WHAT CAUSES PROBLEMS?

WHAT CAUSES PROBLEMS?

Three major reasons for poor indoor air quality in office
buildings are the presence of indoor air pollution sources;
poorly designed, maintained, or operated ventilation systems; and
uses of the building that were unanticipated or poorly planned
for when the building was designed or renovated.

Sources of Office Air Pollution

As with homes, the most important factor influencing indoor air
quality is the presence of pollutant sources. Commonly found
office pollutants and their sources include environmental tobacco
smoke; asbestos from insulating and fire retardant building
supplies; formaldehyde from pressed wood products; other organics
from building materials, carpet, and other office furnishings,
cleaning materials and activities, rest room air fresheners,
paints, adhesives, copying machines, and photography and print
shops; biological contaminants from dirty ventilation systems or
water damaged walls, ceilings, and carpets; and pesticides from
pest management practices.

Ventilation Systems

Mechanical ventilation systems in large buildings are designed
and operated not only to heat and cool the air, but also to draw
in and circulate outdoor air. If they are poorly designed,
operated, or maintained, however, ventilation systems can
contribute to indoor air problems in several ways.

For example, problems arise when, in an effort to save
energy, ventilation systems are not used to bring in adequate
amounts of outdoor air. Inadequate ventilation also occurs if the
air supply and return vents within each room are blocked or
placed in such a way that outdoor air does not actually reach the
breathing zone of building occupants. Improperly located outdoor
air intake vents can also bring in air contaminated with
automobile and truck exhaust, boiler emissions, fumes from
dumpsters, or air vented from rest rooms. Finally, ventilation
systems can be a source of indoor pollution themselves by
spreading biological contaminants that have multiplied in cooling
towers, humidifiers, dehumidifiers, air conditioners, or the
inside surfaces of ventilation duct work.

Use of the Building

Indoor air pollutants can be circulated from portions of the
building used for specialized purposes, such as restaurants,
print shops, and dry cleaning stores, into offices in the same
building. Carbon monoxide and other components of automobile
exhaust can be drawn from underground parking garages through
stairwells and elevator shafts into office spaces.

In addition, buildings originally designed for one purpose
may end up being converted to use as office space. If not
properly modified during building renovations, the room
partitions and ventilation system can contribute to indoor air
quality problems by restricting air recirculation or by providing
an inadequate supply of outdoor air.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU SUSPECT A PROBLEM

If you or others at your office are experiencing health or
comfort problems that you suspect may be caused by indoor air
pollution, you can do the following:

Talk with other workers, your supervisor, and union
representatives to see if the problems are being experienced by
others and urge that a record of reported health complaints be
kept by management, if one has not already been established.

Talk with your own physician and report your problems to the
company physician, nurse, or health and safety officer.

Call your state or local health department or air pollution
control agency to talk over the symptoms and possible causes.

Encourage building management to obtain a copy of Building Air
Quality: A Guide for Building Owners and Facility Managers.
Building Air Quality (BAQ) is simply written, yet provides
comprehensive information for identifying, correcting, and
preventing indoor air quality problems. BAQ also provides
supporting information such as when and how to select outside
technical assistance, how to communicate with others regarding
indoor air issues, and where to find additional sources of
information. BAQ is available for $24 from U.S. GPO,
Superintendent of Documents, P.O. Box 371954, Pittsburgh, PA
152507954; stock #055000003904.

Frequently, indoor air quality problems in large commercial
buildings cannot be effectively identified or remedied without a
comprehensive building investigation. These investigations may
start with written questionnaires and telephone consultations in
which building investigators assess the history of occupant
symptoms and building operation procedures. In some cases, these
inquiries may quickly uncover the problem and on site visits are
unnecessary.

More often, however, investigators will need to come to the
building to conduct personal interviews with occupants, to look
for possible sources of the problems, and to inspect the design
and operation of the ventilation system and other building
features. Because taking measurements of pollutants at the very
low levels often found in office buildings is expensive and may
not yield information readily useful in identifying problem
sources, investigators may not take many measurements. The
process of solving indoor air quality problems that result in
health and comfort complaints can be a slow one, involving
several trial solutions before successful remedial actions are
identified.

If a professional company is hired to conduct a building
investigation, select a company on the basis of its experience in
identifying and solving indoor air quality problems in
nonindustrial buildings.

Work with others to establish a smoking policy that eliminates
involuntary nonsmoker exposure to environmental tobacco smoke.

Call the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
(NIOSH) for information on obtaining a health hazard evaluation
of your office (800-35-N-EACH), or contact the Occupational
Safety and Health Administration, (202) 2198151.

