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Sick Building Syndrome-A Case Study

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Sick Building Syndrome-A Case Study Building and Environment, Vol. 26, No. 4, pp. 319-330, 1991. 0360-1323/91 $3.00+0.00 Printed in Great Britain. (!:) 1991 Pergamon Preu pie. Sick Building Syndrome-A Case Study Y. N. AU YEUNG* W. K. CHOW* VERONICA Y. K. LAM* The problem of 'sick buildi11g sy11drome · was i11ves1igated by carryi11g out a field survey on the library building of the Hong Kong Polytechnic. The environme111al conditions, indoor air quality a11d species of common bacteria were measured for a period offive months. The library staff were interviewed to get their subjective feelings on the enviro11ment. Results of this case study were presented a11d tlte relationship between those occupants' s11bjec1iuefeeli119, indoor environment and prevalence of symptoms was analysed. Measurement res11lts indicated tha1 indoor environmental co11ditions could generally be maintained up to widely acceptable standards. Yet, feedback from staff did 1101 show the expected consistency. INTRODUCTION suitable guideline? Such persistent low level symptoms may lead to subclinical infection which may eventually THE DEFINITION for 'sick building syndrome' has be converted to a clinical condition and result in absen­ been a controversial topic over the past years. Lots of teeism. Nevertheless, the decrease in productivity of professionals have been trying to define the problem but workforce is notorious and the impact of SBS is worth an internationally accepted standard still has not been investigating [7]. reached. On the other hand, symptoms of SBS are diffi­ As air-conditioned or sealed buildings such as offices, cult tO diagnose as they are dominated by sensory reac­ hotels and tertiary education institutions are potential tions about which only very little is known even from the traps in which unnoticed causes of SBS can exist, the medical point of view [I]. Researches in finding out the library building of the Hong Kong Polytechnic was there­ effects of SBS on human health are limited. fore chosen to be the subject of the case study. Objectives To simplify the situation, SBS may be described as a could be summarized as follows to find out : phenomenon that occurs in a building in which a pro­ portion of occupants experience varying degrees of low e the prevalence of the low level symptoms that char­ level sickness or discomfort which are nonspecific in acterized SBS as experienced by the staff; nature and are dominated by sensory reactions. Fur­ • the relationship between the degree of comfort ex­ thermore, symptoms brought into a building are not pressed by the staff and the corresponding indoor considered as symptoms ofSBS unless they are developed environmental conditions and the comparison with after an occupant enters the building and disappear very various widely accepted standards; and quickly upon his subsequent departure. • the relationship between the prevalence of symptoms, The sensory reactions are broadly classified by the degree of comfort experienced by occupants and WHO [2, 3], World Health Organization, into: indoor environmental conditions. e sensoric irritation in eye, nose or throat; e skin irritation; e neurotoxic symptoms; THE SURVEY e unspecified hyperreactions and The survey consisted of two main components : sub­ • odour and taste complaints. jective assessment and objective measurement. To obtain The exact causes ofSBS have not been identified. Vari­ subjective feeling, questionnaires (shown in Appendix A) ous past researchers [4, 5, 6] provided varying and some­ were distributed to library staff at the Circulation, times conflicting argument. Yet, the general consensus is Acquisition, Cataloguing, Serial, Special Collection and that they are related to indoor environmental variables Audio-Visual Sections as shown in Fig. I. Details about including physical factors like air temperature, chemical the low level symptoms such as dryness and irritation of factors like pollutants, biological factors like pollen of eyes, nose, throat, skin, headache, lethargy, dizziness etc. mould, and psychological factors [2]. as experienced by, staff were assessed. Effects of SBS on human health have not been rig­ Objective measurement was carried out at the same orously reported. There have been arguments about the time as subjective assessment was obtained to find out the attribution of illnesses to SBS. Should absenteeism be a environmental conditions and to determine the possible relationship between these variables. The survey ran from • Department of Building Services Engineering, Hong Kong October 1989 to February 1990. Environmental par­ Polytechnic, Hong Kong. ameters being measured included: 319 BAE 25:4-A 320 Y. N. Au Yeung et al. 80m Study Room for Visually Disabled Users (LJOIA) AUDIO-VISUAL MATERIALS .