Health Hazard Evaluation Report, HETA-2000-0168-2871, Nassau Community College, Garden City, New York

摘要

Nassau Community College (NCC), located in Garden City, New York, is the largest two-year community college in the State of New York, employing over 1,200 full time faculty and staff in 40 different buildings on a 225 acre campus. On February 29, 2000, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) received a formal request to conduct a health hazard evaluation (HHE) at the Nassau Community College. The request, submitted by the Nassau Community College Federation of Teachers (NCCFT), was concerned with indoor air quality-related health effects, including asthma, chronic sinusitis, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, respiratory infections, and dermatitis, within eight specified buildings on campus. On March 16, 2000, a second request was submitted from the President of NCCFT and the President of NCC amending the initial request to include all existing structures on campus. This request followed 20 years of reports and environmental investigations at the college of water incursions, relative humidity problems, mold growth, and ventilation problems, as well as reported respiratory symptoms. Most of these survey reports focused on environmental conditions within the academic buildings built in the late 1970s. On October 23-27 and December 4-8, 2000, NIOSH conducted an environmental assessment of buildings cited in the request using an 'Environmental Assessment Check Sheet' for visual assessment of water stains, visible mold, mold odor, and standing water or moisture in 724 offices and laboratories in 13 buildings.