On the Nature of the Sick House Problems

Abstract

In this article, an overview of sick house problems in current days is described. A series of health damage caused by the sick house problem is referred to as sick house syndrome (SHS), and it is usually considered that chemical substances such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are the main causative pollutants. Biological contaminants such as mites and molds are also considered as the agents in the broad sense. It is still difficult to establish a causal relationship between some causative substance and SHS. The guidelines of indoor air quality have been defined as measures against the sick house problem, but it should be necessary to consider further efforts to overcome the issues such as the emergence of new chemical substances and the sensitivity of each person.