Health Hazard Evaluation Report: HETA-92-217-2300: Internal Revenue Service Office; Flint, Michigan

Details

• Personal Author:
  Burton, Nancy C. ; Zimmer, Anthony T.
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  In response to a request from the National Treasury Employees Union, an investigation was undertaken of indoor environmental quality (IEQ) at the Internal Revenue Service Office (SIC-9311), Flint, Michigan. Employees had reported sinus problems, cold like symptoms, and headaches. The indoor carbon-dioxide (124389) concentrations measured were all below the recommended level of 1,000 parts per million. Temperature and relative humidity levels were within seasonal suggested guidelines. Evidence of microbial growth was found in the lined condensate pan of the heating, ventilating and air conditioning unit. There was a potential for vehicle exhaust to enter the building
  
  the below ground outside air intakes were located adjacent to a parking lot. Employees were permitted to smoke in a storage area which formed part of the recirculating air system that served the entire basement area. The most common concerns of the workers included temperature extremes, lack of humidity, and lack of movement of the air. Stuffy or runny nose or sinus congestion, tired or strained eyes, unusual tiredness, fatigue, drowsiness, and dry itching or irritated eyes were the most frequently reported complaints. The authors conclude that environmental tobacco smoke was a health hazard in this location. Other problems identified include microbial growth in the condensate pan and the potential for vehicle exhaust entrainment by the ventilation system. The authors recommend that steps be taken to improve the indoor air quality and eliminate environmental tobacco smoke in the workplace.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Air Pollution, Indoor Environmental Health Microbiology Occupational Health Safety Smoke Smokers Tobacco Products Ventilation
• Keywords:
  Carbon Dioxide Cigarette-smoking Closed-building-syndrome Environmental Tobacco Smoke ETS Hazard-Confirmed HETA-92-217-2300 IEQ Indoor-air-pollution Indoor-environmental-quality Indoor Environmental Quality Microbial Growth Microorganisms NIOSH-Author NIOSH-Health-Hazard-Evaluation NIOSH-Technical-Assistance-Report Office-workers OSHA Region 5 Public Finance, Taxation, And Monetary Policy Relative Humidity Temperature Tobacco-smoke Ventilation-systems

  More +
• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• Subseries:
  Health Evaluation and Technical Assistance (HETA)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHHETA922172300
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Michigan ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSHEFS - Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  23 pdf pages
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00218687
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB94-169703
• Citation:
  Cincinnati, Ohio: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, HETA 92-217-2300, 1993 Apr ; :1-19
• CAS Registry Number:
  Carbon dioxide (CAS RN 124-38-9)
• Editor(s):
  Humphries, Donna
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1993
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  9311 - Finance, taxation, & monetary policy - (SIC)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:db2c650e10c02c888c290b4b657f5ac1667e6c758fe1cbb75a1a662bd1af141075d67b66a39f602b9b83ac36dd8bac1464c3e0b4b0f2caa0348849279fadb77b
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/171408/cdc_171408_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 941.95 KB ]