Sick Building Syndrome

Poor Ventilation Can Create Unhealthy Conditions in Modern Office Buildings

When a building contributes to the poor health of its occupants, especially an office building that is sealed, that has permanently closed windows, it's known as a sick building.  There are a lot of things that contribute to creating a sick building.  Probably the main ones are inadequate ventilation and air filters that contain mold and bacteria.  Other factors that create a sick building are the presence of a wide variety of chemicals including tobacco smoke, "off-gassing" from carpeting, non-wood office furniture, such as "press wood" or plastic, and chemicals used in photocopying, cleaning supplies, office supplies, such as "white out." 

Other possible contributing factors could be air from a garage that leaks into the building.

Brand new buildings can be especially toxic because of the combined effects of all the new carpeting, new partitioning and new furniture. 

The only way a sick building can be "healed" is for building management to become involved in the process.  First they have to acknowledge there is a problem.  A high incidence of sickness in an office could be an indication, but probably the best indication would be having the building tested, which can be an expensive process.

How to Detoxify your Home

* Remove all gasoline, pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, fertilizers, paints and thinners. Everything that would vaporize and seep into your house from your attached garage or basement.
* Seal off any ducts or vents between your garage and house.
* When working in your garden or lawn, remove your shoes before coming indoors.
* If you`re working with chemicals, immediately wash your work clothes so that the contaminants are not carried into your home.
* Seal off exterior walls and do everything possible to minimize moisture in your basement. This dampness is enough to support a healthy growth of mold that can permeate your home. A forced-air heating system can carry spores throughout your home.
* Be aware of fermented foods, including mushrooms, that can cross-react with airborne mold spores that trigger allergic reactions.
* Take care that your kitchen is thoroughly vented to prevent build-up of gas burn-off from stoves and pilot lights.
* Make sure your microwave oven is not leaking; a defective microwave creates unhealthy conditions within eight feet.
* Make sure there are no freon leaks from your refrigerator.
* Discard all aluminum-based cookware
* Do not use aluminum foil in cooking; it can oxidize microscopic amounts of the metal into your food. Foil is safe to use when storing cooked foods.
* Do not use Teflon or other nonstick cookware; it can easily get into your food and body.

* Discard all ammonia-based cleansers. It`s very toxic.
* Invest in a negative ionizer to eliminate airborne toxins - mold spores, dust, cigarette smoke, hydrocarbons, pet hair and dander, positive ions - in your home.
* Use distilled water in your humidifier; otherwise mineral deposits from the water will end up on your carpet, floor, and furniture.
* Use plants - especially leafy green, non-flowering varieties that don`t produce pollen - to improve air quality in your home. They`re natural air purifiers!
* Use full-spectrum light bulbs in your home to provide the same quality of light as natural sunlight. This nurtures and improves the condition of the hypothalamus in the brain.
* Have your home heating system inspected and repaired if necessary, to make certain there are no leaks of fuel and fumes.
* Clean up the clutter in your life - the garage, the kitchen, your closets and dressers, your car, your office. Dust mites thrive in a paper- and clutter-filled environment. So do disease-carrying insects like cockroaches and rodents