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Sick building syndrome
Computer and Health
By Claire Theoff
Sick building syndrome (SBS) is the term used to describe a situation in which occupants of a building experience symptoms of ill-health that seem to be linked to spending time in a building - but where no specific cause can be identified.
Those experiencing symptoms of ill health may be in a particular part of the building or the problem may be spread throughout.
What are the symptoms of SBS?
Some of the symptoms associated with sbs are: headaches, eye, nose or throat irritation, skin irritation, coughs, dizziness, nausea - and fatigue. The symptoms rapidly improve after leaving the building.
Although the cause of SBS is unknown, there are a number of common theories surrounding the syndrome. These include:
- Chemical pollutants outside the building - these will vary according to the location of the building. However, the common theory is that 'bad air' is drawn into the building via vents and windows triggering some of the symptoms of ill health listed above.
- Chemical pollutants inside the building - upholstery, carpets, cleaning products etc can emit chemicals, which can be a cause of irritation.
- Bacteria, pollen and mould - if these contaminants collect in drains or air-conditioning systems they can breed and spread causing a variety of health problems, eg. allergies and coughs.
- High or low humidity level - or changes in relative humidity in a building can trigger symptoms of ill health.
- Poor ventilation - many office environments use air conditioning systems but ventilation is sometimes poor.
What can be done about SBS?
The predominant culprit in most buildings is thought to be the flow of air. If this can be improved then SBS symptoms may improve. Specific pollutants should be identified and then removed or altered to minimize the effect.
If you suspect your place of work is making you sick try and keep a diary of your symptoms and reactions. Do you notice your symptoms improving when you leave the building? Are there any changes you can make to your work environment?
These might include:
- Opening windows or doors to improve airflow.
- Altering the temperature in your office.
- Minimising the use of perfumed detergents and air fresheners.
Finally, if you and your colleagues feel that further investigation or action is needed, you may need to consider meeting with the owner of the building and your local health department.
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Back Pain
Back pain is a fairly universal experience. Some see it as an inevitable legacy of our evolution, the result of turning a body designed to hang from a horizontal spine into a vertical spire, where a carefully balanced mechanism of muscles and joints must support organs and tissues pulling the column of vertebral bones downwards.
Back problems often start at work. Take an office worker who typically spends up to 40 hours a week hunched solid over their desk, nurses who need to frequently lift patients, a taxi driver bent into the driving seat for over 25,000 miles a year, a farmer constantly lifting sacks, seeds and machinery, or a checkout assistant sat on a poorly designed chair at her till all day (57% experience lower back pain each year). Our backs may be put under prolonged strain by our jobs and its hardly surprising that something within the delicate balance of bones and muscles so often fails.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
I'm seeing more and more people in my surgery suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome, and one of the things it appears to be related to, is using computer keyboards.
In the wrist, there is a tunnel formed by the strong tissue through which the tendons of the hand and the median nerve pass. It's a tight squeeze, so anything that reduces the space in the tunnel, such as fluid or inflammation of the tendon coatings, exerts pressure on this nerve. It's believed that repetitive overuse of the hand tendons, as with any tendon or muscle, causes them to become inflamed. Hence why keyboard use or other repetitive activities can be responsible.
When the nerve is compressed, people suffer discomfort, numbness, pins and needles, and sometimes, pain in the thumb, index, middle, and side of the ring finger, next to the middle finger. This is where the median nerve endings are distributed. Tingling often wakes sufferers up at night; when vigorously shaking the hands and arms is what brings relief. Men will also describe dropping things, or being clumsy with simple, but fiddly tasks, such as fitting a plug, for example.
Eye Problems :: Regular eye checks, Tips to reduce eye strain, First aid for eyes
Most people give hardly a thought to the amazing work our eyes do to enable us to see, until things start to go wrong. It's often at work (or school) that people begin to realise they have a problem. That doesn't mean that work is harmful to your eyes (although it can be) but that work or school is where we most need to see well.
We may be stressed, tired, trying to read tiny print or study tiny diagrams, and using our brains to think out problems fast, relying on all our senses. And so often these days, work also means sitting staring at a computer screen or VDU which puts extra demands on our eyes.
Regular Eye Checks.
So looking after your eyes at work is vital. But many people don't even have regular sight tests. It is estimated that as many as one in three working people have visual defects (like short or long sightedness) which have never even been diagnosed or have not been properly corrected. These problems may come to light when you do visually demanding work.
Make sure you have your eyes tested at least once a year or more often if you have symptoms. You may be able to demand that your employer provides regular eye tests especially if you work at a VDU - check Health & Safety regulations.
Symptoms suggesting eye problems are: Problems seeing or reading, Blurred vision, Headaches, Dizziness, Pain in the eyes, Watery eyes, Dry eyes
Headaches at Work :: Triggers of a headache at work, Preventing headaches, Making your work environment comfortable and stress-free
Headaches are such a common health problem that its not surprising that they often occur while people are at work. But there may be very specific reasons, related to the job or the working environment, why some people particularly suffer from headaches while they are trying to do their job.
Headaches can be hugely disruptive to work. More than 18 million working days are lost each year because of migraines, for example. This particularly debilitating type of headache can cause intense symptoms lasting up to 3 days and which are often so severe that concentration and co-ordination becomes very difficult and it is simply impossible to carry on working. In severe cases headaches can interfere with promotion and career prospects. Employers may worry that the person simply isn't up to the stresses of the job while those people with frequent headaches fear that they are letting down their colleagues because they insist on regular breaks or other conditions to avoid triggering a headache.
What triggers headaches at work? All types of headaches, especially tension or stress related headaches and migraine, are common in the workplace, probably because many similar trigger factors may be involved (see Box below). In some types of headache, especially migraine, a number of trigger factors may add up until a threshold is passed and a headache results.
Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) :: What is RSI? Protect yourself. Identifying RSI
As many of us spend more and more time in front of computers, the chances of developing repetitive strain injury (RSI) increase. For some people, the pain of RSI is so great that it prevents them from working at all. However, it doesn't develop overnight, so by always remembering that prevention is better than a cure, problems can often be avoided in the first place.
Occupational overuse syndrome, work-related upper limb injury, and isometric contraction myopathy, are all phrases used to describe what is more commonly known as RSI.
Overuse of the muscles of the hands, wrists, arms, or shoulders on a repeated, and usually, daily basis, causes injury to these muscles. This results in inflammation that is never really given a chance to recover, since these everyday harmful activities invariably continue.
