From: James SaccardoDate: November 18, 2009 7:31:36 PM EST Subject: RE: [DCHAS-L] Latex degradation, low humidity, Chinese drywall? Debbie, I agree with Alan=E2=80=99s point and had this very thought when I first read you message this afternoon. Don=E2=80=99t rule out sick building syndrome. Do everything you can to prove that there is no underlying conditions causing harm to anyone and if you find nothing, be tactful, do just tell them it is in their head. We have had the same problem in the past. Coughs, itches, headaches=E2=80=A6 We have very arid conditions in out facilities and rubber tubing and dry box gloves deteriorate rapidly. What does you building engineer say about the building humidification system. Does one exist? Is it still functioning properly or is it bypassed? You may have heard this, but the human body is not very original. It has the same response to many stimuli: Headache, fever, itchy eyes, runny nose. There are only a few responses the body can make and many overlap. One last thought =E2=80=93 perhaps you want to hire a consultant to do testing and formulate a report on their findings so that when nothing is found, there is not that conflict of interest. You don=E2=80=99t want anyone to say you skewed results or are working for management (not that you or any health professional would ever do something like that). These are truly difficult issues. I wish you luck. Perception is everything! Be Well, James F. Saccardo, CHMM=E2=80=A8Office of Environmental Health and Safety=E2=80=A8The College of Staten Island=E2=80=A82800 Victory Blvd.=E2=80=A8Staten Island, NY 10314 Office: (718) 982-3906=E2=80=A8Fax: (718) 982-3910 === From: "David Bunzow" Date: November 18, 2009 8:49:37 PM EST Subject: RE: [DCHAS-L] Latex degradation, low humidity, Chinese drywall? a bit more information Hi Debbie, I might have missed it, but does your building have any active humidity control? Are the occupants symptoms localized or random? How many floors does the building have? Same symptoms/frequency on all floors/area? Several things you=E2=80=99ve checked could individually be responsible (RH, CO and O3), but it might be a combination of several things at different times of year=E2=80=A6 === From: Christopher Suznovich Date: November 19, 2009 12:26:17 AM EST Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Latex degradation, low humidity, Chinese drywall? Based on the data collected and the symptoms reported that the people are experiencing by the people, I would say they are due to the extremely low humidity. Since the air is so dry, it is drying out the sinuses causing the headaches and malaise, basically making them feel as if they are sick. Working in a controlled environment where our humidity must also be kept controlled and is somewhat lower, we sometimes have similar complaints especially in the office areas, and our lab/documentation area. We can feel when the air is very dry, because you do get dried out (nose, eyes, skin), stuffy, tired- basically like dry winter air and a cold. On one of those days, we happened to check the %RH and it was <50%, I think it was lower 40%. My allergy doctor also mentioned to me that stuffiness may also be caused by dryness not just congestion. Some homes have a humidifier/de-humidifier put in-line their forced air heating systems, especially for the winter months to ensure the air is properly balanced. My question though is when the air is =E2=80=98exhausted=E2=80=99 from the room, is it just being pulled from the room, sent through the HEPA filter and sent back into the room or during the exhaust is fresh air from the outside being brought in and filtered and sent into the room? If fresh air from the outside is not being brought in, breathing in stale air can be an issue. Even though it is being HEPA filtered, =E2=80=98stale air=E2=80=99 . In this scenario, I would say these items are degrading unless there is some chemical release into the room that is identified, but actual dry rot. The low humidity is sucking the moisture out of the these products causing them the to shrivel up or just loose their elasticity/softness and begin to just crumble (like a dried out rubber band ). There is no mention of what the room temperature was here or why there was such a dramatic change in the humidity levels. Higher room temps can also cause the fatigue. Also, CO2 levels were checked, but what about other airborne contaminants? What were airborne levels of reagents being used and what were their health affects checked? Are there any windows in this room? Chris Suznovich
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