1. Introduction
The internal environment of buildings and the health of the occupants is a very topical issue as people on average spend greater than 80% of their lives indoors. Health related problems in buildings have an effect on the people and organisations who occupy the buildings. The ramifications of those problems are reflected in the increasing cost of investigations; high disruption factor to management and the organisation as a whole; the heightened concern about health; increasing industrial disputation in this area; and the legal implications for employers, asset managers, building owners, designers and associated personnel.
2. Environmental Policy of the Department of Public
Works and Housing
As a result of these
concerns and the thrust of legislation such as the Workplace Health and
Safety Act and the new Environmental Protection Act (1994) (which sets
quality standards for the environment including air, water, noise and waste
as well as ensuring the health and safety of our fellow citizens), the
Department of Public Works & Housing has adopted an Environmental Policy
which was developed by the Built Environment Unit, Building Division of
the Department. This Policy is a recognition of the need for a proactive
approach - ie. prevention or alleviation of environmental and health and
safety problems in buildings - rather than a reactive response to particular
incidents.
This means considering
environmental impacts including health impacts at the planning stage, rather
than relying on fixing the problem later. In accordance with this
policy all people in the Department will strive to protect the environment
(including internal environment) through the actions of everyone in the
Department and in partnership with our clients, communities and industry.
2.1 Ecological and Sustainable Development Guidelines
The Built Environment Unit (BEU) is presently developing ecological sustainable development and environmental guidelines. Those guidelines will integrate environmental matters such as embodied energy, waste management, energy management, materials conservation, Workplace Health and Safety, indoor air quality, lighting etc. with the Strategic Asset management process involving planning, procurement, management in use and disposal. (Refer Appendix 1). This paper will refer to the Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995 and its implications on the internal environment of buildings and especially the important issue of indoor air quality.
3. Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995
Managing health and safety at or in assets of departments or agencies is defined as the proactive minimisation of the risks to health and safety of persons who visit, use, operate or work at, in or on the asset being managed throughout its whole life cycle. The objective of managing health and safety effectively is to minimise the occurrence of injury or disease associated with these assets and their operations. Modern workplace health and safety practice adopts the process of risk management. This is made clear in S22 of the Queensland Workplace Health and Safety Act (1995) where it prescribes a risk management model for ensuring health and safety.
3.1 Management
The Department of Public Works and Housing are developing guidelines for Asset Managers in the Queensland Government which set out the following major elements of the health and safety risk management process:
3.2 Statutory Requirements
The Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995 (Act) is the Act that applies to health and safety in Queensland workplaces. It clearly sets out what is required to ensure health and safety of persons at a workplace by establishing specific obligations, duties, functions and responsibilities of persons who play a role in this process.
3.3 Defences
S37 of the Act sets out the defences available under the Act. The section is quite clear and reinforces the Compliance and Advisory Standards in the first instance and supports this with a risk management approach. It also introduces the terms `reasonable precautions' and `proper diligence'.
3.4 Employers’ Obligations
S28 of the Act places an obligation on employers to ensure the health and safety of their workers.
3.5 Executive Officers
S167 of the Act states that Executive Officers of a corporation (department or agency) must ensure that the corporation complies with the Act and under S166 are responsible for `Acts and omissions of representatives' with respect to health and safety.
3.6 Persons in Control of a Workplace
Of particular importance to Asset Managers is the obligation under S30 for persons in control of a workplace. They must:
Litigation is the final consequence of adverse health effects resulting from the internal environment and is a convenient point from which to consider future directions in this issue. Complaints concerning fatigue, headaches, respiratory conditions, skin irritation and stress have been reported by occupants of buildings for years. However the picture has changed markedly as a result of emerging information about indoor air quality and the "Sick Building Syndrome" plus increased public awareness following significant media attention. Armed with new data that shows health effects resulting from passive cigarette smoking, formaldehyde, radon, asbestos, and other substances as well as from the Sick Building Syndrome (SBS), plaintiffs who believe they may have been injured by the air inside their buildings or homes are taking legal action in the U.S.A and this is also beginning to be a trend in Australia.
