Office Indoor Air Quality

I am currently researching the air quality in my office.  We are in the process of having air quality tests done.  Can each individual be tested for exposure to toxic air pollutants?  I have had health problems for the past year and wonder if it is due to air quality at work-Margaret , Massachusetts 

            Office building/work-related health problems are quite common.  Indeed, if I did a survey in almost any office building, I would expect anywhere from 5 to 20% of the building occupants to experience symptoms that are related to their building environment or work activities.  There are a variety of causal factors for building/work-related symptoms or health problems. 

            Illness symptoms among occupants of office buildings can be distinguished from other health problems from an examination of illness patterns.  Typically symptoms are of a respiratory type (congestion, runny nose, sore throat, cough), irritation-type (red or itchy eyes, irritated skin) or of a general nature (headache, fatigue, malaise). 

            These characteristic building-type symptoms occur often or always, develop within an hour or two of entering the building, resolve within an hour or two of leaving the building, or resolve over weekends or on vacation and then return on entering the building. 

            Headache, fatigue, malaise and in many cases respiratory symptoms are associated with poor ventilation conditions, that is, when measured indoor CO₂ levels are above 1000 ppmv.  When CO₂ levels are above 2000 ppmv, the symptom complaint rate significantly increases. 

            Respiratory symptoms can be caused by a variety of exposures.  This can include mold when active mold growth on building materials is present, dust when building surfaces are increasingly dusty and cleaning is not adequate, a variety of allergens (including cat, dog, cockroach) brought in on the clothing of building occupants, and such materials as carbonless copy paper and even photocopier paper. 

            In the above context if you are allergic to cats you can develop respiratory symptoms from the allergens brought into your office area by your cat-loving office mate or occupant of the adjoining cubicle. 

            Irritation symptoms of the skin are commonly associated with things in the office environment you touch and particularly when you handle large quantities.  This is particularly the case with a variety of paper products. 

            There are other exposures that can cause building-related health symptoms.  They are often unique to the building environment in question.  You mentioned that some of those working in your office building report being nauseous.  Nausea is a relatively uncommon symptom associated with building environments.  In those relatively rare cases,  nausea can be traced to elevated carbon monoxide levels associated with (1) malfunctioning heating systems, or (2) use of propane-fueled equipment in the building (forklifts, floor burnishers, etc.). 

            Unfortunately, there are few tests that can determine whether an individual is being exposed and adversely affected by toxic pollutants.  The exception is of course carbon monoxide.

 January 30, 2007