Investigations
IAQ Investigations in the Workplace and Other Buildings

IAQ Investigations in the Workplace and Other Buildings  

Overview of building investigations 
   Key components of an IAQ investigation
   Factors influencing sick building syndrome
The IAQ investigation process 
   Act quickly
   Identify the source of the problems 
      Interview people
      Review records of past problems
      Walkthrough inspection
   Take action to get rid of the problem
      Control pollutants at their source
      Provide adequate ventilation
      Pay attention to other factors
   Educate people
   Monitor the results

Overview of Building Investigations

Key components of an IAQ investigation
Factors influencing sick building syndrome

The purpose of a building investigation is to make sure that acceptable indoor air quality (IAQ) is achieved and maintained within a home or building. If not, poor IAQ will result in illness and discomfort, loss of productivity and learning, excessive medical costs, negative publicity for companies and buildings, unpleasant working relationships, distrust among employers and employees, and liability concerns for all those responsible.

IAQ investigations may be "proactive" or "reactive." Proactive investigations are undertaken to ensure that a building is free of IAQ concerns, and that it remains that way. Periodic audits of the indoor air quality and factors that affect IAQ are included in these proactive studies. This allows anything unusual or "out of the ordinary' to be found and corrected before it develops into a significant, disruptive and health threatening issue. Excellent easy-to-use test kits are available to routinely monitor the air and building dust for pollutants and allergens.

Reactive investigations are made to address existing IAQ situations or health complaints. This is done by checking out air quality complaints, looking for anything that may be causing poor air quality, and taking action to correct any problems that are found.

Key Components of an IAQ Investigation 

  • Review of the ventilation system

    • Make sure that it is in good working order and delivering sufficient amounts of clean, outdoor air to the breathing spaces of the building

    • Ensure that it is free of mold and excessive dust

  • Observation of the building - look for obvious signs of water leakage or excessive moisture, mold or sources of other pollutants

  • Measurement of pollutant levels to ensure they meet acceptable normal levels

  • Review of building activities, space usage, and environmental conditions

  • Talking with people in the building; not waiting for people to complain

When people complain about indoor air quality, there may or may not be pollutants in the air that are causing the problem. Many factors influence the number of people who have building-related symptoms (BRS), including:1

  • Occupational factors: Job level, hours of computer use, job stress, job satisfaction, handling of carbonless copy paper, photocopying.

  • Psychological factors: A person's idea about the amount of control he/she has over his/her work and environmental conditions such as heat, light, humidity, and noise.

  • Personal factors: wWmen complain of BRS more often than men; however, a study of 4943 workers in Sweden said that it was not because women complain more than men. The researchers said they thought the difference was because women are exposed to more tobacco smoke, work in open plan offices or reception areas more often, hold lower positions in the office, and handle more paper than men.2

  • Organizational factors: labor-management relationship.

Often indoor air complaints are based on temperature or humidity concerns. For example, if the air is too humid, the air can smell stale and odors seem stronger. Another reason some people complain about indoor air quality is that a bad relationship exists between workers and management. However, it is hard to know which came first. Poor morale can trigger air quality complaints and poor air quality can trigger morale problems. In any event, complaints received about indoor air problems should never be ignored. Ignoring complaints about indoor air problems will just make things worse. In addition to creating additional stress in the workplace, ignoring problems can also make one liable in case there are actual concerns and a lawsuit is filed.

Complaints about indoor air qulality that keep occurring in the workplace usually reflect a lack of understanding or concern by management about IAQ problems. One of the worst mistakes a manager can make is to dismiss IAQ complaints as "women's problems" or "usual complaining" by a particular group or person. It is not uncommon for complaints to be made by a small group of workers because IAQ problems are often isolated to particular sections within a building. When one group of women at an Indianapolis-based insurance company complained about BRS problems in their office, they were dismissed by the building manager as "silly females," said one of the women.3 It is also important to remember that not everyone reacts the same to exposure to chemicals. People who have sinus or allergy problems may have a reaction to low levels of chemicals that may not bother other workers.

