| In office buildings all across the country, | | | | rises, have no windows to let in fresh air and |
| employees come to work feeling fine and leave | | | | sometimes no doors that lead directly outside. |
| the office feeling ill and lethargic. This doesn't | | | | How to alleviate sick building syndrome |
| necessarily mean that these employees are sick | | | | Portable air conditioners don't utilize the ducting |
| of their jobs, but in many cases it does mean | | | | and can be set up quickly for temporary use. |
| that their job is literally making them sick due to | | | | Portable air conditioners offer more than just cool |
| what is called "sick building syndrome." | | | | air; they condition the air, filtering out |
| Sick building syndrome is caused by molds, | | | | contaminants as the air circulates through the |
| monoxides, and other pollutants that lurk in air | | | | system. If you find that the portable air |
| conditioning vents and behind walls. The result can | | | | conditioners have improved the overall health in |
| be deadly in extreme cases; the rest of the time, | | | | the office, it's a good bet that there is some |
| sick building syndrome produces unmotivated, | | | | form of irritant in the central air ducting that is |
| unhappy employees who wonder why they | | | | the root cause of the problem. |
| literally feel sick coming to work. | | | | However, if the building has no form of outside |
| How can you tell if your office could have "sick | | | | ventilation, a portable air conditioner will still be |
| building syndrome" | | | | recycling the air in the space. If conditions are too |
| If you suspect that people in your office could be | | | | severe, you may want to consider moving to a |
| suffering adverse health affects, contact an | | | | building with more ventilation. Find out from your |
| HVAC specialist to check for contaminants in your | | | | building superintendent how many cubic feet of |
| building's air conditioning vents. If the vents and | | | | fresh air the central air conditioning is pulling in per |
| ducts are dirty or the specialists believes that the | | | | minute and divide that by the number of people in |
| walls may be hiding molds, spores, or other | | | | the office. According to HVAC professionals, 20 |
| dangerous contaminants, stop using the central air | | | | cubic feet of fresh air per person is ideal. |
| system immediately and have a specialist install | | | | If employees feel tired and ill when they come to |
| portable air conditioners to cool and circulate air | | | | work, don't necessarily chalk it up to poor |
| through the building. | | | | attitudes and disinterest in the job. As any CEO or |
| How buildings become "sick" | | | | president knows, people are the greatest asset |
| There are countless different contaminants in and | | | | of any company. Taking measures to ensure that |
| around buildings, from asbestos in older office | | | | their working environment is healthy and safe is |
| buildings, to the mold that has been mushrooming | | | | an essential part of building a positive, thriving |
| since last year's, water pipe leak. Add to this the | | | | business. |
| fact that most office buildings, especially high | | | | |