Health Hazard Evaluation Report: HETA-2010-0004-3128, May 2011. Evaluating a Persistent Nuisance Odor in an Office Building - Maryland

摘要

NIOSH investigators evaluated a federal government office on December 15-16, 2010, after receiving a technical assistance request from the property manager. The office employees believed a chemical odor present since the building opened in 2007 was responsible for their symptoms, which included nausea; headache; and eye, nose, throat, and respiratory irritation. We measured temperature, RH, CO2, and CO in the office. We took air samples for H2S, formaldehyde, and VOCs in the office and in two nearby businesses for comparison. We took carpet and paint samples from the office and analyzed them for VOCs. We also looked for water damage in the office and checked the HVAC system. We surveyed employees about odors in the office, asking them to describe the odors and health concerns they associated with the odor. The CO2 concentrations inside the office had a range of 750-1160 ppm, while the CO2 concentrations outdoors had a range of 420-440 ppm. Usually, CO2 concentrations are used to determine the adequacy of an HVAC system, but not for sparsely occupied areas such as this office. However, with only two employees working, the fact that indoor CO2 concentrations were nearly triple the outdoor concentration indicated the HVAC system was likely not introducing much outdoor air into the occupied office areas. Temperature in the office had a range of 71-75 degrees F and RH had a range of 21-28 percent, compared to outdoor temperature, which had a range of 18-27 degrees F and RH at 20 percent. These levels are within the recommended thermal comfort guidelines for the winter season.