Addressing indoor air quality problems not only protects the health of the people in the building, but it can also save money. Good indoor air quality could result in a savings of as much as $168 billion! Researchers in one study found that the financial benefits of improving office climates can be 8 to 17 times more than the costs of making those improvements.4 This savings comes from things such as decreased medical costs, lower absentee rates, and increased performance and productivity.5 For example, one Danish study showed that typists increased their output by six percent in offices with cleaner air.6

The IAQ Investigation Process

   Act quickly
   Identify the source of the problems:
      Interview people
      Review records of past problems
      Walkthrough inspection
   Take action to get rid of the problem:
      Control pollutants at their source
      Provide adequate ventilation
      Pay attention to other factors
   Educate people
   Monitor the results

There is a recommended process for investigating indoor air quality. There are also various governmental resources to help. Even though there are no federal regulations regarding indoor air quality, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) proposed IAQ regulations can give you in-depth information.  Click on this link to view those proposed regulations: www.osha-slc.gov/FedReg_osha_data/FED19940405.html. Another OSHA document that might be helpful is a chapter from their technical manual on indoor air quality investigations: www.osha-slc.gov/dts/osta/otm/otm_iii/otm_iii_2.html. In addition, the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has information on diagnosing IAQ problems that can be found at: www.cdc.gov/niosh/pdfs/sec_6.pdf. These recommendations include having a written operations, maintenance and inspection plan for your building systems; documenting and responding to all occupant complaints; training occupants to be aware of basic housekeeping and the potential for IAQ problems; and conducting air testing (ideally once during heating and once during cooling seasons.)

When investigating indoor air quality, the following steps should be taken:

  • Act quickly

    If a complaint is received about indoor air quality, it should be investigated right away. If nothing is done, a dangerous situation can be created?the health of the building occupants could be at risk. For example, there was a software company in California that moved into a new, plush building. A few weeks after moving in, two accountants suddenly began having trouble breathing. They began coughing, choking, and their eyes began to burn with tears rolling down their faces. Within two weeks, everyone in the office started feeling sick with headaches and other problems. The owner of the company complained to building management who did nothing to correct the problem. Some people quit rather than continue working there. It turned out that there was remodeling being done in another part of the building where they were using strong, solvent-based adhesives to seal holes in the air ducts. As a result, the ventilation system spread the vapors throughout the entire building. After fighting indoor air problems for 18 months, the software company finally moved out of that building into a new office. Here, the owner of the software company hired a consultant to help him keep unhealthy material out of the space and go over the ventilation system with a fine-tooth comb. He also filed a lawsuit against the previous building's owner, architects, contractors, and managers. They settled out of court for several million dollars.7

    If the building management had taken this complaint seriously and moved aggressively to correct the problem, the building occupants would not have suffered so long with the poor air quality. In addition, the lawsuit could possibly have been avoided. A form, developed by NIOSH, will help during this stage of the process. A complaint investigation form may be found at     www.cdc.gov/niosh/pdfs/complain.pdf. After receiving the complaint, it should also be logged to see if there is any type of pattern in the future. A sample log from NIOSH may be found at www.cdc.gov/niosh/pdfs/incident.pdf.
  • Interview people: This is the next step. In addition to building occupants, building maintenance people should also be interviewed to make sure that all preventive maintenance has been done. Some examples of questions that you might ask building occupants include the following:

  • When did you begin having problems with the quality of the indoor air?

  • What sort of health problems have you been having? Building-related symptoms tha might indicated an IAQ problem include headaches, eyes/nose/throat irritation, dry mouth, backache, shortness of breath, chest pains, nausea, fever, flu-like symptoms, fatigue, drowsiness, dizziness/faintness, difficulty in concentrating, skin dryness and rashes.

  • Do you suffer from these health problems all the time or do they come and go? Do the problems last the entire time you are in the building or do they last just a few hours? Are there certain times of the year when the problems are worse?

  • Do your health problems go right away or gradually after you leave the building? Do these problems return when you come back into the building?

  • Is the temperature in the building too hot? Too cold? How about the humidity level?

  • Have you smelled any unusual odors? Even though odor itself does not mean that hazardous substances are present, it can be a clue.

  • What type of work do you do? Have your work assignments or location changed recently?

  • Describe your work area.

  • Has your part of the building been remodeled or redecorated recently? Have you started working with any new materials or equipment?

  • What is the smoking policy in the building? Are there any places such as work, home, or school where you are exposed to environmental tobacco smoke?

  • Have you recently changed where you live? If not, have you done any remodeling or renovations to your home?

  • Has anyone in your family recently started a new hobby or other activity? If so, what is it?

  • Have you recently gotten a new pet? If so, what kind?

  • Does anyone else in your home have similar health problems? Does anyone you work with have similar problems?

