Health-hazard evaluation report HETA 88-001-1995, Broward County Library, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

Technical Report · Wed Nov 01 00:00:00 EST 1989

OSTI ID:6942973

Elliott, L J; Gupta, S; Sinks, T

In response to a request from the Director of Libraries in Broward County, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, an evaluation was undertaken of possible poor air quality in the Main Library Building (SIC-8231). The building was eight stories high, and about 300 county employees worked in the building. Soon after the building was opened in April of 1984, workers began to complain of eye and upper airway irritation, difficulty in breathing and headaches. Particularly on the fifth floor, where government documents were housed, the employees suffered allergy-like symptoms. Some documents had visible growths of mold on their covers. The building had repeated problems with the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, and numerous rainwater leaks occurred. All air samples collected for viable aerosols contained very low counts of mold, and no thermophilic or mesophilic actinomycetes were found. Formaldehyde was found in air samples at levels from less than 0.01 to 0.07 parts per million. Measurements were taken of temperature, relative humidity, and carbon-dioxide. The carbon-dioxide measurements in some places in the library approached the point which indicated that inadequate quantities of fresh air were being distributed to an occupied space. The study concluded that the employees' symptoms were not the result of exposure to molds released through the ventilation system.

• Research Organization: National Inst. for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, OH (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6942973
• Report Number(s): PB-90-193160/XAB; HETA-88-001-1995
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
CARBON DIOXIDE
AIR POLLUTION MONITORING
FORMALDEHYDE
LIBRARIES
HEALTH HAZARDS
INDOOR AIR POLLUTION
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
FLORIDA
HUMIDITY
OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY
PERSONNEL
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
RISK ASSESSMENT
VENTILATION
AIR POLLUTION
ALDEHYDES
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
FEDERAL REGION IV
HAZARDS
NORTH AMERICA
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION
SAFETY
USA
540120* - Environment
Atmospheric- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (1990-)
560300 - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology