Building occupants complain of symptoms such as:
- Headache
- Eye, nose, or throat irritation
- Dry cough; dry or itchy skin
- Dizziness and nausea
- Difficulty in concentrating
- Fatigue
- Sensitivity to odors
- Increased incidence of asthma attacks/appearance of asthma in non-asthmatics
- Personality changes such as rage/weeping/paranoia/depression
- Putative cases of bronchitis or pneumonia which do not respond to antibiotic treatment
- Symptoms resembling Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
The contributing factors often relate to the design of the built environment, and may include combinations of some or all of the following:
- Indoor air pollution
- Toxic mold
- Artificial fragrance, such as dryer sheets
- Poor or inappropriate lighting (including absence of or only limited access to natural sunlight)
- Poor heating or ventilation
- Microbial or mite contamination of HVAC systems.
- Bad acoustics
- Poorly designed furnishings, furniture and equipment (e.g. computer monitors, photocopiers, etc.).
- Poor ergonomics.
- Chemical contamination.
- Biological contamination.
