Reducing Sick Air

"An excess of work-related irritations on the skin and mucous membranes and other symptoms including headache, fatigue and difficulty concentrating reported by workers in modern buildings." A significant source of sick building syndrome is now recognised as the build up of bacteria and fungi that colonise air filters, ductwork, heat transfer coils and associated equipment of air conditioning systems.

How can you tell if a building has SBS?

There are many different conditions that lead people to believe they may have a problem in their building including

• Damp mouldy smells that are circulated throughout the building
• The air returns are dirty and covered with a fine dust
• The air conditioning never reaches or has trouble maintaining the desired temperature even when it is not extremely hot outside
• Not enough air is circulated through the building
• High levels of staff absenteeism throughout the building
• Poor staff productivity

Air that is musty or stale is usually caused by some form of bacterial or fungal contamination. If you have air conditioning, it is possible that over time your cooling coils and ductwork have built up an "infection" from normal exposure to atmospheric contaminants and human contamination, since the human body sheds a continuous stream of biological contamination.

The use of the common “air freshener" does not solve this problem: all that is being achieved is one unpleasant smell is being replaced by a pleasant one.

Contaminated coils

This photograph shows the build up of bacteria and moulds that can reside within an air conditioning unit. The use of Melaklean air treatment products will sanitise the air conditioning ductwork, cooling coils and filters by preventing bacterial and fungal growth within a system and minimize infection due to the release of “spores” from these surfaces.

What are the medical symptoms of SBS?

While the symptoms vary greatly, the following complaints have all been associated with unhealthy buildings:

• Fatigue
• Headaches
• Nausea
• Eye irritations
• Allergies including skin irritations
• Respiratory Complaints
• Low-level irritation

Building occupants often find that the symptoms disappear quickly when they leave the building and appear to worsen after returning to the building from an extended break such as a weekend.

How can I find out if my building is suffering from SBS?

Test equipment can help determine the quality of your building’s indoor air. Depending upon the specific requirements of a building, a range of tests is available to measure:

• Microbiological contamination of the Air Handling Unit (AHU) and ducts
• Contamination of the filters with mould and yeast
• Microbiological concentrations in the air
• Air flow checks to test for appropriate circulation rates

Melaklean Cleaner Air Products can provide air testing services.

Who is responsible for a building's indoor air quality?

There are a number of people who need to be advised if you think that your building is suffering from SBS.

• The Building manager responsible for building maintenance. Most building managers will understand the implications of having a Sick Building and should be contacted by the appropriate company representative.
• Management has at their disposal several Australian standards all of which cover the subject of indoor air quality and the control of microbial contamination in air-conditioning in the work place.