Do you always feel like you have a bad cold in the office? It might be due to "sick building syndrome."

Do you often experience the following discomforts when working indoors?

Common physical reactions: stinging, dry or itchy eyes; throat discomfort or persistent coughing; headache, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, or even unexplained drowsiness; shortness of breath, wheezing, and occasional feelings of hypoxia; skin rashes, dryness, itching that are difficult to alleviate.

Sensory symptoms: abnormal sense of smell or taste; dizziness, nausea, runny nose, nasal congestion.

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These symptoms are closely related to the duration of time spent in a specific building, yet they are difficult to explain through definitive medical diagnoses.

The World Health Organization first proposed he term "Sick Building Syndrome" (SBS) in 1982: a collection of non-specific symptoms closely associated with a particular building environment.

If you spend long hours each day in an enclosed, windowless indoor space, or in a space where only air conditioning is used without opening windows, which symptoms do you experience?

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SBS originated in the 1970s, when the energy crisis led to increased building airtightness, reduced ventilation, and the gradual accumulation of indoor pollutants.

In the 1970s and 1980s, research revealed a strong correlation between insufficient fresh air supply and discomfort symptoms, with VOCs (volatile organic compounds), low-quality building materials, and poorly maintained air conditioning systems being identified as the main culprits.

Entering the 1990s, psychosocial factors, such as stress, as well as high occupant density, were incorporated into the scope of consideration.

After 2000, SBS came to be regarded as a multifactorial syndrome, with environmental factors such as air quality, lighting, noise, ergonomic design, and thermal and humidity comfort all serving as triggers.

Since the 2010s, green building certification systems such as LEED and WELL have integrated the "health" dimension into their assessment criteria, making that the health of the built environment has become an issue of significant importance.

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Research data from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) indicates that modern people spend approximately 90% of their time indoors, yet the air quality in these spaces can sometimes be worse than on busy, traffic-filled streets.

This may explain why some individuals always feel as if they have a severe cold while in the office, yet become energetic and healthy when at home on weekends.