These cases are complex not only in the nature of the technical proof that must be developed and presented, but also in the number of parties involved. Laurence K Kirsch quotes one such case (Buckley v Kruger - Benson - Ziemer) in which there were approximately two hundred named and unnamed defendants (1). The majority of legal actions dealing with Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) have involved the following pollutants:
In the Australian legal context the issues would be dealt with under common law and statute law, both of which bring in the concept of duty of care. In general terms, a successful legal action requires the meeting of the following conditions:
In order to take legal action a plaintiff must establish liability which means providing evidence of a wrongful act that is a justifiable cause for action. Liability is the focus for concern for building professionals dealing with the design, development construction, sale (disposal) and management of buildings. They are all part of the chain of responsibility in providing products and services to the public. Through understanding the theory of liability, these people can take steps to protect themselves from legal action.
4.2 First Major USA SBS Case to Trial
The claim for this case arose from alleged injuries from pollution generated during tenant improvements to an office building. The plaintiffs alleged that:
Health has been defined by the World Health Authority (WHO) as "a state of complete physical, mental and social well being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity". However no measure of health has been agreed upon - not even for the case of only one type of exposure such as Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). It should be noted that in the context of the internal environment threshold limit values (TLV's) are not appropriate and researchers are now focussing on low level exposures. Lars Molhave in his research on low level exposure to VOCs in the internal environment determined that many of symptoms experienced by occupants were similar to those stated as being attributable to Sick Building Syndrome (3). He found that there was no discomfort effect on the occupants at less than 2 mg/m³ exposure to VOC. Above this exposure various levels of discomfort occurred until the VOC levels exceeded 25 mg/m³ (less than 3 hours exposure) when various neurotoxic effects could be experienced. Molhave has also been instrumental in formulating the Total Volatile Organic Compound (TVOC) concept. It is hoped that the TVOC will be used as a first approximation of a predictor of effects of VOCs at low level parts per million in the internal environment, rather than trying to assess the effects of the individual VOC. The National Health and Medical Research Council have now recommended a level of TVOC of 500mg/m³ (0.5 mg/m³) and the BEU is now undertaking remediation work in Queensland Government buildings in accordance with this guideline.
5.1 Gaseous Contaminants
There are many gaseous pollutants in the indoor environment; their source and WHO concentrations of concern are listed below:
| Pollutant | Concentration of concern | Source |
| Carbon monoxide | 10.0 mg/m3 | Combustion products, tobacco smoke |
| Radon & daughters | 200.0 Bq/m3 | Building materials, outdoors |
| Formaldehyde | 0.12 mg/m3 | Furniture, fittings, insulation, paper |
| Ozone | 0.21 mg/m3 (1hr) | Copiers, ionisers |
| Nitrogen Dioxide | 0.15 mg/m3 | Unvented heating or gas (24 hour exposure) |
| Nitrogen Dioxide | 0.32 mg/m3 | Cooking (1 hour exposure) |
| Sulphur Dioxide | 0.35 mg/m3 | External environment |
| Total Volatile Organics | 0.5 mg/m³ (1 hr) |
5.2 Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS)
This was an important source of chemical pollution in indoor air in Queensland Government buildings until it was banned. Environmental tobacco smoke is responsible for mucous membrane irritation (the side stream of tobacco smoke being more irritant than the main stream). Extensive toxicological, experimental, and epidemiological data, largely collected since the 1950s have established that active cigarette smoking is the major preventable cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States. (US Department of Health, Education, and Welfare [DHEW] 1979; US Department of Health and Human Services [DHHS] 1989). More recently, involuntary exposure to tobacco smoke has been investigated as a risk factor for disease and also found to be a cause of preventable morbidity and mortality in non smokers. Jonathan M Samet set out the following table on the potential health effects of involuntary exposure to Tobacco Smoke (4):
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The presence of formaldehyde may result from the use of wood based products (like particle board, plywood), urea-formaldehyde foam for insulation and variety of products, mainly used for disinfection, cleaning and painting. It has been suggested that formaldehyde may be the cause of Sick Building Syndrome since it irritates both the eyes and the upper or lower respiratory tract. It may also be responsible for allergic disorders including asthma (Hendrick et al.). The WHO has recently introduced a concentration limit of 0.1 mg/m3 for indoor air, because this is considered the threshold of irritation, whereas "significant increases in symptoms of irritation start at levels above 0.3 mg/m3 in healthy subjects" (WHO 1987).
