Health hazard evaluation report: HETA-89-065-2119, One Government Center, Toledo, Ohio.
Authors
Burr-GA; Alderfer-RJ
Source
Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, HETA 89-065-2119, 1991 Jun; :1-77
Abstract
In response to a request from the Ohio Department of Health, an investigation was undertaken of possible hazardous working conditions at One Government Center, a modern 22 story municipal office building located in downtown Toledo, Ohio. Employees reported fatigue, nausea, headache, and other effects perhaps linked to poor indoor air quality. The building housed offices for the city of Toledo, the county and the state of Ohio. Questionnaires were administered to workers, and air quality measurements were made on floors 15 through 22. For the most part the concentration of carbon-dioxide (124389) was below the acceptable limit (1000 parts per million) with two exceptions which probably reflected a higher occupancy level and more extensive use of office partitions. Temperature and humidity levels measured were all within the acceptable limits. Respirable particulate levels in a smoking lounge located on the seventeenth floor were 454 micrograms/cubic meter and exceeded the recommended limit of 150 micrograms/cubic meter. The authors conclude that the indoor air quality parameters were within acceptable limits in most of the areas. The authors recommend that the existing smoking policy should be modified, and that the number of employees in specific areas be reduced or the ventilation in these same areas should be increased.
Keywords
NIOSH-Author; NIOSH-Health-Hazard-Evaluation; NIOSH-Technical-Assistance-Report; HETA-89-065-2119; Region-5; Hazard-Unconfirmed; Office-workers; Ventilation-systems; Indoor-air-pollution; Closed-building-syndrome; Air-quality-monitoring; Tobacco-smoke; Indoor-environmental-quality;
Author Keywords: General Government; indoor air quality; carbon dioxide; ventilation; temperature; relative humidity; particulates
Document Type
Field Studies; Hazard Evaluation and Technical Assistance
NTIS Accession No.
PB92-109222
Identifying No.
HETA-89-065-2119
Source Name
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
