Industrial Hygiene and Air Quality

Industrial Hygiene Indoor air quality testing is necessary to ensure that the air in working environments is free from pollutants, or that if there are pollutants that workers can take the precautions necessary to protect themselves. This paper will examine the air quality readings from the test site, outlining the issues that may be present. The first thing to consider is the role that humidity plays in air quality testing. It has been established that humidity is a factor in air quality perception.

Furthermore, both temperature and humidity have been established as key variables in emissions from things like paints and varnishes, from which emissions are greater under conditions of higher humidity (Haghighat & De Bellis, 1998). In this test, relative humidity was a moderate 62-78%, getting high but still not at very high levels. With the first reading, carbon dioxide, OSHA guidelines does not issue specific air quality standards (OSHA, 2015).

Carbon dioxide is specifically cited as a pollutant class by the Centers for Disease Control, and it is therefore necessary to ensure that a site has sufficient ventilation to remove carbon dioxide from the air. Carbon dioxide is a natural by-product of the breathing process, but some areas without air flow can end up with high levels of CO2 buildup. This building saw 1200-1300 ppm of CO2. At this level, while technically acceptable, people will notice that the air is not very good.

In Minnesota, CO2 is not considered to be at unsafe levels until 10,000 ppm (MDH, 2015). There has been a lot of data regarding safe levels of exposure to airborne formaldehyde. Formaldehyde in the air is not only an irritant but can also cause certain type of cancer (Golden, 2011). Indoor, for all individuals, the safe level is regarded to be 0.1ppm. The current reading of 0.05 ppm is within the acceptable bounds at which individuals are protected from both irritation and cancer hazards (Golden, 2011). Another hazard is airborne mold spores.

The inside level was recorded at 253-312ppm. Mold spores are almost always present in our air, more so outdoors than indoors, but their presence at some level is to be expected. Furthermore, there are over 10,000 types of mold spores, and they are not all bad. As such, there are no federal standards for mold spores either indoors or out (OSHA, 2013). The level recorded for indoors is well below the accepted 1 million spores per cubic meter (MBL, 2015).

The outdoor mold exposure levels are generally in line with natural norms, which often run into the thousands of spores per cubic meter. A norm is that the indoor level is around 30% of the outdoor level, but in this case the indoor level is lower than that, and probably lower than might generally be expected, which might cause one to double-check the reading. For the most part, the business owner needs to consider the ventilation system and worker productivity.

The work environment does not seem unsafe, but the CO2 level is at a point where workers could feel drowsy, and see a diminishment in their performance, simply as a result of having bad air. The CO2 level is not hazardous, but it is not conducive to having employees who are at their best. It is worth considering at this time that the business owner will want to have the ventilation system checked.

The CO2 reading is a symptom that perhaps the ventilation system is not working to an optimal level, and as a result the workers might also be working at a sub-optimal level. The interesting thing about these readings is that for many of these there are no specific legal guidelines.

There are unofficial rules of thumb in the case of mold spores, and in the case of CO2 there state-level regulations in many states (though not all), and even for formaldehyde the 0.1 ppm is a rule of thumb recommended by scientists studying the issue. Regulatory guidelines are of little help to the industrial hygienist on these issues. Where there is an absence of rules from OSHA or other government agency, it is imperative that the company find other standards to utilize. In some cases there are state standards.

Even if these are not legally binding in another state, they provide guidance, preferably evidence-based guidance, with respect to the safe levels of different pollutants. In addition, there is a body of academic literature on some of the pollutants mentioned. Formaldehyde, being quite hazardous, is one on which considerable study has been done. So it is important for the industrial hygienist to examine the body of scientific literature on the subject, especially where there are no formal laws in place. The ventilation system should be tested.

The system has yet to be tested, but the CO2 reading is higher than it should be. This could be an issue with the ventilation system, but at this point such a theory is merely speculative. So the ventilation system needs to be checked. It is also worth considering the source of the formaldehyde. The level is half the recommended limit, but formaldehyde is a cancer-causing agent and there is incentive therefore eliminate the formaldehyde from this workplace entirely. These findings are not.