5.4 The Chemical Factors
Chemical factors are too numerous to be considered individually, but they can be grouped into major categories. There are those which are emitted indoors and those which stem from outside air. It should be noted that threshold limit values in industrial workplaces are fixed for a large number of chemicals by national or international standards. The pollutant concentrations normally observed in indoor air are much lower than such limits. Recently the World Health Organisation (WHO) introduced a set of guidelines aiming "to provide a basis for protecting public health from adverse effects of air pollution and for eliminating or reducing to a minimum those contaminants of air that are known or likely to be hazardous to human health and well being" (WHO 1987). The guidelines do not differentiate between indoor and outdoor exposure, hence they cover indoor air as well.
6. Particles and Fibres
Dust in the indoor air consists of organic and inorganic particles many of which can be classified as fibres. The total dust concentration in a room is dependent on ventilation, cleaning and activity levels and the degree of tobacco smoking. Fibres can be simply classified as follows:
Asbestos is the fibrous form of mineral silicates belonging to the serpentine and amphibole group of rock-forming minerals. The most significant types are chrysotile, crocidolite and amosite (white, blue and brown or grey asbestos respectively). Prior to the 1970's, asbestos was the material of choice for fire-proofing, thermal insulation, and sound insulation. It was used as spray-on insulation of ceilings and steel girders: as a thermal insulation of boilers, pipes, ducts, air conditioning units, etc; as an abrasion resistant filler in floor tiles, vinyl sheet floor coverings, roofing and siding shingles; as a flexible, though resistant, joining compound and filler of textured paints and gaskets; as a bulking material with the best wear characteristics for automobile brake shoes. It was used in countless domestic appliances such as toasters, broilers, dishwaters, refrigerators, ovens, clothes dryers, electric blankets, hair dryers.
6.1.1 Health Aspects
Significant health risks may arise from the inhalation of airborne asbestos fibres and their passage into the lungs. Small fibrous particles may become airborne and be inhaled. Fibres below 3 micrometres in diameter are referred to as respirable, meaning that they may enter the deepest parts of the lung. Inhalation of high concentrations of asbestos may result in asbestosis, a progressive scaling of lung tissue. Further development of scar tissue (fibrosis) may occur after the cessation of exposure.
The two main forms of cancer associated with the inhalation of asbestos are lung cancer and mesothelioma. Generally, fibres below 3 micrometers in diameter and greater than 8 micrometres in length are potentially carcinogenic, as fibre diameter decreases. The known adverse health consequences of asbestos exposure make it essential that a control management system is required. The main methods of controlling asbestos in buildings and other structures are:
| chrysotile | 1.0 fibres/millilitre |
| crocidolite | 0.1 f/ml |
| amosite | 0.1 f/ml |
| other forms of asbestos | 0.1 f/ml |
| any mixture of those, or where the composition is unknown | 0.1 f/ml |
An asbestos Management Program should be seen as part of an organisation's overall approach to risk management. Procedures designed to ensure that employees are not exposed to asbestos to an extent likely to cause danger to their health should be adopted and will include:
6.2 Synthetic Mineral Fibres
Synthetic mineral fibres (SMF) is a generic term used to collectively describe a number of amorphous (non-crystalline) fibrous materials including glass fibre, mineral wool and ceramic fibre. The major application of SMF materials is in thermal and acoustic insulation, and as a reinforcing agent. Because of their similar application and appearance to asbestos, there has been some concern in the community regarding the health effects associated with exposure to SMF.
