Subject: New York Daily News placement
From: "Merilee:::Kern Communications" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 14 May 2009 08:59:51 -0700

http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/health/2009/05/14/2009-05-14_is_your_office_safe_and_healthy_watch_out_for_these_workplace_health_hazards.html

Is your office safe and healthy? Watch out for these workplace health hazards
BY Rosemary Black 
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER 

Thursday, May 14th 2009, 4:00 AM 

Feeling out of sorts? It may be one of the environmental hazards that can lurk in office environments.

Your office may not have a fridge filled with leftovers so smelly that their noxious fumes sent seven employees to the hospital and sickened many others - which is what happened Tuesday in San Jose, Calif.

But your workspace could still be hazardous to your health, since hidden office hazards lurk everywhere from the copy machine to the bathroom.

"Office air can be a real problem," says Dr. David MacIntosh, principal scientist at Environmental Health and Engineering. "Copiers and printers are well known sources of certain types of very small particles that can be extremely irritating to the eyes, nose and upper respiratory system."

If your eyes are stinging and increasingly tired as the day goes on, it may not be from being stressed out and mistreated by your boss, but from the toner in the copy machine. One way to tell? It gets better when you go home.

New furnishings, whether upholstery, carpeting or desks, can also emit unpleasant contaminants in the form of gases and particles, MacIntosh says. "They could be in the glues, adhesives or paint," he says. "Some people are very sensitive to the chemicals, and if you are not recirculating the air and bringing in outdoor air, it can make the problem worse."

But recirculated city air may not solve what ails you, says Cheri Wright, marketing director for Kaz, which makes air purifiers and humidifiers. "Indoor air in a big city can contain smoke and other particles and be two to five times more polluted than outdoor air," she says. "Dust can be a real problem, as can mold in places that are damp, like a bathroom. Or pollen can actually get trapped indoors."

The cleaning supplies used by the building's cleaning crew may make it smell like the office is squeaky clean, but some can emit noxious fumes, says Robert Weitz of RTK Environmental Group. "In an office environment, you have many different people with many different immune systems, and everyone can react differently," he says.

Finally, an office can be full of perils in the form of wires and cables that can cause slips, trips and falls, says Merilee Kern, spokesperson for CableOrganizer.com.

Office wires that run across the floor to a distant outlet are among the most dangerous office situations, she says and slippery rugs can also pose a threat. The solution? Traction floor mats for high traffic areas and lifting cables, power adapters, power strips and modems off the floor with a device that loops and ties them out of the way.

Other possible contaminants in an indoor environment include cigarette smoke and insects, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. And believe it or not, you may actually be wearing one of these "hazards" right now: According to NIOSH,  perfume contains contaminants, too.