Scented Products and Smoking | Biocide Policy | Ventilation Systems | Proximity to Power Line Corridors | Lighting | Building Materials and Furnishings | Carpets | Building Maintenance and Renovations | Employee Notification System | Cleaning and Maintenance Products and Procedures | Specific Accommodations for Employees Who Have Environmental Sensitivities | Meeting Rooms Designed to Accommodate Employees Who Have Environmental Sensitivities

1.   Scented Products and Smoking

In order to protect employees who have environmental sensitivities, the following steps should be taken:

• Establish and post a "no-scent" policy in the workplace.

• It is important to realize that many scented products contain volatile organic compounds, such as alcohol, formaldehyde and other chemicals. Scented products and other chemicals, including fabric softeners, even unscented ones, can trigger symptoms in persons who have environmental sensitivities including those listed in Part 1: What Are Environmental Sensitivities? These reactions affect the health of employees and may prevent workplace access to members of this protected group, contrary to Canadian human rights laws.

• A "no-scent" policy includes perfume, cologne, after-shave and scented personal care products such as deodorant, shampoos, hair products, cosmetics, soaps, laundry detergents, fabric softeners, etc. Encourage staff not to use scented products. Air smoke-laden and dry-cleaned clothing well before wearing. Avoid scented laundry detergents and all fabric softeners.

• Institute a non-smoking policy requiring smokers to remain at an appropriate distance (at least 30 metres) from building entrances, since it is known that contaminants near ground floor entrances are drawn into the building and circulated throughout the ventilation system due to the "stack effect". Environmental tobacco smoke has been found to be harmful to human health and may trigger reactions in employees who have environmental sensitivities.

2.   Biocide Policy
       (e.g., bactericides, fungicides, herbicides,
       insecticides and pesticides)

• Eliminate the use of synthetic bactericides, fungicides, herbicides and pesticides. Use alternative pest management strategies and safer products such as borax, benzalkonium chloride and hydrogen peroxide, with appropriate caution. Organic lawn care companies are available.

• When selecting a new office location, select a site well away from major users of pesticides, insecticides and herbicides, such as golf courses and commercial (non-organic) farms.

• Prepare a policy and procedures manual listing safe products and techniques and ensure that the procedures are enforced.

3.   Ventilation Systems

In order to improve employee health and productivity, it is important to take the following steps:

• Upgrade, clean and maintain HVAC systems as well as humidification systems to satisfy either the most stringent indoor air quality standards or those necessary to meet the needs of employees who have environmental sensitivities, whichever is higher.

• Improve fresh air intake and air filtration systems. Locate intakes upwind and away from building exhaust vents, tarred roofs and parking lots. Choose appropriate air filtration materials and ventilation systems; check for the tolerability of these materials (e.g., charcoal, coconut, potassium permanganate, cotton, paper, etc.) with each employee who has self-identified as having environmental sensitivities.

• Provide direct exhaust to the outside (NOT to the return air plenum) from all contaminant sources such as photocopiers, printers, fax machines and laminating equipment, chemistry and biology laboratories, storage rooms, cloak rooms, kitchens, washrooms, etc. Computers, particularly when new, may contain parts that have been sprayed with a lacquer that will off-gas when the computer is turned on. Such computers should not be assigned to employees who have environmental sensitivities. Computers and other machines may be placed in an enclosure that is constructed of tolerable materials and, preferably, exhausted to the outside, or if this is not possible, to the return air plenum. Install automatic closure doors on all rooms containing a contaminant source.

• Steam humidifiers should use clean water, rather than chemically treated boiler water, to avoid exposing employees to dangerous chemicals. Water systems must be maintained meticulously to reduce the risk of mould and algae growth.23

• Heat recovery ventilators will improve energy efficiency in smaller buildings.

• Where possible, provide openable windows in all offices.

4.   Proximity to Power Line Corridors

• When choosing a new office location, locate the building away from power line corridors, if possible. Where possible, office buildings should not be located near transformers, power line corridors or overhead power lines.24

5.   Lighting

• Office areas without windows should be retrofitted with either openable windows or skylights and heat recovery ventilators; if retrofits are not possible, reassign the office or area for non-employee uses. An office without windows is not advisable for an employee who has environmental sensitivities, since many individuals with sensitivities have observed that good quality natural light is required for them to perform well.

• Maximize the use of windows and skylights in offices to allow for adequate natural light.

• Some individuals who have environmental sensitivities experience reactions when exposed to electromagnetic fields or fluorescent lighting. In particular, fluorescent lighting should be avoided in office environments. Use near- or full-spectrum lighting and install low-harmonic electronic ballasts.

• Avoid the use of low-E windows. Low-E windows filter out some wavelengths of the full spectrum of natural sunlight and reduce general illumination levels, although it should be noted that different kinds of low-E windows may differ in their light transmission. Given that tinted and coated windows tend to reduce or alter the spectral properties of light, their use is likely to promote the increased use of artificial lighting. The potential physiological effects of these artificial lighting systems may include effects on mood, normal daily behavioural and physiological rhythms, regulation of patterns of hormone secretion, and effects on the skin such as tanning and allergic response to light. The human health effects of altering the balance between natural and artificial sources of illumination have not been adequately studied, and as a result, are not fully understood at this time.25

• Microwaves, colour TVs and computer monitors should be equipped with EMF shields.

