Sick Buildings & Indoor Air Quality explained

A guide by NADCA for buildings in which the environment puts the occupants at risk for upper respiratory infections

The term "sick building syndrome" (SBS) is used to describe situations in which building occupants experience acute health and comfort effects that appear to be linked to time spent in a building, but no specific illness or cause can be identified.

1 out of 4

buildings in the US can be classified as sick

64M workers

frequently experienced symptoms associated with SBS at work including:

nose irritation, eye irritation, headaches

20% of all Illnesses

are caused by or aggravated by polluted indoor air

Indoor air pollution

ranks as one of the top 5 environmental risks to public health since 1990

By Indoor Air Quality we mean temperature, humidity, ventilation, and chemical or biological contaminants of the air inside a building

Every 20 seconds

Around the world, a death occurs due to poor indoor air quality

2 out of 3

indoor air quality problems involve Inefficient HVAC and Air Duct Systems

21% of efficiency decrease

A buildup of .042 inches of dirt on a heating or cooling coil results in an efficiency decrease

1 out of 6

people with allergies suffer from direct relationship to fungi and bacteria in Air Duct System

IAQ problems cost the US economy as much as $168B per year
US adults miss about 14 million workdays per year as a result of Asthma, an issue commonly triggered by poor IAQ
$60B = estimated loss in productivity due to poor indoor air quality
The efficiency of a cooling system with dirty coils can be reduced by as much as 30%

“

It's OK to have your eggs in one basket as long as you control what happens to that basket.

— ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

The benefits of improving IAQ

Reducing SBS through better indoor air quality and properly maintained HVAC system leads to $10-$30 billion in productivity gains

Clean HVAC systems reduce energy costs by over 30%

1% improved productivity = the whole energy cost of a building

78.56% – the average return on investment of an IAQ improvement program

A 100,000 square foot building with 400 tons of AC can save $22,500 annually with a clean HVAC system

Schedule a camera inspection of your ventilation