    Many times the building occupants fill out the questionnaire on their own and sometimes they collect people's opinions about the environment for a period spanning 1 month, 3 months or 1 year. Though research has found that there is little association between self-reported symptoms and the actual indoor air quality as determined during an investigation, this information can be invaluable in finding out what may be causing problems.1 It will also help in seeing if the health problems seem to be associated with the building. However, keep in mind that not everyone is the same. It is possible for some people to be more sensitive to air pollutants than other people are. If the building is large, be sure that several people in all different parts of the building fill out the questionnaire. A sample developed by NIOSH to be used when interviewing building occupants can be found at     www.cdc.gov/niosh/pdfs/occint.pdf.

    The other people who should be interviewed are building management and maintenance personnel. These interviews should help you find out information about the building such as its history, age, original purpose, its interior and exterior     construction materials, when any remodeling or renovations were done and how extensive these were. Is the building being used as it was originally designed? What chemicals have been used in the building in the past and what chemicals are currently being used? Have there been any changes to the ventilation system since the building was built? It is important to find out as much as you can about the ventilation system since that is a major contributing factor to poor indoor air quality. Are there printing shops, photography developing, or dry cleaning facilities whose air might be recirculated into other parts of the building? Factors, such as these, can help you know what to look for when you do your walk-around inspection.

  • Review records of past complaints/recent problems: Look through the log mentioned earlier and see if there is any type of pattern to the symptoms or complaints. Also, find out if there has been any unusual things happen recently such as remodeling. If there have been renovations, find out when these were done and how extensive they were. Also, find out what building materials and furnishings were used. Pay particular attention to any new furniture, partitions, office machines, and other items that may be contributing to indoor pollution. Get a blueprint of the ventilation system and see if there are more complaints or problems in certain zones. This may help you pinpoint where to begin the investigation.

  • Walkthrough inspection: During the walk-through inspection, particular attention should be paid to these areas:

  • Psychosocial issues: Are the factors most likely to result in indoor air quality investigations? If so, that is where your walkthrough should begin.

  • Ventilation and maintenance: Do a thorough inspection of the ventilation system. Some ventilation matters to look for include:

    • Temperature and levels of humidity within the recommended ranges

    • Air ducts that are clean and dry

    • Air vents that are not blocked

    • Empty and clean drain pans so bacteria and fungus will not grow there

    • Clean coils

    • Air filters in place and an apparent replacement schedule

    • Enough fresh air in the system

    • Clean air handling rooms make sure they are not used for storage of maintenance and cleaning products

    For more specifics, see the section on building ventilation

  • Age and general condition of the building: Older buildings are more likely to have structural problems that can lead to moisture build-up. These can include problems with the plumbing and drains. Look for possible leaks in the roof, old water spots on the ceilings or walls, and insufficient roof or sidewalk drainage.

  • Housekeeping: Look to see how clean things are. If there are a lot of "fleecy" materials (such as drapes, partitions, carpet, or upholstery), these can be a problem if not cleaned regularly. They can be a source of as well as trap and give off pollutants such as VOCs and mold.

    Also, look for other indications of housekeeping problems such as the presence of insects (like     cockroaches or other vermin), mold, or excessive building dust. See what kind of cleaning products are being used. Some of these can be irritating to the eyes, nose, and throat. If strong cleaning products are used, see if safer substitutes can be used. How is vacuuming done? The best way is to use a central vacuum that vents to the outside. If this is not possible, the next best thing is a vacuum cleaner with a high efficiency bag so that dirt and mold do not escape from it.

  • Odors: These may be clues to possible indoor air problems. For example, a musty odor in a humid environment may be an indication of mold and mildew growth. Odors of organic solvents may come from newly painted materials, furniture, vinyl, or hardwood floors. A rotten egg odor may be an indication of sewer gas seeping into the building.

  • Water intrusion and moisture: This can cause mold and fungi to grow as well as provide a favorable environment for other biological pollutants such as dust mites. Biological pollutants and the health problems they trigger are much higher than they are for chemical pollutants. During the walkthrough, look for visible signs of fungal growth on carpets, walls, ceilings, underneath sinks, in crawl spaces, and in the air handling plenum.

  • Look for sources of combustion: This can come from improperly vented or poor maintenance of things like gas heaters. A major source is environmental tobacco smoke. Smoking gives off carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, organic compounds, and particulates. Several of the 4000 chemicals found in cigarette smoke have been known to cause cancer. Other sources of combustion can be gas-powered forklifts and cars from underground parking garages.

  • Use of pesticides: Indoor contamination with pesticides is quite common. Most insecticides are highly toxic to humans and they are more widespread in buildings. Try to prevent pests by not having sources of food (such as garbage) or water (moisture intrusion) around. If pesticides must be used, try to find ones that are not as toxic. Also, make sure that any spraying is done at a time when nobody is in the building.