• A grounded screen attached to a computer monitor, laptop or TV with a properly grounded plug may help block electrical fields. Alternatively, a laptop equipped with a liquid crystal display (LCD) screen and rechargeable batteries may be used. The electromagnetic fields emitted by an LCD screen are much reduced and do not extend as far out from the screen, as compared to a regular computer monitor. To make computer use even safer, use only the battery for power while working at the computer and recharge the battery while in another room.26

6.   Building Materials and Furnishings

• Avoid "building in" problems when renovating or building new facilities. Use least-toxic building materials and furniture in all projects. See Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation's Building Materials for the Environmentally Hypersensitive and The Clean Air Guide for appropriate product information and sources.

• Use maintenance and renovation practices which minimize the use of volatile organic compounds and solvents.

• Use building materials and furnishings that either do not off-gas, or do so minimally, and have been aired out off-site. For example, when building, renovating or buying new furniture, avoid material such as particle-board products that off-gas at high levels for many years. An "environmentally-friendly" label may not be sufficient to protect employees from exposure to sources of chemical off-gassing found in building materials and furnishings. As part of the design process, it is important to have the employees who are the most acutely affected by environmental sensitivities screen any building materials and furnishings contemplated for use in the workplace.

• Use flooring for which off-gassing is more manageable, such as ceramic, hardwood and some hard vinyl tiles, and do not apply sealants or waxes. Select adhesives and finishes for their tolerability and to minimize volatile organic compounds. Avoid carpeting and sheet vinyl due to their usual and significant off-gassing.

• Establish a mandatory off-gassing period for new construction and renovation projects. Use extra ventilation 24 hours a day, seven days a week to accelerate off-gassing. If possible, use outdoor air for "free" cooling during spring and fall months.

• In selecting interior design products, avoid products containing foam, rubber, most vinyls (contain plasticizers) and many leathers. Most commercially available furniture and room dividers contain foam that is known to adsorb and later desorb many noxious gases and odours.

• Avoid products that have been treated with fabric protector, fire repellent or water repellent. These off-gas formaldehyde and other chemicals. Most commercially available upholstered furniture and room dividers are treated with these substances, unless otherwise specified.

• Cotton, metal, glass and solid hardwood are better options. (Note: many people mistake veneers over particle board for solid wood.) Particle board products which are several years old are often acceptable from an air quality standpoint.

• New or refinished furniture (even solid wood) should be allowed to off-gas for several weeks or months before delivery. The furniture should be screened by any person with environmental sensitivities who will be using it, and should be found by that individual to be odour-free and otherwise tolerable on delivery to the office environment.

7.   Carpets

• Establish a "no-carpet" policy for new construction and renovation projects.
  
  If carpets are unavoidable in some areas, ensure that the carpet is low-VOC and odour-free. Use low-mass or natural options for limited applications, such as for mobility impairments. Preferably, any carpets that are used should be made of nylon, and free of SBR (styrene-butadiene-rubber) latex backing, anti-static treatment, pest-proofing, fungicides, biocides, and deodorizers. If possible, carpets should be tacked or taped rather than glued. Use of foam or rubber underpad should be avoided. As for all building materials and furnishings, carpets should be screened by the individuals most acutely affected by environmental sensitivities who will occupy the building, if possible. As in the case of other building materials and furnishings, an "environmentally-friendly" label attached to a carpet may not be adequate to protect employees from exposure to chemical off-gassing. If a carpet must be glued, a water-based, low-odour adhesive should be used – but only very sparingly. Manufacturers' specifications may indicate that adhesive should be used extensively. However, depending on the space that is being furnished, it may be possible to use minimal amounts of adhesive, or none at all, particularly if the room is to contain heavy furniture that would anchor the carpet.
  
  Carpets are a major source of indoor air pollution in our workplaces. When new, some carpets and the adhesives used to install them off-gas many chemicals, including formaldehyde (a suspected carcinogen), for which there are no safe levels of exposure. Carpets and other soft absorbent materials like foam and upholstery act as "sinks" or reservoirs, continually adsorbing and desorbing contaminants in the environment. Carpets are traps for pesticides, dust, particles and moisture and become breeding grounds for moulds, bacteria and dust mites. Use smooth, non-porous, preferably seamless, flooring as a substitute for carpeting.

• According to a recent article in Scientific American,27 carpets analyzed from more than half of 362 households contained concentrations of seven toxic, organic chemicals called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (which cause cancer in animals and are believed to cause cancer in humans) at levels above those which would trigger a formal risk assessment for soil at a U.S. "Superfund" waste dump.

