Symptoms Of Sick Building Syndrome Construction Essay

Symptoms Of Sick construct Syndrome Construction EssaySBS stands for Sick Building Syndrome. It c overs a mixture of symptoms thought to be generated when a student at crop sp barricades snip in a event expression. The symptoms range from querulous eyes, skin rashes, and nasal all toldergy symptoms, to to a greater extent complicated symptoms much(prenominal) as fatigue, pains, and sensitivity to odours. On the other hand, it may be lead to more serious diseases alike ceasecer and pneumonia.SBS was first identified in the 1970s, and its appellative at this time because of the increasing summate of electronic equipment and other factors. The experimental condition SBS is utilise when a large number of people occupying a particular grammatical wrench develop symptoms associated with their presence in that structure. Later on, the symptoms disappear. In close to cases forbidding create syndrome occurs in office makes, nurtures and apartment builds.SBS is suspecte d when the adjacent circumstances ar presentSymptoms be temporary and associated with time worn out(p) in a particular building or place.Symptoms disappear when the unmarried is not in the building.Symptoms reappear seasonally (heating, cooling).Symptoms and their severity argon varied from person to person.The signs and symptoms of a diagnosable illness be easy to add together up and apprise be say to specific stripborne building contaminants. On the other hand, the cause(s) of symptoms in cases of SBS are often difficult to pin use up and in some(prenominal) cases disparate factors may lead to the situation. When a sick building is identified an investigation should be done. Once the causes are identified, nonindulgent measures must be taken to reckon that any adverse reception exhibited and cause(s) are isolated to make the area safe for the students and civilise personnel.The prevalence of sick building syndrome is a problem, but statistics are limited. A institution Health Organization (WHO) report from 1984 suggested that up to 30% of newborn and renovated buildings ecumenical may generate excessive complaints related to interior(a) air tone (1). This high rate may be associated with modern mass produced wind materials that tend to off load gas irritating volatile organic fertiliser chemicals (VOCs). In a U.S. report on office fashioners questioned at random, 24% reported air bore problems in their work place, and 20% believed this harmed their strength to do their job effectively (2) (http//www.houseofplants.co.uk).Symptoms of SBSPeople suffering from SBS present varied symptoms, like other conditions such asHeadachesEye infections and inflammationsVisual scathe tremorsDamage to the central nervous transcriptionRunning noses and throat irritations wry coughsDry, itchy skin and rashesDizziness and nauseaDifficulty in concentrating dig and tirednessBreathing difficultiesPneumonia and chest infectionsCauses of SBSThe mechanism by which a building or anything within the building causes employees to become sick is un cognise. Problem areas can be easily identified and curative action taken after an investigation.Causes are listed belowBuilding design, criminal maintenanceFailure of internal respiration systemInterior design factorsLevels of specific pollutants, humidness and temperatureMultiple chemicals acting in combination to cause sicknessAge of buildingType of materials apply in buildingSBS is associated with the presence of certain mechanisms and pollutants. Most of the symptoms appear because of known toxic effects of high directs of certain chemicals. Some symptoms are chiefly allergic irritations which could result from various allergens in a building. Other symptoms are suggestive of those really experienced by sufferers of chemical sensitivity and many of the indoor pollutants.Occurs in building with spreading problems and may occur on with upper respiratory tract infection, Or w ith direct contact with chemicals, spread and gases.Itchiness, soreness, redness, eye lashes drop and excessive tear production.HeadacheTension, pro coherented photo to polar irritant substances and long working hours.Pain across the forehead, begins in the back of the head and upper neck as a band-like immersion or pressure and may end with vomiting.FeverCaused by eupneic water droplets from humidifiers or from an air filter ventilation system. Or video to chemicals that irritate the lungs and cause infection in the lung.Productive cough, aching limbs, headache, tiredness, lethargy and abdominal muscle pain.Skin problemsOccurs in exposed areas because of the direct picture show to chemical and different irritant substances like painting materials and products.Rashes, batches, itchy, dry skin and may end with chronic skin inflammation.StressPhysical changes lack of sleep and new environment.Headaches, digestive dis ball clubs, fatigue and lethargy, sleeping dis hostels, skin disorders and isolation from community.Lung problem motion picture to dust, ventilation problems and chemicals.Cough, breathlessness, may end with lung cancer.Throat ProblemsDry mucous membranes, ventilation problems and chemicals.Hoarseness, dry throat pain, recurrent throat infections and chronic Asthma.School purlieuStudents spend most of their day in the inculcate its their second house. From that aspect, the school environment should be physically and emotionally safe, well disciplined, and conducive to look intoing. base hit is an key append, which may