6.2.1 Health Effects.
Full details of health effects are to be found in the National Occupational Health and Safety Commission Technical Report on Synthetic Mineral Fibres but some points to note are:
7. Microbial Contaminants
Microbiological agents have recently been recognised as a significant cause of indoor air pollution. Most often the source is an improperly maintained heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system, particularly the humidification component. Micro-organisms considered to be of concern include, but are not limited to, the following (Health and Welfare Canada, 1987; Ager, 1983) micro-organisms of concern:
Legionnaire's disease is a bacteriologic pneumonia caused by the agent Legionella pneumophila. Symptoms include fever, chills, chest pain, diarrhoea, malaise and myalgia. Immunocompromised persons are particularly susceptible and at greater risk of death from this disease. Legionella have been found in the cooling towers, shower heads and water system of many buildings, including hospitals (Godish 1986).
The Department of Public Works and Housing is very vigilant on the monitoring of cooling towers to ensure that occupants of Government buildings are safe from contamination to legionella bacteria. Fungi comprise approximately one quarter of the biomass of the planet. Until recently, little serious attention was paid to the hazards posed from inhalation exposure of filamentous fungi in indoor air. A number of authors have held that there was a tolerable exposure to mould spores in indoor air of 1000 CFU m-3 (5) (6). This notion lingers and is apparently based on the fact that there are often larger concentrations of mould spores in outdoor air.
David Miller states (7) that recent epidemiological data from the UK, USA and Canada suggest that health effects caused by inhalation exposure to mould propagules are more serious than previously thought and that this now requires a more critical evaluation of the approaches used to manage contamination of indoor air by fungi. Moulds are capable of producing very large quantities of spores in a short time and their viability can be high as in the case of the aspergillers and penicillium species which can remain viable longer than 12 years (8). Mycotoxins are compounds produced by fungi -usually moulds that are toxic to humans or animals.
7.1 Pigeon and bat droppings
In urban environments,
pigeon and bat droppings can be a problem. Birds have been known
to roost on or near the covers of HVAC air intakes, and even in ductwork
itself if not properly shielded. Among the facultative pathogens
of interest, Aspergillus fumigatus, A. terreus, and sometimes A. flavus
cause aspergillosis, a invasive lung disease which is difficult to treat.
Exposure to filamentous fungi and yeasts invariably produces allergy and
a fairly large percentage of the population (10 - 15%) is allergic to fungi.
Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (also called extrinsic allergic alveolitis)
is a syndrome caused by the inhalation of dusts containing organic matter
including fungal spores (and actinomycetes) and permanent lung damage can
be caused.
7.2 Epidemiological
Studies
A fairly large study undertaken in the North Eastern USA has recently been published (part of the Harvard six - cities studies) on the effect of home dampness and respiratory health in 4,625 children (8 - 12 years old). Mould and dampness variables were reported by parents and humidity measurements were taken in about 40% of the homes. These data were compared to objective assessments of respiratory and general health of the children and the authors concluded that the "effect of moulds and dampness (on respiratory health and a number of other symptoms in children) is comparable in size to the effect of passive smoking". (9). Standards Australia AS 3666 - 1989 has been introduced for microbial control of air handling and water systems in buildings.
7.3 Common Viruses And Other Bacteria
Dr Martin Bicevskis,
Senior Medical Officer, Occupational Health Branch, Tasmania has reviewed
current research on the effect of humidity on microbial organisms and has
published a number of papers in this area. There are approximately
150 million physician consultations every year in the USA for acute respiratory
disease, a little less than one person per year. Many more illnesses
are not reported. Any measures, such as humidity control, that can
be shown to even slightly reduce this morbidity would have the potential
for considerable savings to industry and the community.
