Goodbye to the sick building: How controlled mechanical ventilation improves health and comfort

Controlled mechanical ventilation is a good solution if you want to address a sick building. Considering that we spend a lot of time in enclosed spaces, it is essential that the air we breathe indoors is the best possible.

What is a sick building? How to improve ventilation in buildings? In this article, we explain everything you need to know about the sick building syndrome.

Sick buildings

Sick buildings are places where at least 20% of the occupants suffer some type of health problem. These conditions or symptoms are usually of unknown origin and are generally related to air quality.

Buildings can be temporarily sick if the symptoms disappear after six months. However, in other places the symptoms are permanent. These are constructions with poor ventilation or that suffer emissions caused by the construction materials used.

The sick building syndrome

By sick building syndrome, we refer to all the symptoms that the inhabitants experience. They can be mild conditions, but also chronic diseases. In general, they are caused by a low air quality inside the building.

As indicated by Ecologistas en Acción, this syndrome occurs more frequently in excessively automated buildings. The lights, air conditioning, or construction elements can also trigger the sick building syndrome.

In general, hermetically sealed spaces, such as high-rise offices we are accustomed to seeing in large cities, are particularly prone. After all, there is no proper ventilation in the spaces.

Symptoms of a sick building

The symptoms can be very varied, but generally, the following can be found:

• Tiredness that does not go away with rest.
• Headaches from mild to intense.
• Allergy-like symptoms: watery eyes, mucus, dry throat.
• Dizziness and nausea.
• Colds and respiratory illnesses that present a high frequency among people living or working in the building.

Most of these symptoms are caused by poor ventilation. If the ventilation systems are not adequate, emissions, gases, and other substances accumulate that can seriously harm the health of those inhabiting the space.

Controlled mechanical ventilation for sick buildings

The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs and the National Institute for Safety and Health at Work conducted extensive research on the risk factors in sick buildings. As indicated in it, natural ventilation significantly reduces the associated symptoms in these cases. But what can we do when it is not possible to open the windows?

Controlled mechanical ventilation (CMV) is a good solution when it comes to addressing them. This system is responsible for carrying out a periodic air renewal of the space through an electric fan. In this way, environmental pollutants do not accumulate indoors.

The dual-flow electric fan is capable of extracting air from the room and introducing fresh air from outside. This way, not only is the air in the environment renewed, but it also promotes the thermal maintenance of the room. Therefore, it is a system that favors health, energy saving, and efficiency.

As we can see, maintaining air quality inside buildings is essential for preserving the health of those who inhabit it. In this regard, controlled mechanical ventilation is one of the most efficient systems. We encourage reading the article Definition, types, and phases of ventilation mechanical ventilation where we explain in detail what it is and when it is necessary to install this type of ventilation.