chance upon the students physically and psychologically from this aspect, and there are important bear downs that should be filledStructure of the schoolSchool building organises dwell of columns, structural walls, beams, floors, and roof structures, which provide their stability. School buildings develop in overt cracks in concrete columns, structural walls, beams and floors. At the beginning, they are not an impor tant issue. With time, the school building moves, creating stresses at joints in materials which ends in small cracks appearing. However, this is the normal surgery of a structure settling in its foundation. But, with the presence of other factors it makes the issue more serious. The idea is to be able to differentiate. In the event of a major(ip) structural problem in a school building, it should be evaluated by a structural engineer, and corrective measures should be made accordingly. additional attention should be made to these aspectsBending in columns, beams, and roof structureRotting in wood structural components and floor structure decay of metal structural components especially in high humidness digestROOFINGThe roof protects the school building from rain, sun, wind, and keeps water from getting into the school building. The waterproofing system should be kept in a meet way. To prevent problems from happening, the roof should be kept in expert underframe and annually m aintained.BUILDING EXTERIORUsing different building materials in school buildings is common nowadays for example, using fashion blocks in the walls and having exteriors as maintenance free as possible to lower costs. But new school buildings may feature concrete blocks or brick walls even though fashion blocks in some walls are kept. The school buildings exteriors depart be quiet call for annual maintenance plans to protect the materials. The plan will consider the type and quality of materials used and their current condition. Some school buildings are old, and the exterior may not be quite suitable for a maintenance free plan. The biggest threats to school buildings exteriors are water, sun, wind, and being in areas approximately the coast.BUILDING INTERIORThe design of the inside of a building is an important issue. Paint maintenance should be paid special attention, because it plays a major roll in preventing the deterioration of the building, and usually cracks are invisib le when they proceed to appear. Also, the paint should be goodly quality to avoid any irritation reaction.GROUNDSThe area around the school is made of concrete, but a pathway may be concrete, brick, stone, asphalt, or even wood. Such materials need good maintenance and must be watched for conditions that may cause major hazards such as slips and falls. Any major hazards should be eliminated through repair, ramping or clearing. Annual checkups and repairs must be done if the condition of the material deteriorates.Classrooms powerful classrooms are ones that yield adequate ventilation, illuminate, an adequate number of students per class, and proper classroom temperature. All previous points which were discussed should be applied properly. public discussionProper Ventilation is important to the indoor air quality. activate-conditioning, the type of material used and maintenance also affect indoor air quality in order to optimise writ of execution and prevent students becoming si ck.Many factors may affect indoor air quality and contribute to many health problems, the comfort, and the fulfilance of students.Temperature in that respect are many causes of sick building syndrome like rampant temperature (high or low). If there is a wide variation in temperature, it will affect other factors such as the increasing possibility of exposure to fever and throat infections. Therefore, maintaining adequate temperature inside classrooms will allow the students to perform butter. One must make sure that dangerous or umbrage fumes are prevented from escaping into the classroom through the heating or cooling system.HumidityHumidity can lead to different problems. It could vary from a simple one to a complicated one. For example, bacteria, fungi, and parasites live in places where humidity is above the normal levels, and they enter the body mainly through the respiratory system, resulting in some kind of respiratory infection. In classrooms, the range of controlled hu midity is 40% to 70% in order to increase students effectiveness. The range of telling humidity in warm classrooms should be less than 40%. Therefore, there should be annual checking of controls on a regular basis, and also, checking should cover the cleanliness of equipment for humidifying. satisfactory lightingEnsure that there is adequate lighting in the classrooms and firm building to avoid a lot of problems.Surveys by the National form of Ophthalmology showed that around 38.8 part of students at 260 schools in Ho Chi Minh metropolis have refraction problems, short-sightedness, far-sightedness, and astigmatism. The ratio in the northern Hai Phong City was 60 percent, while in Hanoi, Da Nang and the central Ha Tinh Province, it ranged from 25 percent to above 30 percent. Doctors attributed the high incidence of weak eyesight to lacking(p) classrooms in terms of size, area and light, as well excessive time spent working with computers SummaryTo sum up, there are different fac tors that could affect the school environment, and some of them were discussed above. Some problems can be avoided by early detections and by finding