I was in a construction company office the other day and didn't know which was worse: the smell of the cigarettes or the smell of the chemicals. Both were horrible. "Oh, it's always like that," the secretary responded when I pointed out the odor. "It's just part of the construction industry." I was shocked. Nobody should have to breathe in cigarette smoke or chemical fumes. Of course, I realize I'm preaching to the choir here. As safety professionals, you understand the importance of indoor air quality (IAQ). But for the uninitiated, here's an overview on why it's important and what can be done by supervisors and employees to improve it.

Why IAQ Is Important

Studies conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and others have found that the level of pollutants of air in indoor environments is actually higher than the levels of the air outside. These pollutants increase the risk of illness.

Since most Americans spend up to 90% of their time indoors, indoor air quality is a major concern for employers because of its effects on the health and productivity of employees. In fact, the EPA estimates that poor IAQ may cost the nation tens of billions of dollars each year in lost productivity and medical care and, in their 1989 Report to Congress, concluded that improved indoor air quality can result in fewer lost work days and higher productivity.

Factors that Contribute to IAQ

While most buildings don't have severe IAQ problems, even well run buildings can sometimes experience episodes of poor IAQ.

But what exactly is indoor air quality? It's not a simple, easily defined problem like a wobbly desk or a leaky faucet. IAQ is a constantly changing interaction of complex factors that affect the types, levels and importance of pollutants in indoor environments. These factors include:

There are many other factors that affect comfort or perception of indoor air quality.

3 Key Pollutants

Three of the key pollutant categories include:

1. Biological Contaminants: Excessive concentrations of bacteria, viruses, fungi (including molds), dust mite allergens, animal dander and pollen may result from inadequate maintenance and housekeeping, water spills, inadequate humidity control and condensation, or may be brought into the building by occupants, infiltration or ventilation air. Indoor biological pollutant exposures can cause symptoms in allergic individuals and also play a key role in triggering asthma episodes for an estimated 15 million Americans.

2. Chemical Pollutants: Sources of chemical pollutants include tobacco smoke, emissions from products used in the building (e.g., office equipment and furniture, wall and floor coverings, and cleaning and consumer products), accidental spill of chemicals and gases such as carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide.

3. Particles: Particles are solid or liquid substances that are light enough to be suspended in the air, the largest of which may be visible in sunbeams streaming into a room. However, smaller particles that you cannot see are likely to be more harmful to health. Particles of dust, dirt or other substances may be drawn into the building from outside and can also be produced by activities that occur in buildings, like sanding wood or drywall, printing, copying, operating equipment and smoking.

Effects of Pollutants

Many different factors influence how indoor air pollutants impact occupants. Some pollutants, such as radon, are of concern because exposure to high levels of the pollutant over long periods of time increases risk of serious, life threatening illnesses, such as lung cancer. Other contaminants, such as carbon monoxide at very high levels, can cause death within minutes. And some pollutants can cause both short and long term health problems. For example, prolonged exposure to environmental tobacco smoke can cause lung cancer and short term exposures can result in irritation and significant respiratory problems for some people, particularly young children.

It's also important to note that people can react very differently when exposed to the same contaminants at similar concentrations. For example, some people can develop severe allergic reactions to biological contaminants to which other people will not react. Similarly, exposure to very low levels of chemicals may be irritating to some people but not others. For people with asthma and other pre-existing conditions, exposure to irritants like environmental tobacco smoke or gases or particles from various indoor sources may cause more severe reactions than the same exposure would in other people.

Conclusion

Now that we've cleared up the definitions, identified some key pollutants and listed the possible effects on employees, next week we'll look at seven important components of your key defense against poor IAQ: your HVAC system.

SAXCIES™ PROFILE

Safety Hero of the Year Juan Trillo (middle), accepts his Saxcie™ Award from Advisory Board Member Michael Topf (left) and SafetyXChange Editor Catherine Jones (right)

2008 Safety Hero of the Year: Juan Trillo

Safety professionals from across North America recently gathered in Las Vegas, Nevada to find out who among them had won this year's Saxcies™. It was tough for the judges, as each Finalist was outstanding. Congratulations to all who were nominated.

Here's a bit about the 2008 Safety Hero of the Year.

Criteria: The Safety Hero of the Year is awarded to an individual who demonstrates an extraordinary personal commitment to safety both inside and outside the workplace or who personifies the attributes in a single act of workplace heroism.

The Winner: Juan Trillo of Fluor/Trend Western

Profile:

On Friday, May 4, Juan Trillo, a heavy-truck driver for Trend Western, was 90 miles from completing his delivery of construction equipment, when he witnessed a highway accident. Two vehicles - a Ford pick-up truck with attached trailer and a Dodge Caravan - had collided in the lane ahead of him.

The pick-up truck was quickly engulfed in flames, with the driver trapped inside.

Juan sprang into action immediately and ran to the burning vehicle. Two other men ran to help, but the truck's doors were crushed. They couldn't open them. With Juan's calm instructions, they were able to pull the driver out through the window of the burning vehicle and carried him to safety, where a trained medical technician began first aid.

Knowing the man was safe and in good hands, Juan then quietly got back into his truck and drove away.

When asked about the accident and his response to it, Juan simply stated that he was just "doing what anyone would have done."

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