Chapter 04 · People & supply chainsHuman Rights & Social Sustainability
Building-related illness (BRI)
Definition
A term for illnesses with clinically defined, diagnosable symptoms that can be directly attributed to a specific building contaminant or condition — such as Legionnaires' disease from poorly maintained cooling systems, or hypersensitivity pneumonitis from mould exposure. It is distinguished from sick building syndrome (SBS), where occupants experience acute symptoms without an identifiable single cause.
References
Indoor pollutant health effects; Legionnaires' disease from poorly maintained HVAC; sick building syndrome definition; time-indoors exposure context.
BRI vs SBS diagnostic distinction; WHO ~30% estimate for IAQ complaints in new/remodelled buildings.
Overview
What it means
The BRI/SBS distinction organises how indoor air quality problems are investigated: BRI points to a traceable exposure (a pathogen, chemical or allergen source) requiring remediation of a specific cause, while SBS is multi-factorial, with symptoms that typically ease after leaving the building.
Both matter for building management because people spend around 90% of their time indoors, and indoor pollutant concentrations can exceed outdoor levels. WHO has estimated that up to 30% of new and remodelled buildings may generate excessive occupant complaints about indoor air quality.
How it is used
Occupational health and facilities management use the distinction in building investigations; ventilation, moisture control and HVAC maintenance standards aim to prevent BRI; green-building and healthy-building certification schemes (WELL, RESET) operationalise indoor-air quality criteria that address both.
Why it matters
Buildings are where people live most of their lives; the BRI/SBS framework determines whether an unhealthy building is treated as a fixable technical failure or an unexplained occupant complaint — with direct consequences for health and liability.