Tobacco Documents Online

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~ Indoor alr-quality problems hinder offlice productivity Poor vesxtnuiotti and cisare= smoim are e M arr-qua'izs• prooierrzs mat interFere th tiu proaucdvity oi' office wcricers. co=g :o a national lLt: ve~r' conducted 1W ' Nxy:&e:: Tecnnaiysis. Pocrce::a3aaonisaorobie:siord7 percent the peopie wi~.c~ saf tisey: have c`saicuity asg tiuir vwork because of the air a.naaty in ar omcea. Ggarette sraoice bothers 54 rcesa oi these workers and 53 percetu feel proved air quality would tzsaice tiuir offices mcpromrsctive places in wnicil to work. The I-IoneyweB Tichnaiysis survey poaed a prese:itative sa:z>pGe of 600 office workers, yeass or older, who work at lexst 20 hours a teit at an oface setting in wirich five or ttbore isass are employed. Oitru workers ccsnpia'si or nutnerotxs spaaauy probiesrtt and pisysirsi'r~coor~s aa irsesoor air po3uzion. Among those dted = freQsasdy by compiairung workers are ed or sieepy feeings (56 pecesa). nasal r+gest;on (45 pescestt). eye irrications (41 res:~t. breathing dfmcult;es (40 persm). a h.adacfus t34 perccttl~. T of tiiose poiles say the ~ qtsaft wnere they work is "oniy fair" or ert "poor." Another 32 pest.eat rate the air ta1RS* as "eXcellem" and 44 percent ttsider it "gooQ.w Ligist=sg and teraperature are the other top. sars ti= aEfea producivity. ?otc.ziatiy serious health issues exiat for e 22 pezeent of office workers wFo crtpiaat of gas and'vapor fumes and the 19 scezzc who say they breathe itritating °R_~is, sLic4 as forrtlajdehyde. 'nese ultirnately may be the most ngavtss poika-ants,' said James E. Wcod: iD., serrior saff scentist for HoneyweQ's n-,orate ?ttysical' Sdence Center. "&it usyonsce workers undoubteaiy areri t even iare tisey're being exposed'to dsem and of a nea::.^i a-obier.zs they may fcacc&" 'Tne a:.-vey raises wa.rning riags for rctageme.^.: and'health professionais,: said aoas. "i,:e nncings urarn marugers ttmt ey nSC :osll7a woMer p[CCUcwRy oy .scttic vern:5auon to cut ene:gyr costs. i ne r.aG -eauced ventslaaon isas on air Gt:aiity =ang cscovued by researche:s, sce.-tr_sts .d inciastry expe*ts. Oface woricers aiao are gtntnq to verbalize comp{aints aoour aa- ;aiu5t issues- "iieaic ;.roresvonais." Woocs. accec. By Mary Sprague "1.1= vrgastK; expiors the serious e!fects caezs iong-teern sxpostue to;ndbor poiGstants. Incoor air poDatdor: nmy bc the qr+aatest envaoetstseim cnaGengc iaceg onstness and' iseaks care peufessiosais in the natt 10 " years- Tne ctcreasing conc:uradot>s of indoor gzsea a=td poilutants are >xticulariy danger- ous oecause peopde spend aQout95 percent oi tiuir tQne indoots, where poWaon levei3 may ce 10 tasxs greace: ttsan tlxu ouside, accormng co Woods. The saiousness oft6e problem is relati4eiy new. andtfie causes and effects are sti3i:oe:ng discovered. Souitions to these probiams range from the surpie - opening a vuindow - to. the compfot - red*tidng and redesgrting the houses and buildings of the future. Tne probietn is new because it's iinked to the "tight building syndrome." according to Wooas. As energsr costs esmiated curirng the paat decade, old bu&iings were sealed to • keep air from iealdnq in or otu: New buildings were Consfftlctel for maxinuin erleM eiticency, wiiicil oiten. meant minarnun outside ventaation. Scerstists are just begaming to realize and 3Mpi:e with tise consequences. '?he nanon isri t'a=g urLsoivabie or even proitiimiveiy expensive prooiertss in inzptoving indoor air quaiity to prfltec: pubiic.heaitis." Woods said. 'We haue to deaesttau the nost setias oortmtrasnts, set acoeptaoie smndares ior cortcar:.inatu !eveis and nseet tner. wicis adequate vesa'ation and a'tr deatsing tecisnoio95 " Coreenon contaminam in adestiots to iorrrsideityds inciude carbon dioxidsd rsbestos. ozone, suliss aSOxiae. nitsoqen a"soxide and'racon (a raaboae".ive andinen gas found in sotl). The sources of these poDctmnts are iiniced to omce harMnctgs astd eqsaptnertt. faories, appuances, the grouad beneath btuicux~s and peopia tttemaeR+es. The Honeywe4l Technalysis survey a(so uncovered an air-quality gender gap. Tnaty- foca percent of the women beiieve the air ciuaflts where they work is "ott4yr iair, or "poor." but only 3 percent of the mett sttat+e tisat opuvon. Six:yfive percent of the warnen say that correesng aa-qtmiuy problems wia produce tugher ptoduc:ivity, compared to 47 perccu of the men. Tnis maigftt of &MW5fh=on between women and' men may come from s>gnfiaczc e`iiaaices in working candcaons reported in the survey. Men %4 perestttl are mtxtssnore smy to work in fully enclosed offsces'and to have greater access to windows than women (39 percznt). Men also have geates rnobmty in offices. Neariy half the women say they sxtd ai:rbst all of tfseir tane in ttus oface or assgned work area., but iess than a third of t:.e men stay in-ane area most of the t"atte. Opinions about management artMtdes are sharply oivided. Soay-saven percent of tise office workers say asanagement is "very" or "somewhat" concerned. but a Slgtiifica[f[ 30 pelLellt CCntend rnallagenerit 197't reSDOtLSIVe to air-quality issues. More women (37 percent) than men (25 percenu feel manao_e- r..etu is iess concaned about air quality: Office woricers„iiowever, do give awaage- r..znt c: edir for eaorts to isttprove air quafity - 24 ?.ercent remember some receu aff- c:aiity, imorovements iniaated by manac_e- r..ent. T ae most c:.tnmort changes are ie ir1i3l1aoon oi alr condlIIOntflg Systeitttd r..entioned by 23 percent: and new ventziacnc c_cs and ians, ctea c5+ 15 pescern. 'Tnese are innnortant steps"'Woods saia: "su9ce a comoinaaon of better ventiladon and air cdeanutg unts can signuictnxly improve oiice air ?uaiitY anC eiiec=veiy remove popu:ants sur~n as tobacco smoke parmces.' .::PICoi_ _: ':;dC '+'dCMEN (N SUSir+c_z 2026331876