Evaluation of Indoor Environmental Quality and Health Concerns in a Public University

Details

• Personal Author:
  Broadwater, Kendra R. ; Burr, Gregory A. ; Page, Elena H.
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  University managers requested help to address employee concerns about mold in a campus building. We evaluated the building ventilation systems. We checked for moisture, water damage, and mold. We measured carbon dioxide, temperature, and relative humidity. We saw no widespread mold or water damage. Relative humidity levels in some areas were above 65%. These levels can help microorganisms and dust mites grow. The building had unit ventilators and window air-conditioners, not a central ventilation system. None of the unit ventilators brought in outdoor air. We interviewed employees about their health. They reported some respiratory symptoms associated with damp buildings and inadequate ventilation. These symptoms are also common in the general population. Employees also reported hives, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and hair loss. These conditions were not related to working in the building. HHE Program investigators recommended improving building ventilation and stopping environmental sampling.
• Subjects:
  Air Pollution, Indoor Fungi Humidity Microbiology Occupational Health Safety Ventilation
• Keywords:
  Colleges, Universities, And Professional Schools IAQ IEQ Indoor Air Quality Indoor Environmental Quality Indoor Environments Microorganisms Mold Molds OSHA Region 8 Relative Humidity South Dakota Temperature Measurement Ventilation Systems

  More +
• Source:
  Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, HHE 2015-0118-3249, 2016 Mar ; :1-17
• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHHHE201501183249
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  South Dakota ; OSHA Region 8
• 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:
  24 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  Booher, Donald E. ; Galloway, Ellen ; Moore, Kevin ; Watts, Shawna
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20047786
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2016-103222
• Citation:
  NIOSH [2016]. Health hazard evaluation report: evaluation of indoor environmental ; quality and health concerns in a public university. By Page E, Broadwater K, Burr G. ; Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease ; Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, NIOSH ; HHE Report No. 2015-0118-3249,
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2016
• NORA Priority Area:
  Services
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  611310 - Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools - (NAICS)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:84a628aab1c0a2cab271e1c842da37684951a40238234f7529033151b7e5fd54f0b723d0ca77c94f9bd2884226e786b9b64ecbe97ca02ea00e578ddd43ad9451
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/172415/cdc_172415_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 841.34 KB ]