Posted By: M. Sue Pagay In: Business Professional If everytime you go to work you feel like you're coming down with the flu, but the symptoms disappear when you leave the building, then you might be suffering from an often overlooked condition that plays havoc in the workplace.
Offices and homes are filled with products made up of a toxic chemical that can cause symptoms mimicking allergies, colds, and flu. This chemical is formaldehyde, and it is found in everything from upholstered furniture to rugs, cabinets, paint, and particle board. Even wallpaper and draperies contain formaldehyde. So does cigarette smoke. Given the right conditions, it can off-gas into the air, causing havoc with the respiratory system and resulting in illness and lost work days.
Often, the cause of mystery illnesses within the workplace can be traced to the poor air quality within the office environment itself. Toxic gasses lurk in the air around our desks and computers, one of which is formaldehyde, a potent carcinogen and noxious agent found in countless office items.
According to the Energy Citations Database located in East Syracuse, NY: “An estimated 1.4 million people are exposed to formaldehyde in the workplace, and virtually the entire poplation [sic] comes into contact with the chemical because of its ubiquitous presence in polluted air and in consumer products.” (www. osti.gov)
Different people can react differently to formaldehyde. Some may go without any effects at all. Others may suffer headaches, persistent flu-like symptoms, allergic reactions, asthma, or worse. Coughing, sneezing, wheezing, itchy skin, sore nasal passages, an irritated throat, and watery eyes can all be symptoms of formaldehyde exposure. Since these are also symptoms of colds, flu, and allergy, the real real cause of the problem can be overlooked.
Certain professionals are more likely to be exposed to formaldehyde than others. Office workers, for instance, are less likely to face these problems – although they are not completely safe because of the off-gassing of furniture and computers. Workers most likely to be exposed are doctors, nurses, veterinarians, teachers, students, painters, mill workers, laboratory technicians, firefighters, and construction workers, among many others..
Once in the air, formaldehyde splits into its components: formic acid and carbon monoxide. It’s a gas, and you can’t see it. But, you may get a whiff of it. Its pungent odor can come through. The degree to which the odor seeps into the air, however. depends on how much of the chemical is being gassed off from the surrounding environment.
Steps can be taken to reduce the level of formaldehyde in the office environment. First, since the chemical concentration of formaldehyde in outdoor air is generally less than that found in indoor air, opening a window and using a fan for circulation helps. Keeping the office at a moderate temperature also helps to lower the rate of chemical release from the surroundings. Finally, maintaining the office environment at optimal humidity levels by using air conditioners and dehumidifiers is highly recommended.
Additional information on the topic of formaldehyde in the workplace can be obtained through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), located at 200 Constitution Avenue, Washington, DC 20210. Their phone number is 1–800–321–OSHA (1–800–321–6742), and their web site URL is http://www.osha.gov. Your career should not be making you sick!
Comments
Posted by: Kathy
I worked in a building with those symptoms, now I don't work there any more, I have astma now, I never had it before, can I sue the landlord now, 3 months later
Posted by: Jose
I think I should check with a doctor to see if I have fomaldehyde in my body now that I've read this article. I remember working in an office where the air conditioning was off for the day because of some equipment failure or something and one woman near my cubicle fainted due to the air conditioning being out of service.
Posted by: Stacy Barnes
Please send info.
Posted by: Lavora
I notice the same symptoms in several places that I've worked, and I always thought it was literally just sick of my job. But now I'm convinced it was this exactly!
Posted by: Sheila S
While I enjoyed my previous employment with an automotive dealership, I started having symptoms of nausea/sick to my stomach due to the fumes from the cars on the showroom - when vehicles needed to be moved, rearranged, etc., all the sales reps would grab the keys, and start the cars, sometimes NOT remembering to open all the doors to get the smell of fumes out. I finally had to leave and no longer have the symptoms. Formaldehyde was not something of an issue as much as the gasoline fumes were (carcinogens, toxicity, etc.) - be warned from one who was there.
Posted by: Patricia H. Beckwith
Office workers are very likely to be exposed to formaldehyde. I have never entered a business or work environment free of carbonless copy paper. See research from 1997 at the U of Fla @ Gainesville. http://news.ufl.edu/1997/05/22/carbonls/or just search the product plus adverse health effects. There are thousands of articles and legal documents.These forms are causing irreversible illness and disabling workers nationwide. There are some wrongful death cases on the record for nasal cancer and brain disease.
Posted by: Susan
I work in a commercial office showroom and have gotten very sick with respiratory illness 3x in the past year (I have been with the company about a year and a half.) There is no external ventilation and the building is pretty well sealed. Is it possible I am reacting to the formaldehyde in the furniture. I thought that the emissions drop off. Is this true?
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