Asthma accounts for more than 500,000 hospitalizations per year and 15 deaths per day. Sick Building Syndrome is the term used to describe the kinds of symptoms people experience while they are in the building, but which diminish or disappear when they are away from the building for a while. Building Related Illness is a condition in which occupants contract a disease that is usually traceable to a specific cause and remains with the occupants once they leave the building. Fungi, commonly known as mold or mildew, can cause infectious diseases, allergic diseases, and toxic diseases. Hypersensitivity pneumonitis is suspected to be caused by certain microorganisms, and Aspergillosis is caused by fungi in the Aspergillus family.
Viruses cause infectious diseases such as colds and flu .
There are many reasons why indoor air quality should be considered a top priority in school buildings. Children are still developing physically and are more likely to suffer the consequences of indoor pollutants. Children up to age 10 have three times as many colds as adults. School facilities, by design, are densely populated, making the task of maintaining acceptable indoor air quality more difficult than many other types of buildings. The sole purpose of a school facility is to foster the learning process, which is directly impacted by the quality of the indoor air.