Green framework to improve indoor air quality in buildings: reducing the impact of sick building syndrome on office workers in Sri Lanka: a literature review

Abstract

The prevalence of harmful, natural and artificial substances, indoors are combined with poorly ventilated interior and the long period of time staff spend indoors, can lead to various health problems. Poor Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) can lead to such increased incidents of health related symptoms, which in turn can lead to an increase in absenteeism and loss of productivity. Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) is a major health effect faced by occupants in buildings with indoor air problems whilst most of buildings were potential carriers of SBS. SBS due to poor IAQ could affect to the workers who are working in the same premises for long durations. Especially in an office environment, the workers have to work in the same working area with many numbers of hours continually in the same premises. Thus, they are directly faced with the indoor air factors all along the day. Thus, poor IAQ has become a major concern and widely regarded as a significant health, environment and economic hazard. Consequently, certain guidelines are helpful to improve and control the quality of air indoors. Green building concept is gaining momentum in facilitating healthier environment specially by improving IAQ due to its potential impact on building occupants. Accordingly, a green framework of IAQ has been developed through a comprehensive literature review by considering available green strategies including green tools, standards and codes and organizational and national policies and procedures. Thus, those strategies can be applied to control sources of poor IAQ, human activities and IAQ performance as well as to improve the awareness on SBS and green strategies. Further, it is expected that the study will serve a green platform which can be applied by future researchers in order to reduce the impact of SBS on building occupants in Sri Lanka.