  • Other chemicals in the indoor environment: Other sources of chemicals in buildings include:

In most cases if you measure the concentrations of chemicals in an office environment, they are going to be well below OSHA standards even though people may building-related symptoms. Part of the reason for this may be that the standards for indoor air pollutants may be wrong. These limits are based on acute (or short-term) exposures among healthy men rather than on chronic (or long-term) exposure to low levels among people who may be older, who may have other health problems, or who may be female. Most chemical standards are written primarily for men in an industrial environment.8 Another reason could be that SBS health problems are caused by a combination of many low amounts of chemicals interacting with each other to cause a greater effect than would be expected from exposures to single chemicals.

Air sampling for contaminants can often identify unusual levels of pollutants and sources of odors. Measurements that can be useful include looking at the temperature, relative humidity, carbon dioxide levels, VOC levels, formaldehyde levels and air movement. Collection and analysis of building dust will indicate any unusual levels of mold or allergens.

A NIOSH checklist for things to look for during a walk-around inspection can be found at www.cdc.gov/niosh/pdfs/mgmtlist.pdf. You may also want to hire a consultant who specializes in indoor air quality to compare their results with yours to make sure that nothing is missed.

  • Take action to get rid of the problem

    If you find problems based on the interviews and the walk-around inspection, be sure to take care of them right away. Of course, the best way to handle these problems is to prevent them from happening in the first place. These steps include:
  • Control pollutants at their source. This is done by things such as careful selection of building materials that will not contribute to air contamination, using cleaning materials that are not toxic, not allowing smoking indoors, and preventing accumulation of moisture where bacteria and fungi can grow.
  • Provide adequate ventilation at the right temperature and humidity levels. This also includes having local exhaust ventilation in places where pollutants may build up such as in a room with several photocopiers.

Pay attention to other factors that have been associated with air quality complaints. Some examples of things that can be done include:

  • Improve communication between workers and management. Set up a system for getting feedback from workers and follow-through with ideas, suggestions, or complaints.

  • Limit the amount of time that people spend at computers. People who spend more than 4 hours per day at a computer usually have more problems that are associated with poor indoor air quality. One study showed that working more than four hours per day at video display terminals increased the number of lost workdays due to BRS by 20 percent.9

  • Provide as much natural lighting to people as possible. In many European countries, it is illegal to have an office without a window.

  • Give workers personal control over heating, lighting, ventilation, and noise. This has been seen to increase levels of productivity. One study showed that in offices where people could individually control the temperature, there was a 34 percent reduction in sickness due to BRS. A British study of office workers also showed that if people could control temperature, humidity, or lighting, productivity could increase dramatically.9

  • Educate people so they can get involved

    Once you have all your information, share what you have found with workers. Do this even if you have not found a source for the problem; maybe there was something that was overlooked and the workers can give additional information or their opinions on what they think may be causing the problem. If you do not share what you have found, this may strain communication with the worker since secrecy breeds fear and distrust.

  • Monitor the results to make sure the problem has been corrected

    Even though you may think you have found the source of the problem, sometimes there are many things contributing to the poor indoor air quality, so fixing just one may not correct the problem.

    If there are not any problems, continue to monitor to make sure that none develop.

References

  1. Addressing the psychological aspects of indoor air quality by Professor Alan Hedge, Dept. Design and Environmental Analysis, Cornell Univ. Paper presented at the 1st Asian Indoor Air Quality Seminar in Urumqi, China, Sept. 22-23, 1996.

  2. Stenberg B, Wall S. Why do women report "sick building symptoms" more often than men do? Soc. Sci Med. 1995;40(4):491-502.

  3. Saltzman A, Silberner J. "When each day is a sick day; How to get a breath of fresh air in a polluted office." U.S. News and World Report. March 13, 1989;65-67.

  4. Conlin M, Carey J. "Is Your Office Killing You," Business Week. June 5, 2000;issue #3684:114-128.

  5. Hedge A. "Where are we in understanding the effects of where we are?" Ergonomics, 2000, vol 43, no. 7, page 1024.

  6. Echikson W. "Why the air and light are so much better in Paris." Business Week. June 5, 2000;Issue 3684.

  7. Griffin K. When your office calls in sick. Health. Jan/Feb 1993;78-82.

  8. Holzman D. "Elusive Culprits in Workplace Ills." Insight. June 26, 1989;44-45.

  9. Levin H. "Physical factors in the indoor environment." Occupational Medicine: State of the Art Reviews. Volume 10, No. 1, Jan-March 1995. Philadelphia, Hanley and Belfus, inc., page 74.