|
|
A BREATH OF FRESH CLEAN AIR?
By Allison Keller
The clean air in some homes and offices could be making people sick.
Concerns with Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) have increased since energy conservation measures were instituted in office buildings during the 1970s, minimizing the infiltration of outside air and contributing to the buildup of indoor air contaminants.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is closely monitoring the forms of sickness that could be caused by the air that people breathe within the safety of their own homes.
Sicknesses such as the “Sick Building Syndrome” and molds within school buildings have caused many to question the places where they live, work, play, and learn.
Sharon Little, 51, of Wantage Township, New Jersey, is concerned with the air that she breathes because she can not see the contaminants.
“It’s scary to think that the simple act of breathing is now another thing which we have to be weary of,” Little said.
OSHA reports that Indoor Air Quality problems can be “caused by ventilation system deficiencies, overcrowding, tobacco smoke, microbiological contamination, outside air pollutants, and off gassing from materials in the office and mechanical equipment.”
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is enacting guidelines, which all contractors and other professionals will have to abide by while constructing a building. Custodians and school maintenance employee will be forced to monitor any problems within the buildings. This includes the reporting and removing of molds to prevent sickness.
“Sick Building Syndrome” (SBS) is one of the most common sickness associated with molds and indoor air. The EPA website defines the SBS as “a term used to describe situations in which building occupants experience acute health and comfort effects that appear to be linked to time spent in a building, but no specific illness or cause can be identified. The complaints may be localized in a particular room or zone, or may be widespread throughout the building.” Headaches, dizziness, and fatigue are some symptoms associated with the sickness.
A spokesperson for the EPA was optimistic for the improving of Indoor Air Quality within the next five years.
“The main focus of the EPA right now is to raise awareness about the problems with indoor air,” the EPA spokesperson said. “People assume that just because they have an air filtration system within their home, they can smoke a cigarette inside of their house without have an effect on their child. People need to know that the smallest thing that they do can have a detrimental effect on those around them.”