What are the viruses
that cause this morbidity? In decreasing order of frequency this
is a typical breakdown shows that Rhino virus is the commonest, influenza
second, and a mixed bag thereafter. In medical practice laboratory studies
to identify the specific virus are very rarely done because specific antiviral
therapy is not generally available or especially useful. A more pragmatic
classification of common respiratory disease shows:
8. Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality
Probably the most common complaint received about indoor air quality is that of "stale air". Typical symptoms of headache, stuffiness, upper respiratory tract irritation, drowsiness, lethargy and fatigue are reported. These symptoms tend to worsen during the course of the day, peaking in the early afternoon, then disappearing after departure from the building. Ventilation is the transport and change of air with the object of achieving an improvement in air quality. The usual specific goals of ventilation are to:
The revised Australian Standard 1668 Part 2 deals with mechanical ventilation for acceptable indoor air quality. This standard relates to indoor air quality and does not prescribe other requirements associated with comfort of people such as temperature, humidity, air movement or noise. It is a very comprehensive standard based on overseas research and as it is to be used by designers of air conditioning and ventilation systems it is quite complex. It takes into account the maintenance of indoor air quality by introducing adequate amounts of outside air into the system. It covers the situation where outside air quality is not good enough due to pollution and recommends pre-treatment of this air to treating the recycled air only.
8.2 Air Intakes
It places considerable responsibility on the designers in relation to their duty of care to ensure correct location of air intakes especially in relation to adjacent sources of pollution.
8.3 Fresh Air Distribution
The onus of ensuring the required amounts of fresh air is delivered to the occupants of buildings is placed squarely on designers and contractors. Building owners should ensure that commissioning tests prove that the system will meet this requirement. Extreme care has to be taken with many of the variable air volume systems now in existence to ensure that fresh air in the right proportion to total supply air volume is reaching the occupants. The standard covers filtration efficiency as well as particulate filtration and odour control.
9. Filtration
Particulate contamination is removed by air filters generally located on the upstream side of any heating, cooling, or humidifying equipment and the circulating fan, since the performance of the air conditioning equipment is impaired by impurities borne by the airstream.
9.1 Particulate Filtration
It is particularly important if a designer is attempting to control the environment within a space to recognise if the pollutants are being generated within the space or from a source outside the space. A familiar sight in many air conditioned buildings is the dark "smudge" around the air - supply outlets. Although the first reaction as to the cause may be ineffective filtration, in actual fact the mark is generally formed from particles within the room being induced into the incoming airstream and deposited on the surfaces adjacent to the air supply outlet. The selection of filters vary according to the initial and maintenance costs, energy costs and quality required by the Client. Whilst most buildings have extended surface dry media types of filters installed there is a wide range of performance in terms of efficiency, dust holding capacity, first cost, maintenance cost and air pressure drop.
Peter Mathieson raises some interesting issues related to airborne dust levels from as his research when he states that "the air conditioning system is not necessarily effective in removing small size (respirable) particles from the indoor environment" (10). He maintains that vacuum cleaning with a central vacuum cleaning system significantly reduces these small size airborne dust levels during and after cleaning activities in the occupied zone. The other interesting point he makes is that portable vacuum cleaners actually contribute to an increased dust burden, which persists beyond the cleaning period. These findings are backed up by other authors and poses an important question to building owners and designers regarding the inclusion of central vacuum systems in buildings.
9.2 Microbial (Fungi, Bacteria and Viruses) Contamination
There is more likelihood of viruses being spread by aerosols within a room than via the air conditioning system. Fungi and bacteria have to be watched and microbial (fungal and bacterial) contamination of air conditioning systems is addressed through AS 3666 and is not covered here. High efficiency filtration can have some effect on virus spread and with ultraviolet systems can minimise bacterial contamination. However these systems are very expensive and in most circumstances would not warrant the cost of installation.