Federal Information Services

Federal agencies with indoor air quality information may be
contacted as follows:

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Public Information Center
401 M St., SW
Washington, DC 20460
(202) 260-7751

Indoor Air Quality Information Clearinghouse (IAQ INFO)
P.O. Box 37133
Washington, DC 200137133
(800) 438-4318
(301) 585-9020

Operates Monday to Friday from 9 to 5 Eastern Standard Time
(EST). Distributes EPA publications, answers questions on the
phone, and makes referrals to other nonprofit and governmental
organizations.

National Radon Hotline
(800) SOS-RADON
Information recording operates 24 hours a day.

National Lead Information Center
(800) LEAD-FYI

Operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Callers may order an
information package. To speak to an information specialist, call
(800)4245323. Operates Monday to Friday from 8:30 to 5 EST.



National Pesticides Telecommunications Network
National toll free number: (800) 858-PEST
In Texas: (806) 7433091

Operates Monday to Friday from 8 to 6 Central Standard Time.
Provides information about pesticides to the general public and
the medical, veterinary, and professional communities.

RCRA/Super fund Hotline
National toll free number: (800) 4249346
In Washington, DC area: (703) 4129810

Operates Monday to Friday from 8:30 to 7:30 EST. Provides
information on regulations under both the Resources Conservation
and Recovery Act (including solid and hazardous waste issues) and
the Superfund law.

Safe Drinking Water Hotline
(800) 4264791

Operates Monday to Friday from 8:30 to 5 EST. Provides
information on regulations under the Safe Drinking Water Act,
lead and radon in drinking water, filter information, and a
list of state drinking water offices.

TSCA Assistance Information Service
(202) 5541404

Operates Monday to Friday from 8:30 to 5 EST. Provides
information on regulations under the Toxic Substances Control Act
and on EPA's asbestos program.

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
Washington, DC 202070001
Product Safety Hotline: (800) 638-CPSC

Teletypewriter for the hearing impaired (outside Maryland): (800)
638-8270; Maryland only: (800) 492-8104. Recorded information is
available 24 hours a day when calling from a touch tone phone.
Operators are on duty Monday to Friday from 10:30 to 4 EST to
take complaints about unsafe consumer products.

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Office of Energy and the Environment
Washington, DC 20410
HUD USER National toll free number: (800) 245-2691
In Washington, DC area: (301) 251-5154.

U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Conservation and Renewable Energy
1000 Independence Ave., SW
Washington, DC 20585

Conservation and Renewable Energy Inquiry and Referral Service
(CAREIRS)
PO Box 3048, Merrifield, VA 22116; (800) 523-2929.

Operates Monday to Friday from 9 to 5 EST. Provides consumer
information on conservation and renewable energy in residences.

U.S. Public Health Service
Division of Federal Occupational Health
Office of Environmental Hygiene, Region III, Room 1310
3535 Market St., Philadelphia, PA 19104
(215) 596-1888; fax: 215-596-5024

Provides indoor air quality consultative services to federal
agency managers.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Lead Poisoning Prevention Branch
4770 Buford Highway, NE (F42), Atlanta, GA 30341-3724
(800) 488-7330

Office on Smoking and Health
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

4770 Buford Highway, NE (K50), Atlanta, GA 30341-3724
(404) 488-5701

Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Office of Information and Consumer Affairs
Room N-3647
200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20210
(202) 219-8151

Bonneville Power Administration
Portland, OR 97208

General Services Administration
18th and F Streets, NW, Washington, DC 20405

Tennesee Valley Authority

Industrial Hygiene Branch

Multipurpose Building (1B), Muscle Shoals, AL 35660

State and Local Organizations

Your questions or concerns about indoor air problems can
frequently be answered by the government agencies in your state
or local government. Responsibilities or indoor air quality
issues are usually divided among many different agencies. Calling
or writing the agencies responsible for health or air quality
control is the best way to start getting information from your
state or local government. To obtain state agency contacts, write
or call EPA s IAQ Information Clearinghouse, (800) 4384318.

CPSC REGIONAL OFFICES

Eastern Regional Center
6 World Trade Center
Vesey Street, 3rd Floor Room 350
New York, NY 10048-0950
(212) 466-1612

Central Regional Center
230 South Dearborn Street Room 2944
Chicago, IL 60604-1601
(312) 353-8260

Western Regional Center
600 Harrison Street Room 245
San Francisco, CA 94107
(415) 744-2966

States in Region
Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Florida,
Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, North Carolina, New Hampshire,
New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Rhode Island, Virginia,
Vermont, West Virginia

Alabama, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky,
Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Dakota,
Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, Tennessee, Wisconsin

Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho,
Louisiana, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas,
Utah, Washington, Wyoming