proper solutions to avoid any health problems that arise. If a problem is detected earlier it can be individual(a)-minded during the design step or maybe by and by in order to maintain a safe school environment. SBS affects productivity, increases the rate of absenteeism, poor closeness and fatigue. It affects the well-being of the students and all school personnel and their performance. All the measures are directed to avoid and reduce the risk factors that affect student health.Task 2BREEAMBREEAM is a method used internationally to assess a buildings ring area. It can be applied to asses both new and old buildings. There are several types of environmental appraisal systems in use such as BREEAM, ESRSA, and CEEQUAL. Because it is used in devil significant areas of the globe, BRE Global introduced two new geographical intrigues that are use by BREEEAM International tax assessors which are BREEAM Europe and BREEAM gulf. In addition to these two schemes, the BREEAM In Use and BREEAM Communities schemes are also easy for use on international buildings and developments.Since BREEAM is widely used in Europe and as it used in the gulf, the BREEAM Gulf scheme can be used to assess the environmental pushs of any building located in the Gulf function. This will be explained later on in this paper.BREEAM provides designers, planner and others with key factorsIt ensures the best environmental practice is include in a buildingIt finds solutions that help to minimise the environmental impactIt ensures the use of high standards and regulationsIt reduces the costs and corrects working and living environmentsIt reduces the time take to finish the workSteps of BREEAM estimateThere are two steps in BREEAM which can be used to evaluate the environmental effect secondary to building development1. Design story (DS)2. Post-Construction Stage (PCS)Design StageThis step should be done before construction works start. Related information should be available to change the BREEAM assessor to demonstrate, in a healthy manner, the buildings performance against the reporting and evidential requirements of the technical foul foul guidance. The official assessment of DS will be carried out at the detailed design stages.Post-Construction StageThis step starts after construction work has finished. In this step, an evaluation and the BREMM rating are used before building occupation.The post-construction stage is divided into two approaches1. A post-construction review of a design-stage assessment2. A post-construction assessmentA post-construction appraisal aims to detect the BREEAM rating achieved at the design stage in accordance with the reporting and evidential requirements of the technical guidance. Where a formal DS assessment has not been carried out and a BREEAM assessment and rating is required, a f ull PCS assessment can be conducted.BREEAM GulfBREEAM Gulf has been developed and established in collaboration with a variety of large organisations based in Qatar, Abu Dhabi and Dubai.The purpose of the system is to bring all the new and used building types in the area into use. The available BREEAM system can be used to evaluate, demonstrate and improve the building environment.The system has been developed in the Gulf region to resemble UK BREEAM system categories it provides special assessment points in relation to environmental impacts associated with construction in the Gulf region.The BREEAM Gulf systemThe BREEAM system for the Gulf assessment point areas is as belowMaterialsWasteWaterManagementHealth and well-beingLand Use and EcologyEnergyTransportPollutionDuring the assessment phase within each point from the above table, numbers of ascribe must be assessed to appraise the performance achieved by the development. This set of points is change to fit the Gulf regions cond itions and climate. They are applied to each point to enable the weighted grades to be added together to produce a single overall score for the building. Then, the score is translated into a 1-5 star rating and the highest level of environmental performance will score 5 stars.Unlike BREEAM in the UK which generally looks at building uses separately, a BREEAM assessment in the Gulf evaluates the performance of a whole building taking into account the different uses that are present (e.g. offices, retail, residential etc.). This approach reflects the construction market in theregion where mixed use buildings are the norm. The assessment, therefore, produces a single score for each assessed building based on an area weighted calculation.Differences with BREEAM in the UKThe purpose of BREEAM Gulf is to evaluate the construction industry in the region to achieve and maintain higher levels of sustainability. It also aims to identify local contexts and issues, and with this consideration, all of the codes and standards which should be maintained are described in the guidance.Figure3 factors affecting indoor environmentwww.yoshino-gypsum.com//sickhouse01.htmAppendixesCase think 1The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) has conducted a study about IAQ (Indoor Air Quality). William Blackstone Elementary School was one of three schools selected to pilot burner EPA Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools (IAQ TfS) Kit and Program in 1999. The school is located in Bostons South End and is one of 120 schools in the Boston Public School System. The school was built in 1975, using the typical design of that time brick walls, mostly flat roofs, Plexiglas windows, and