What are the health problems you may have because of closed offices or wet houses

It all started when your company moved into the new building, a mass of glass and steel signed by a multimedia architect. Working in a diaphanous space with windows that open up to the ceiling has thrilled you, which is understandable after years spent in a tiny, dark and decrepit office. But a few weeks were enough for the first symptoms to appear. Headache, dry throat, watery eyes, irritated eyes, stuffy nose, dry skin and even nausea. At first you did not comment to anyone, but you were encouraged to see that other colleagues had the same thing: during the weekend, you did not noticed no symptoms, but discomfort was widespread at work. After tying up the inspection came, and with it the diagnosis: you have unhealthy building syndrome (EDS)

The name is not new, it was invented by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1982 to define "all the inconveniences caused due to poor ventilation, thermal decompensation, electromagnetic loads and chemical particles and vapors in suspension that circulate in the building in which we live or work. "Almost four decades have passed and, despite new construction and renovations of buildings under the new regulations, the number of cases has increased.

The WHO estimates that this syndrome affects 30% of modern buildings and between 10 and 30% of its occupants. Among these, there are on the one hand those who have already had diseases such as allergies, asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis and atopic dermatitis, which have symptoms aggravated by l? exposure to allergens and by micro-environmental conditions within these spaces.

On the other hand, there are people who suffer specific diseases caused by causes related to the building itself, among which are the following.

A problem under the desk table

According to the respirologist and coordinator of the Environmental Section of the Spanish Society of Pneumology and Thoracic Surgery, Isabel Urrutia, he is cataloged as "VOYANT" at the set of symptoms associated with a building type, but you can not talk about the recognition by the scientific community of an illness as such.

The symptoms are very general, from discomfort to headaches or irritability, something that if it happens individually does not have any major importance. It is considered as suffering only if it has been possible to prove a certain number of cases. "The lung specialist recalls the clearest case in Spain.In 2007, Barcelona recorded a focus of 1,137 cases of muscle lipoatrophy, also known as Office Disease.

"It is a benign disorder of the subcutaneous tissue characterized by semicircular sagging in the front of the thighs atrophy of the subcutaneous adipose tissue, but affects neither the muscles nor the skin ", explains Urrutia.These cases have been reported to the administration of labor and health services, and an investigation was opened to determine the possible causes these marks on the legs The result concluded that three factors had influenced its appearance: the pressure exerted by our thighs on the table, as well as the exposure to electromagnetic fields (all the wiring was under the table), static electricity and low humidity relative in the environment.

The problem of hanging inside the house

Frequent origin of disorders caused by buildings it's moisture which is more common in old buildings. On average, about 15% of the European population has moisture problems at home, resulting in the appearance of microorganisms that affect the quality of life.

"In old, poorly ventilated buildings, there are usually more areas of moisture and therefore fungi, and their presence in our respiratory system can lead to a disease called hypersensitivity pneumonitis, an acute pulmonary inflammation whose symptoms are a dry cough, fever and chills.To get an idea of ​​the damage, on a chest x-ray of a person with pneumonitis images very similar to those seen with pneumonia are observed. If it is not diagnosed in time, it can lead to pulmonary fibrosis, although we should also warn that it would be a very extreme case, "Urrutia said.

Moisture is the common cause of health problems.

Moisture is not always caused by the poor condition of the building. sometimes we provoke ourselves, for example, when we have clothes inside the house. This practice is associated with an increase in dust mite allergy and the growth of mold spores that can cause lung infections in people with weakened immune systems.

When the air at home is dirtier than in the street

Being inside does not free you from pollution. Many people spend between 80% and 90% of the time in closed environments and some studies indicate that the concentration of contaminant particles inside the house can be 2 to 5 times higher than outside. . The air quality of the home or work center depends on both pollutants emitted by the house itself or by the office and those from the outside, by infiltration and ventilation.

The former range from "toxic substances in the environment, because they come from furniture materials or machinery, to household cleaning products, certain chemical compounds used for the manufacture of plastics, glass fibers or compounds releasing stoves, diesel burners, tobacco smoke, printers, photocopiers, paints, solvents and varnishes … ", lists Urrutia.

No legislation regulates the maximum levels of pollutants in indoor spaces, there are recommendations. The WHO has recently published a guide on indoor air quality, describing the main pollutants, their origin and their effects on health. The problem is that because of the wide variety of sources from which these pollutants originate and by influencing other factors, such as the number of workers or residents concentrated in the same room, the counters of this space and their type of ventilation, it is virtually impossible for the moment to legislate in this respect.

The key to the ventilation and air conditioning system

Hermetically sealed glass-skinned buildings tend to exhibit more symptoms because of their recirculating ventilation systems. "They are installed to save energy, but what happens is that to make sure that the fresh air does not penetrate: the air that enters is not new, but is recycled in the circuits inside the building. What happens is that all the contaminants that enter this circuit are multiplying, transforming the air blown into the building into polluted air, "says the specialist.Some studies establish a link between the degree and type of ventilation and symptoms of SEE., and it is clear that, less ventilation, more affected, for example, a proportion of ventilation greater than 10 liters per second per person can reduce the prevalence of syndrome of unhealthy buildings.

Some studies link the degree and type of ventilation and symptoms of unhealthy building syndrome.

The presence of air conditioners without adequate hygiene (requires periodic cleaning) is also related to the prevalence of EUS symptoms. Indeed, these microorganisms generate can pass the driving system. In addition, rooms with an ambient temperature greater than 23 degrees and humidity over 60%, as well as insufficient lighting or spaces with very low ceilings (less than 2.4 meters) can increase the risks of suffer symptoms of the sick building.

The good news is that sick buildings can be healed. According to one study, about 50% of homes in Spain are built without any energy efficiency criteria and 36% of dwellings belong to the construction period that goes from the sixties to the eighties. According to this work, if these buildings are rehabilitated, they cover about 1.5 million homes, improving the ventilation systems and their maintenance, designing offices in which workers have large spaces, avoiding materials containing volatile components and having a good system. By regulating the temperature, humidity, noise and lighting, this deterioration of the health of the people who live there or who work there can be avoided. Although they are not serious symptoms, they are very harmful to everyonebecause they are directly related to low productivity and high rates of low work.