Building sickness syndrome

Building sickness syndrome

By Ida Indawati Khouw

JAKARTA (JP): Do you constantly suffer from headaches,
coughing and insomnia, or feel tired all the time from causes
that seem unclear, even after you have undergone regular medical
treatment?

If so, you might want to start checking the environmental
condition of your office building. Does your office have little
or no access to fresh air while the filter in the air-
conditioners as well as the carpet are not regularly cleaned?

If so, maybe your sickness is caused by the so-called building
sickness syndrome.

The term might sound misleading since it is not the building
that falls sick. Instead, it is the building's environment that
causes human sickness.

"It's a new syndrome that has recently been observed in
developed countries. Most of the time, people are not aware of
the symptoms, even medical doctors themselves," said Hadiarto
Mangunnegoro, professor of pulmonology at the University of
Indonesia.

He was speaking recently at a media conference on the Third
International Meeting on Respiratory Care in Indonesia that will
be held for three days starting on Sept. 1 at the Jakarta Hilton
Convention Center in Central Jakarta.

The pulmonologist said the syndrome was first diagnosed in the
United States in the 1970s when the country went through an
energy crisis resulting from an oil embargo by its producers. At
that time, the United States chose to construct more isolated
buildings in an attempt to minimize energy consumption.

It was then found out that isolated buildings caused negative
impact on the health and well-being of employees, such as
respiratory problems, headache and coughing.

In Indonesia, however, most doctors are still unaware of the
possible syndrome, Hadiarto said.

"Usually, we (doctors) consider building sickness syndrome the
final diagnosis after never finding out the causes of the
patients' sickness," he said.

Hadiarto suggested that patients who want to confirm whether
they have the syndrome or not should get away from the office and
take, for example, two weeks of leave.

"Then, we would be able to see whether the sickness has gone
or not. We should, however, also take into consideration the
possibility that the sickness is a result of psychological stress
on the part of the patient," the pulmonologist said.

Buildings that might cause the syndrome are usually those that
have little or no access to fresh air and are built from
materials containing chemical elements that are unhealthy.

The syndrome might also be caused by fungus from the office's
carpets, wallpaper or faulty air-conditioning filters.

"I doubt whether the developers of office buildings are fully
aware about not using 'polluted' materials. As you know, there
are paints that contain chemical elements like hydrocarbon that
are not good for people's health. I'm also not sure whether all
building management routinely clean a building's facilities such
as carpets and filters in air-conditioners," he said.

In Indonesia, the problem could worsen. According to the World
Health Organization's report last year, one person is infected
with the tuberculosis virus every minute, placing Indonesia as
the world's third most infected country after China and India.

"It's easier for the tuberculosis virus to spread within a
'sick building'," Hadiarto said.

In dealing with the problem, he suggested that the authorities
should regulate the condition of buildings, which should be
rigorously followed by developers in constructing "healthy"
buildings.

For instance, he said, buildings should be free from dangerous
chemical elements, fungus and germs. "But I don't know whether
government institutions like the state minister of environment
office can do this," Hadiarto said.

The syndrome does not only take place in buildings, but can
also occur in private houses where carpets, air-conditioners,
bed-covers and pillows are not regularly cleaned.

In treating people that suffer from symptoms of the syndrome,
some doctors, according to another pulmonologist Nirwan Arif,
tend to just issue antibiotics.

"There is an overuse of antibiotics in Indonesia," Nirwan
said.

Citing an example, he said that antibiotics were found in
about 70 percent of medical prescriptions for patients with
respiratory sicknesses.

"There's a tendency that doctors just want to cure their
patients quickly, sometimes only for the sake of a good
reputation," Nirwan said.

Excessive use of antibiotics is dangerous, though, as it can
damage one's kidneys and liver. "Besides, the body will become
resistant toward the antibiotics, making it less effective when
the body really needs it," he said.