Do you know what the effects of indoor air pollution are?

Effects of indoor air pollution. Sick Building Syndrome

Air and the presence of water are the two essential factors that allow us to live and carry out all our daily activities. Therefore, both must maintain quality levels that, in the case of air, must ensure the absence of contaminating elements within our homes. On the contrary, the presence of gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, or water vapor and other contaminating elements such as dust, mold, or mites can cause respiratory and cardiac diseases. In this regard, the World Health Organization (WHO) has always affirmed that our health largely depends on our ability to improve the interaction between human activities and the physical and biological environment that surrounds us. In 1982, the Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) was defined as a set of health symptoms derived from factors present in a building's environment. In this way, a building is considered sick when at least 20% of its occupants show adverse health symptoms. The evolution is characterized by relief of symptoms or their disappearance within a few days of leaving the building and not returning to occupy it. According to WHO itself, 30% of current newly constructed buildings with a hermetic environment, non-operable windows, mechanical ventilation, and synthetic materials present this syndrome.

Biohabitability. Interaction with contaminating elements

In recent years, the concept of biohabitability has developed as a new approach aimed at designing, rehabilitating, and constructing habitable spaces, considering parameters of human biology that allow projecting healthier spaces. In this sense, factors that are already known to be toxic must be considered before planning the project and construction of a building. Radon gas is a clear example as it has been shown to be linked to lung cancer. A prior analysis of the land, including a measurement of exhalation, is very effective in fostering a healthy environment inside a home. The interaction between construction systems, installations, finishes, and the users who will finally occupy the building must also be valued. Another important construction element that should be implemented is the ventilated air chambers, which provide an adequate level of ventilation throughout the building's exterior envelope. Hybrid or mechanical ventilation systems, as specified by the Technical Building Code, ensure a constant and controlled air renewal that prevents the proliferation of harmful elements for health, such as carbon dioxide or Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), present in construction materials, finishing materials, and furniture. Other contaminants whose appearance in the environment must be prevented are mold or mites, as they are responsible for allergies, asthma, headaches, and environmental hypersensitivity.