10. THERMAL COMFORT
Since human beings need to maintain a constant core temperature near 37°C (98.6°F) they require continuous physiological and behavioural adjustment to balance energy exchanges between the body and the environment. It is sufficient here to summarise that two personal and four atmospheric parameters need to be considered as part of a very complex study:
The heat balance of the human body is not the full story when human comfort is analysed. Other factors affect the human perception of thermal comfort and these are presently considered to be:
| Cause | Health symptoms reported |
| Temperature (greater than 25°C) | fatigue, headache, stuffiness |
| Temperature (less than 18°C) | chills, "flu like" symptoms |
| Humidity (greater than 80%) | fatigue, stuffiness, effects, headache and dizziness which are potientiated if air temperature is also high |
| Humidity (less than 20%) | headache, eye irritation', nose bleeds, dry throat, exacerbation of cold and flu symptoms |
| Noise (greater than 70Db0) | lack of concentration, headache, stress-related symptoms |
| Infrasound (low frequency vibrations) | nausea |
11. Air Movement
Lack of air movement in buildings with a full air handling system is another common reason for complaints. The combination of elevated temperature and unequal air movement is frequently confused with the presence of pollutants in the atmosphere. The reverse can also be true, namely that cool air moving too quickly is perceived as unhealthy. Thus building HVAC systems must be monitored constantly.
Air movement has two effects on human comfort. Firstly, air movement around a human body will assist in removal of heat; this is air movement's "heat balance" effect. Secondly, air movement creates an unwanted sensation, often described as draught. Available information suggests that the following applies to the consideration of air movement:
Humidity as well as being internally involved with thermal comfort considerations also has an effect on viruses and other microbial organisms. So far there has been little evidence that environmental manipulations have a useful impact on viral respiratory infections at workplaces.
There is one factor however that is relatively easy to modify for which there is evidence that overall reductions in viral disease may occur. That is humidity. In fact it is commonly postulated that reduced humidity from heated rooms in winter is responsible for the seasonal occurrence of respiratory viral illness in general.
Virus and bacterial survival varies tremendously with humidity. At low humidities influenza virus survives best while polio virus prefers very high humidities. It is apparent that most influenza cases occur when the humidity is at the low levels that theoretically enable the virus to survive longest.
Between 45% and 55% relative humidity neither virus survives too well. Obviously moisture favours growth of fungi in walls and organic components of building materials. Maximal growth occurs above 95% RH and almost ceased below 80%. Indoor dust mites that cause allergic problems to some people in houses appear to be sensitive to humidity with a strongly increasing trend above 50% RH.
Several studies have found a statistically significant reduction in respiratory infections of unspecified nature or in work absence among occupants of humidified buildings. Perhaps surprisingly these studies in general have not found that reducing infection at work will result in more infections being caught outside the workplace. Studies have shown that air sterilisation to control measles and influenza at work did not reduce the total disease load. The mechanism for the beneficial effects of humidity is partly related to virus survival as described previously.
It may also relate to low humidity causing dryness of the mucous membranes and reduced resistance to infection which is a well known situation in Canberra with cold dry winters. Whatever the cause, the reduction in absenteeism is so well documented that a reasonable correlation line can be drawn. The decrease in absenteeism is roughly 1% for each increase in relative humidity. This has been worked out for humidities up to 50% and it is not certain what the effects will be above this level.
12.1 Allergic rhinitis and asthma
Moist air is good for asthmatics but in excess it can lead to dust mite proliferation and fungal growth which may cause more asthma.
12.2 Chemical reactions
High humidity will increase off-gas from formaldehyde containing products. Low humidity tends to increase ozone formation indoors. Many office buildings lack adequate humidity control because it is expensive to install and require an energy cost to keep it running. It has been advocated that standards should be modified and design practice changed to allow for a relative humidity of between 40 and 60% in buildings. At present Government buildings in Queensland maintain the RH in this range for most of the year but there are periods in summer and winter where RH levels above and below this range are experienced.
There are serious potential consequences with regard to microbial contamination as soon as water systems are introduced into buildings. However in the words of Dr M Bicevskis "Humidity control in occupied buildings is often neglected because of cost factors" (11). Any design developments such as the low face velocity air conditioning systems presently being developed look very encouraging for high level humidity control.
13. Lighting
AS 1680 sets out recommendations for the creation of good 'seeing' conditions in the working environment and, provided all of the recommendations are adhered to, the result will be a pleasant interior environment. The forward to AS 1680 states "The greatest scope for increased productivity lies with improvement in lighting quality rather than in the provision of higher illuminances".