-.==========V.\~~~-.C..:~;:::~-:- AV Materials Counter THIRD FLOOR LIBRARY ENTRANCE Circulation Counter PODIUM FLOOR SPECIAL COLLECTIONS Serials Counter Starr Study Area (L013) UNBOUND PERIODICALS GROUND FLOOR I Cataloguing ..l..--~-/ I Section ·1 BOUND PERIODICALS Class nos QB·Z ~ Field Survey Location Fig. I. HKP Library layout plan. Physical aspects : -NO,(ppm) -air temperature (D.B. °C, W.B. 0 C) -S02 (ppm) -air velocity (m/s) -CO(ppm) -mean radiant temperature (0 C) -C02(ppm) -surface temperature (°C) -Formaldehyde (ppb). -illuminance level (tux) -noise level (dBA and the whole spectrum) -respirable dust particles (µg/m 3). Biological aspects: -Staph. epidermidis (CFU /m 3 of air) Chemical aspects : -Staph. aureus (CFU/m3 of air) -THC(ppm) -Bacillus (CFU/m 3 of air) -NO(ppm) -Penicil/ium (CFU/m3 of air). Sick Building Syndrome-A Case Study 321 FINDINGS respondents per survey, 84% claimed that they experi- The results of the survey are summarized in Tables l(a) enced one or more symptoms during office hours. The to l(g) while Table 2 lists the recommended values for average number of symptoms per respondent was three. various indoor environmental parameters. The variation was greatest for Circulation and Serial Sections in January with one and six symptoms per Prevalence of symptoms respondent respectively. Figure 2 shows the number of Out of the total 253 responses from the five surveys work related symptoms experienced by staff members. carried out in the months stated with an average of 50 Lethargy and dry symptoms were most prevalent and Table l(a). Acquisition Section at G/F Date 30 Oct. 27 Nov. 18 Dec. 22 Jan. 27 Feb. Thermal environment D.B. temp (0 C) 21.5 21 20 21.2 19 W.B. temp (°C) 18 17 16 16.5 15.3 R.H . (%) 72 69 69 63 70 Surface temp (°C) 18.5 20 19 20-21 17-18 Mean radiant temp (0 C) 22 22 21 22 19.5 Air velocity (m/s) 0.1 0.17 0.1 0.1-0.35 0.1-0.5 Visual environment Task illuminance 335--<i95 429 . 503 383-542 433-575 level (lux) Ambient illuminance 400-599 338 469 437-550 350-530 level (lux) Audio environment dBA 52-58 45-48 50-58 50-52 47-53 Linear 80--81 78-80 80-84 82-84 82-84 Table l(b). Serial Section at G/F Date 30 Oct. 27 Nov. 18 Dec. 22 Jan. 27 Feb. Thermal environment D.B. temp (0 C) 22.5 22.5 21 22 19.8 W.B. temp (°C) 18.5 17.5 16.5 17.5 17.2 R.H. (%) 68 60 65 65 78 Surface temp (0 C) 21-22 21-22 20-21 20-21 18 Mean radiant temp (°C) 23 23 21.5 22 18 Air velocity (m/s) 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.09 0.1 Visual environment Task illuminance 380-520 320-510 420-528 432-545 413-513 level (lux) Ambient illuminance 350-560 331-565 368-555 400-584 480-600 level (lux) Audio environment dBA 48-55 52-{)0 45-56 42-48 45-55 Linear 79-81 77-80 79--82 79-80 79-81 Table l(c). Circulation Section at P/F Date 30 Oct. 27 Nov. 18 Dec. 22 Jan. 27 Feb. Thermal environment D.B. temp (0 C) 22.3 21 20.5 20.8 19.5 W.B. temp (°C) 18 17 16.5 16 15.5 R.H . (%) 67 68 66 62 65 Surface temp (0 C) 22-24 20-21 19-20 17-18 17-18 Mean radiant temp (0 C) 22.8 21.7 21 21 19.5 Air velocity (m/s) 0.1 0.17 0.14 0.08 0.08 Visual environment Task illuminance 450-650 400-470 350-410 366-411 471-533 level (lux) Ambient illuminance 400-700 453-533 390-419 353-424 470-500 level (lux) Audio environment dBA 52-58 56-{)2 55--{)5 54--<iO 52-{)0 Linear 79--81 78-82 78-82 78-82 79--81 322 Y. N. Au Yeung et al. Table l(d). Special Collection Section at l/F Date 30 Oct. 27 Nov. 18 Dec. 22 Jan. 27 Feb. Thermal environment D.B. temp (0 C) 21.5 21 20 19 19.5 W.B. temp (0 C) 17 16 16 15 17.5 R.H.(%) 64 60 68 67 80 Surface temp (0 C) 19-20 19-20 18-20 17-18 18 Mean radiant temp (°C) 22.8 21.5 20.5 20.2 18 Air velocity (m/s) 0.1 0.18 0.1 0.1 0.1 Visual environment Task illuminance 411>-470 396-445 40()-450 405-428 576-598 level (lux) Ambient illuminance 313-400 265-450 3 lo-420 350-400 490-625 level (lux) Audio environment dBA 54 45-58 48-57 46-56 50-51 Linear 80 79-80 78-82 80-82 80-85 Table l(e). Audio-Visual Section at 3/F Date 30 Oct. 27 Nov. 18 Dec. 22 Jan. 27 Feb. Thermal environment D.B. temp (0 C) 22.5 21.3 21 18.5 19 W.B.
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