Sick at Work?

Your Office Air May Need a Cure

According to the World Health Organization, up to 30 percent of new and remodeled buildings worldwide contain enough pollutants to make workers ill. Airborne pollutants include toxic, irritating fumes from photocopiers, printers, wall-to-wall carpeting, particleboard furniture and office supplies. For example, phthalates are present in Liquid Paper white correction fluid and adhesive tape, and ozone can be produced by photocopiers.

Illness often results when offices are tightly sealed and not adequately ventilated, relying mostly on recycled indoor air. Indoor air pollution can lead to sinus and respiratory irritation, headaches, fatigue and difficulty concentrating-symptoms experienced on the job by Karen McDonell in 1988, after she began working as a legal secretary in a Washington State high-rise whose ventilation system pulled in less than 10 percent fresh air. McDonell left the firm two years later due to health problems and now serves on the board of the Washington Toxics Coalition.

Ask Your Office Manager to:

• Establish a no-smoking office.
• Provide adequate ventilation, defined as 15 to 60 cubic feet of outside air per minute per person. Air flow may need to be increased.
• Make sure ventilation system and filters are regularly cleaned.
• Remove sources of pollution, such as mildewed carpet and room deodorizers.
• Use only water-based markers and correction fluids.
• Coat pressed woods with a no- or low-VOC finish (see The Green Guide's Product Report on wood finishes).
• Move desks away from printers and photocopiers.
• Have the office cleaners use nontoxic supplies, such as Ecover or Seventh Generation brands. See the Green Guide's thorough Product Report on Household Cleaning Supplies.
• Have building management use nontoxic pest control (contact BIRC, 510-524-2567, www.birc.org, and consult the various pest control Product Reports on The Green Guide's website).