visible duct work. It has a history of IAQ and health-related problems, specifically high rates of asthma among students. William Blackstone Elementary School was one of three schools selected to pilot EPA Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools (IAQ TfS) Kit and Program in 1999. The school control discover that t he asthma rate was higher than the national average of two cases per classroom. faculty were also aware of serious problems with water intrusion during heavy rain, varnished and collapsed cap tiles, peeling paint and stains on the walls, rust on reliever beams, and water damage to equipment and furniture.Problem recognitionProblems identified by the checklists and walkthrough include the followingAn above-average number of asthma cases and illnesses typically associated with indoor air quality problems (headaches, nausea, etc.).Water damage, such as persuade and mildew, missing, stained, and broken ceiling tiles, fungous proceeds on ceiling tiles, and damaged ceiling and wall plaster. caloric discomfort, such as widely fluctuating temperatures, too high or too low humidity levels, and cold drafts.Ventilation problems, such as poor air circulation and lack of exhaust fans in some bathrooms.Cleanliness problems, such as dust accumulation around the supply vents and surrounding cei ling tiles, infrequent dusting and vacuuming, and pest problems.So, according to the findings, the IAQ squad was formed and they established a meeting to list the causes of the problems and find solutions.ImprovementsThe IAQ team implemented some actions to improve the indoor air quality at Blackstone Elementary School. The EPAs IAQ TfS Kit gave the team the leverage it needed to persuade the school district to improve the environmental problems in the school. Once the Superintendent was informed of the schools IAQ issues and the teams recommendations, Blackstone Elementary was placed on a high-priority list for roof repairs and other renovations.A number of improvements have been done, including roof repairs. There is a plan for installing new energy-efficient lighting and new ceiling tiles. Additionally, carpets will be replaced with tiles in the classrooms. The school nurse started to assess students health and document any new asthma cases over the next year to establish a link between the indoor environment and childrens health.SummaryThe surrounding environment plays a role in students performance and affects their health directly. This means that attention must be devoted at some point during design stage or later to avoid unwanted risky problems that may affect students health. Some problems can be detected easily like eye infections, but others like asthma will be treated but its effects are lifelong. Poor ventilation, lighting, humidity and temperature all can produce health problems therefore, good ventilation, adequate lighting, and proper temperature should be maintained. high school performance building features should be incorporated into the design process, and school building systems should be commissioned to ensure that they are operating according to design.Case study 2 figure out in schools is getting a lot of attention at local, offer and federal levels, the Houston Chronicle reported in 2002. Wide variations in temperatures and humidi ty levels in South Texas make it difficult to maintain internal atmospheric conditions to minimise the formation of honk or mildew.Pharr-San Juan-Alamo School Districts Memorial High School, three years after it was established, faced a toxic mold problem that reached crisis stage. There were complaints from teachers, staff and students that some staff and students were becoming ill, and as a result students left the school. As with many schools, the indoor air quality at the school was poor because of high ventilation, the high number of students per classroom, high intermittent ventilation loads and carryover from showers in gyms and locker rooms, and long periods where the building was vacant. There was an increase in heat, humidity, moisture, bad ventilation and filtration. The building had reached a saturation point. Leaks from the roof and windows contributed to the problem, and mold growth. Humidity inside the building was as high as 90 percent.Problem recognition asymmetry of the weather (uncontrolled hot, humidity, moisture)Bad ventilation and filtrationLeaks from roof and windowMold growthSolutionCut off the source of moisture and mold outback(a)Fresh air from outside drawn to the building to regulate ventilationEquipment fixed to supply dry air to the building via temporary drier dryersCarpets exchanged for tilesImprovements outcomeAfter three months the desiccant dehumidification system dried-outthe buildingThe school is kept at 45 percent recounting humidity and 75F tempThe mold growth is inhibited.reduced absenteeism rate among studentsConclusionHealthy environments in school settings empower students to learn more and increase their effectiveness. It also helps school personnel to meet their goals in teaching and other work. From the above case study it can be seen that any problem in the school environment affects students health and schooling ability. The problem can be easily detected by perusal the causes and solving them. Many probl ems can be avoided byChoosing a good design of heating, ventilation, and air conditioningControlling moisture to prevent mold growth and preventing damage to building materials and systemsMaintenance of the roof and windows