Indoor Air Pollution And Sick Building Syndrome Kate Polychronopoulos

While many pollutants exist outdoors, some of the most hazardous and numerous are right in are own homes and other indoor areas.

Where Are The Hazards

Pollutants Mold Fungus Cleaners Formaldehyde Benzene Pollen Pesticides Herbicides Fall into different categories

Causes Biological contaminants: such as mold and fungus. Chemical contaminants from indoor sources: such as carbon monoxide and formaldehyde. Chemical contaminants from outdoor sources: as in polluted air from outside entering the house and staying there. Poor ventilation (Sick Building Syndrome).

Biological Contaminants Biological contaminants often breed in stagnant water which is present in humidifiers, water pans and ducts. Also in water which has collected in ceiling tiles and carpeting. Sources of biological contaminants are: Bacteria Mold Pollen Viruses Pet dander

Health Consequences of Biological Contaminants Fever Chills Cough Allergic responses Chest tightness Upper respiratory congestion Can trigger asthma

Chemical Contamination Majority of the toxins inside of a building comes from indoor sources: These chemicals are in carpeting, flooring, adhesives, pesticides and cleaners. These products include chemicals such as, formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, benzene, and nitrogen dioxide.

Formaldehyde Causes both minor irritations and long term health consequences. Present in many household items, such as plywood, floor coverings and building materials. Causes short term symptoms such as watery eyes, nausea, skin irritation, wheezing and burning sensation in nose and throat. Worry that formaldehyde causes cancer.

Benzene People are exposed to benzene through gasoline, paint, ink, just to name a few. Benzene is a known carcinogen and listed as a toxic air pollutant. Studies have shown that benzene may be linked to infertility. Benzene has been shown causes adverse affects on a fetus, when an animal is exposed to benzene during pregnancy.

VOC’s VOC’s are volatile organic compounds and are emitted as gases through certain solids and liquids. They are in many household items such as paints, paint strippers, wood preservatives, air fresheners, dry-cleaned clothes and other items. They often cause nose and throat discomfort, headache, skin reactions, nausea and many other irritations. It has been found that VOC’s can be 10 times higher in indoor areas than are found outside.

Outside Sources Chemical contamination from outdoor sources come from things such as car emissions. Once the chemicals are inside it is hard for them to escape due to poor ventilation.

Sick Building Syndrome Many of the conditions talked about have been worsened due to a situation known as sick building syndrome Newly constructed buildings do not breath as well as older buildings and therefore have been causing an issue known as sick building syndrome. Over the past 30 years the goal when constructing new buildings has been to make them as energy efficient as possible. Two things done to do this were super-insulation and a reduced fresh air exchange. A consequence of this is that odors and pollutants are trapped inside. While at the same time natural ways of purifying air are left outside.

Where is Sick Building Syndrome Homes Offices Schools Apartments Hotels Just to name a few

Those Most At Risk Children People who experience job related stress Those with asthma People who have indoor allergies Those who work with many others around them.

Symptoms Symptoms are often variable and include: Fatigue Nausea Dizziness Sensitivity to odors Dry cough Irritability Dry or itchy skin Lethargy

General Facts The World Health Organization found that 1 out of every 3 workers experiences some type of work related health problems. Doctors link increasing rates of asthma partially due to poor indoor air. Treatment of individuals with symptoms of Sick Building Syndrome have gone up 40% in the past decade.

Cases of Sick Building Syndrome Jim Crane - Best Western Levi’s Boston, Mass. DMV

Best Western, Springdale Jim Crane Jim Crane is a former general manager of the Best Western in Springdale, Ohio. One day he was called to a room in which a leak was occurring. Jim Crane along with the hotels engineer ripped apart the walls and found extremely gooey and hairy mold with a deathly smell. This same mold was soon found throughout the entire hotel Throughout the next year Crane worked to rid the hotel of the black mold. He soon came down with hypersensitivity pneumonia, which then led to pulmonary fibrosis due to the scarring of his lungs.

Levi’s 60 employees complained about air quality in the. Many workers were concerned about the wood burning oven in the restaurant below them At least three employee’s became permanently disabled with acute asthma, severe allergies, and other like symptoms. Several women developed breast cancer. This caused the location to be closed.

Boston, Mass DMC During this situation the DMV of Boston moved from an older drafty building to its new office in a new high rise building. People began to complain about having asthma type symptoms which are usually found in workers of chemical factories. Employee symptoms and complaints were very similar causing concern, as was the amount of employees who quit due to health problems. Due to many issues the ceiling tiles would actually ferment, releasing butyric acid into the air when cold recirculation air combined with warm, humid outdoor air. The building was evacuated when testing was done showing that 80% of workers were becoming sick.

Sick Building Syndrome and Health Care Workers A study done by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and health found that asthma rates were the second highest in health care occupations than amongst any other group of worker. Partially due to poor ventilation - few operable windows in hospitals. Can be fixed.

Solutions to Sick Building Syndrome Things to do to reduce the effects of sick building syndrome Removal of the pollutants. Increase ventilation. Clean the air. Educate others about sick building syndrome and let the health hazards be known.

NASA Plant Project NASA did research on how to effectively clean up air in space shuttles due to them being tightly sealed. It resulted in finding that household plants were efficient at cleaning up indoor air pollution. Its results suggest that common house plants can provide a natural way of eliminating harmful chemicals such as benzene and formaldehyde and treating Sick Building Syndrome.

How To Clean Our Air According to Dr. B.C. Wolverton, "One plant per 100 feet should be effective in removing pollutants from the air, producing clean air. Two plants should do the same cleaning job in an average small office” Different plants clean up pollutants more efficiently

Top Plants Bamboo Palm Chinese Evergreen English Ivy Gerbera Daisy Janet Craig Marginata Mass Cane/Corn Plant Mother-In-Law’s tongue Pot Mum Peace Lily Warneckii

Plants Benzene was cleaned up best by flowering plants. Formaldehyde best removed by plants such as the spider plant and philodendron

Why Does it Work? Household plants are generally very efficient at capturing light. Which makes them efficient at capturing gases for photosynthesis. While at the same time very efficient at capturing many other gases, including potentially harmful ones.

Summary There are many indoor air pollutants in are home Some are visible others are not. Problem has been worsened by new construction and called Sick Building Syndrome. NASA plant research has shown a natural way to relieve toxins from the air.

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