Unfortunately, a lot of people tend to undertake a lighting design based on illuminance on the working plane and, for various reasons, the other factors are ignored. Bearing this in mind, there are a number of factors which should be investigated in relation to the effects of lighting on the health and performance of building occupants:
One issue that keeps arising is the constancy of the artificial internal environment. The present designs of high use office buildings do not allow us to control our environment. It has been noticeable that where people are able to control their environment they appear to have a higher degree of satisfaction than when this is denied. The Task Group has given the investigation of this issue a high priority. The lack of control covers all aspects of the internal environment. Present design parameters assume that everyone is the same, with the same requirements, which is not the case. The following questions demonstrate this problem:
It has also been suggested that having a variety of lighting levels within the building - such as increased lighting level on work surfaces and highlighted features on a wall - has a positive effect on both occupant satisfaction and productivity and reduces error. There are several ways to provide individual lighting control over the level of light at the workplace. They range from the provision of switching and/or dimming for individual offices to the provision of individually controlled local or task lighting to work stations in open plan office areas.
14. Work Organisation, Psychological Illness, Stress,
Organisational Climate, Sensory Deprivation
Ms Jacki Bell, a Psychologist and Senior Project Office, with the Queensland Government, as a member of a National Task Group investigating Sick Building Syndrome researched the issue of stress of an individual as a possible cause or a contributory factor in the Sick Building Syndrome (14). Dr Alan Hedge in his paper (January 1990) confirmed the importance placed on this issue when he and his colleagues put forward a total stress load model as a way of explaining the anomalies in the research.
Alan stated (12) that "Self-reports of symptoms can be affected by beliefs about the environmental conditions at work. these beliefs, in turn, modify behaviour. If workers believe they are exposed to indoor air pollutants which cause eye irritation, they selectively focus on eye sensations for confirmatory information. Unintentional behaviour changes, e.g. rubbing the eye may help provide the necessary sensations".
Because workers are not perfect sensors of environment they also may incorrectly attribute symptoms to the building. How do they decide whether headache at work is caused by indoor air quality, office lighting, computer use, pressure of work, processes such as memory, selective attention, perception, or attitudes and beliefs? How these operate differentially, affect the total stress load on each individual in SBS symptom reports. Thus, the SBS is not simply caused by poor indoor air quality but may be caused by the simultaneous effects of many environmental, occupational and psychological factors.
15. Building Health Working Group
The Queensland Government formed the interdepartmental committee 'Building Health Working Group' which in conjunction with the Built Environment Unit has formulated and approved policy such as the 'Action Plan for Apparent Ill Health for Government Employees' which is already in use in a number of Departments. (Refer Appendix 2.)
16. Conclusions
The conclusions arising from this paper can be grouped into three categories as follows:
16.1 The Importance of Working Together
The issues raised in this paper highlight the need for the Asset Managers in the various Government Departments to be aware of the issues on the built environment raised in his paper and to work closely with the Built Environment Unit, when the SAM and Environmental Guidelines are released by the Building Division of the Department of Public Works and Housing.
The level for a project or interior renovation should address design issues such as low volatile emitting building materials. This is an area where our Clients should reinforce the Departments recommended quality and performance level to ensure an environmentally friendly interior atmosphere.
16.2 Problems to be Overcome
Interior renovation, as well as new project should address design issues associated with VOC's. Materials can emitting VOC's also be inadvertently brought into a building by the occupants. I hope this brief paper has provided some help in this direction. Further guidelines will be produced and manufacturers/suppliers will be requested to supply materials with low volatile chemical emissions and research in this area has been recommended by the BEU.
16.3 Accountability
The following approach by James Woods (13) who has promulgated a concept of "continuous accountability" to achieve a healthy building by incorporating the following philosophy by the various parties during the design, construction and operational phases is worth considering:
VOC
- Volatile Organic Compounds
SBS
- Sick Building Syndrome
WHO
- World Health Organisation
NHMRC
- - National Health and Medical Research Council
SMF
- Synthetic Mineral Fibres
SAM
- Strategic Asset Management
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