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.