IS YOUR OFFICE KILLING YOU?
Business Week / June 5, 2000
By Michelle Conlin

brought to you by
Air Purification Systems of Virginia, a distributor of...

sick office and negative air ionization

 

Do you work in a toxin factory... and not know it?

The modern office is home to as many as 350 different volatile organic chemicals released by building materials, furnishings, and office equipment.  That's not to mention the molds and bad indoor air that often flourish in these sealed-up environments.  Some of the biggest offenders:

 

Printers and Fax Machines
They all ooze ozone.  Scientists have yet to figure out what happens when that ozone mixes with the workplace's organic chemicals.

 		   Sealed Windows
Most people now work in enclosed offices.  Not being able to crack open a window means that you're relying on building managers to pump through enough fresh air - something they don't always do.
Smoking
When people in your office sneak a smoke - even if it's behind closed doore - the second-hand stuff funnels through the ventilation system to the rest of the office.		   Carcinogenic cleaning products
There are 70,000 chemical cleaning products on the market, many of which are used to clean your office.  Some of these products may contain carcinogens.
Exterminators
It doesn't help that exterminators spray pesticides that may contain carcinogens over your workplace.		   Copy Machines
They also emit ozone.  What's worse, they are not always next to vents, so their emissions stay trapped in the office air.
What fresh air?
Believe it or not, many fresh air vents are located over loading docks and parking garages, sucking in carbon monoxide and other contaminants.		   The office bathroom - the modern mold machine
Who hasn't seen a clogged toilet?  Flooded bathrooms can create molds.
Hidden Dangers:
A Glossary
HVAC's Heating , Ventilation and air conditioning systems. Often they circulate contaminated air.
VOC's Volatile organic chemicals. They're emitted by furnishings, cleaning products and equipment.
MCS Multiple chemical sensitivity. Sufferers are hypersensitive to chemicals.
CCP Carbonless copy paper. Found in credit-card and bank receipts. It contains known and probable carcinogens.
 		   The stack effect
Co-workers who smoke may think they are doing you a favor by taking it outside.  But experts say this can be even worse.  When you open the revolving door, the building sucks in second-hand smoke like a chimney.

Renovations
Working in a building - especially those with sealed windows - can cause workers to inhale paint fumes, construction dust, and odors from new furnishings that can irritate skin, eyes and airways.
 
  • "Experts predict that the 5% - 10% of the population that is allergic to chemicals will grow to 60% by 2020."
  • "The EPS says that indoor air is one of the top five environmental health risks or our time."
  • "... for 20% - 30% of the office population the problem can range from the mild headaches, nausea, dizziness, short-term memory loss, irritability, and itchy eyes and throats -- to possible to the nervous and respiratory systems. Doctors also link the doubling of asthma rates since 1980 to bad indoor air."
  • "... most buildings have filters that keep out about 35% of the impurities...""U.S. companies could save as much as $58 Billion annually by preventing sick-building illnesses and an additional $200 Billion in workers performance improvements..."
  • "...the financial benefits can be 8 - 17 times larger than the cost of making those improvements..."
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For more information contact
Air Purification Systems
Unionville, Va.
540-854-5633
email:  info@airionizer.biz

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