difficult to show that they could be caused by the building. While these symptoms may seem trivial at first sight, together they are a substantial problem.
    [Show full text]
  • Women and Occupational Diseases in the European Union — Daniela Tieves, Guest Researcher, ETUI
    ..................................................................................................................................... Women and occupational diseases in the European Union — Daniela Tieves, Guest researcher, ETUI ..................................................................................................................................... Report 118 © European trade Union Institute, aisbl, 2011 ISBN 978-2-87452-198-0 Contents Acknowledgements .....................................................................................................................................4 Preface .............................................................................................................................................................5 1. Introduction ..................................................................................................................................7 2. Women at work in the 21st century .................................................................................9 2.1 Women and work ............................................................................................................................9 2.2 Women, work and health ...........................................................................................................14 3. Occupational diseases as an outcome of work ..................................................... 21 3.1 History and introduction ............................................................................................................21
    [Show full text]
  • Strict Liability and Sick Building Syndrome: Defining a Building As a Product Under Restatement (Second) of Torts, Section 402A
    Journal of Natural Resources & Environmental Law Volume 10 Issue 1 Journal of Natural Resources & Article 4 Environmental Law, Volume 10, Issue 1 January 1994 Strict Liability and Sick Building Syndrome: Defining a Building as a Product Under Restatement (Second) of Torts, Section 402A David Reisman Greenebaum Doll & McDonald Follow this and additional works at: https://uknowledge.uky.edu/jnrel Part of the Torts Commons Right click to open a feedback form in a new tab to let us know how this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Reisman, David (1994) "Strict Liability and Sick Building Syndrome: Defining a Building as a Product Under Restatement (Second) of Torts, Section 402A," Journal of Natural Resources & Environmental Law: Vol. 10 : Iss. 1 , Article 4. Available at: https://uknowledge.uky.edu/jnrel/vol10/iss1/4 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Law Journals at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Natural Resources & Environmental Law by an authorized editor of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Strict Liability and Sick Building Syndrome: Defining a Building as a Product Under Restatement (Second) of Torts, Section 402A DAVID REISMAN* Over the past twenty years, both scientists and the general public have learned more about environmental risks. As the dangers to land, rivers and oceans have become painfully obvious, the con- cern over public health and safety has grown. Efforts to conserve energy and insulate ourselves against an increasingly polluted world have created an entirely new type of environmental concern: indoor air pollution.
    [Show full text]
  • Inquiry Into Biotoxin-Related Illnesses in Australia Submission 33
    COVERING LETTER RE: Inquiry into Biotoxin-related Illnesses in Australia, 1st August 2018 Thank you for the opportunity to make a submission to this inquiry. About Biological Health Services is one of Australia’s leading environmental consultancies and laboratories and provides on-site water damage assessment and mould inspections. We also process samples sent in to us from remediation contractors, assessors, occupational hygienists, tenants and homeowner occupants and from patients under medical or allied health-care from across Australia. I write to you on behalf of Biological Health Services and by way of background will explain who I am. My name is Dr. Cameron Jones and I’m an environmental microbiologist. I have worked in the area of fungal biology (mycology) since 1991 at University as a PhD level academic researcher and lecturer in microbiology and environmental health respectively. More recently, and for close to a decade I have run Biological Health Services which is a commercial indoor air quality and microbiology lab and consultancy and am an active contributor at scientific conferences. I am also an Adjunct Research Fellow at the National Institute of Integrative Medicine and am regularly called upon as an expert witness in mould and water damage disputes. On this basis, I am pleased to make this submission to the Inquiry into Biotoxin-related Illnesses in Australia. Introduction In order to highlight what is common to so many of the disputes surrounding biotoxin- related illness I will recap on how I first became involved in this area. In 2005 I was engaged to perform my first paid indoor air quality and mould inspection for a couple who wanted their home tested.
    [Show full text]
  • The Sick Building Syndrome
    HEALTH SCIENCE JOURNAL ® VOLUME 5, ISSUE 2 (2011) Editorial Article The Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) Fotoula P. Babatsikou Assistant Professor of Nursing he term "sick building syndrome", was symptoms of SBS are likely the result of a first coined in the 1970s and is used to combination of factors. T describe a situation in which the occupants of a building experience acute These factors may include: health or a broad range of labels that covers Chemical pollutants such as combustion a variety of symptoms which are triggered pollutants, the main pollutants from this when people spend time in a particular source are Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) , building. It is described as a group of Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) and Carbon symptoms attributed to the physical Monoxide (CO) 1-6 environment of specific buildings and it is an Chemical pollutants from indoor sources increased health problem for the workers of such as Volatile Organic Compounds modern office buildings 1-5. (VOCs), formaldehyde (HCHO) from dust, The cause of the symptoms is not known. carpeting, adhesives, upholstery, Problems arise as specific symptoms such as cleaning agents, environmental tobacco skin rashes, headache, nausea, dizziness, smoke, particle board, paints, varnishes, itchy eyes, throat irritation, dry or itching marker pens, electronic equipment etc skin, rashes, dry cough, hoarseness of voice, 1,2,4,5,8-11 increased incidence of asthma attacks and Heavy metals such as lead and mercury nasal allergy symptoms. Sometimes, more 1,2,5,8,10 vague symptoms are presented such as Ozone produced by printers and fatigue, pains and aches, difficulty in photocopiers1,2,5,8,10 concentration, sensitivity to odours and Biological Pollutants such as Viruses, personality changes 4-7.
    [Show full text]