  A comparative study indicates that substantial savings can be achieved when installation and maintenance costs are considered, by using smooth flooring rather than carpeting.28

  In their study, Nörback and Torgén indicated that:

  "The wall-to-wall carpet group reported an overfrequency of eye and airway symptoms, rashes in the face, headache, abnormal tiredness and a sensation of being elecrostatically charged in comparison with personnel [in buildings] with hard floor covering."29

  Carpets, if present in the workplace, should be vacuumed frequently with a HEPA (or other high-efficiency multi-stage) filter vacuum cleaner. In addition, any carpets should be cleaned, at least once quarterly, using a process of simultaneous steam-cleaning and vacuum-extraction with minimal moisture and without surfactant.

  In order to help employees with environmental sensitivities, it is necessary to reduce the overall load of contaminants to which they are exposed. Removing carpets is one of the most effective methods of reducing this load.

  A policy of no carpeting in offices will benefit all building occupants.

8.   Building Maintenance and Renovations

• Use readily available, zero-VOC or low-VOC, water-borne paints.

• Use zero-VOC or low-VOC epoxy paints for special applications.

• Air out products before delivery to the designated office. Specify open packaging if cross-contamination is unlikely. Cross-contamination could occur, for example, if you stored a new desk or upholstered furniture in open packaging next to a printer, new carpeting, or other potential sources of off-gassing or contamination.

• For all building and renovation materials used in the workplace, copies of Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs) must be maintained and made available to employees, as required under the Hazardous Materials Information Review Act and the Canada Labour Code, Part II, or applicable provincial legislation.

• Samples of products contemplated for use in construction or renovation should be made available to employees who request them, and if possible, should be screened by the individuals most acutely affected by environmental sensitivities who will occupy the building.

• Schedule painting, heavy maintenance and construction or renovation projects during fall and spring months for "free" cooling, with extra ventilation, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to minimize exposures and accelerate off-gassing.

• Areas under renovation or construction should be physically isolated from occupied areas of the building. Areas under renovation or construction should also remain vacant for a period of several weeks to several months, as required to ensure tolerable accommodation for employees. Buildings that house day-care centres will require strategies to protect children, such as moving them to alternate locations.

• During any of these activities, employees who have environmental sensitivities should be provided with an alternate work site that is safe and well tolerated. Alternatively, if preferred by the individual employee and if appropriate, the employee could work at home, in accordance with the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat Telework Policy, or other relevant policy.

• Ensure that indoor air quality (IAQ) "commissioning"30 is undertaken before employees move into the building, as a means of verifying that the building will have acceptable indoor air quality. It should be noted that commissioning is a systematic check of the performance of the building systems against their design intent. Commissioning can afford designers and contractors an early opportunity to correct defects in the HVAC system and to avoid later IAQ problems.

• Building management should provide advance notification to ALL employees advising of construction, remodelling and cleaning activities, including the use of paints, adhesives, solvents, wall coverings, carpet shampoo, floor waxes and pesticides. This notification system, in conjunction with a registry, and personal notification by responsible managers of self-identified employees who have environmental sensitivities, will help prevent employee injury and illness. (See section 9, Employee Notification System and Registry.)

9.   Employee Notification System and Registry

• ALL employees should be notified in advance by building management of construction, remodelling and cleaning activities, including the use of materials containing volatile organic compounds such as those found in paints, cleaning products, adhesives, solvents, ammonia, chlorine bleach, tar, pressed board, carpeting, wall coverings, carpet shampoo, floor waxes and pesticides. In the case of offices located in leased properties or facilities operated by a landlord or other third party, the implementation of this notification system will require the active participation and cooperation of the relevant building management.

• Conspicuous notices of building projects and maintenance activities should be posted at building entrances, where possible.

• An employee notification system, in conjunction with a confidential registry of individuals who have self-identified as having environmental sensitivities, should be implemented. This registry should be used solely for the purpose of providing notification of building events to the identified employees for occupational safety and health purposes, in accordance with the Privacy Act (Canada) or applicable provincial privacy legislation and the Occupational Safety and Health Policy published by the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, or other applicable policies.

• A supervisor responsible for an employee who has environmental sensitivities must ensure that the employee is personally notified of cleaning or remodelling activities directly affecting the employee, in order to prevent injury and illness.

10.   Cleaning and Maintenance
         Products and Procedures

• Use non-odorous, unscented, zero-VOC or low-VOC, non-toxic cleaning and maintenance products that leave no residual odour or volatile organic compounds. An "environmentally-friendly" label may not protect employees from exposure to chemical off-gassing from cleaning products.

• Avoid using any cleaning product in the workplace if its MSDS requires the use of protective equipment, such as safety goggles, rubber gloves and extra ventilation, or if the MSDS recommends caution with respect to the disposal of the product.

• Eliminate any product to which an employee reacts.

• Eliminate the use of all waxes. Some people believe that a floor is not clean unless it has a gleaming, polished finish. Although waxes provide a shine that may be cosmetically desirable to some, they are unnecessary and can create a barrier to the workplace for workers who have environmental sensitivities, contrary to Canadian human rights laws. Waxes contain volatile organic compounds that may cause reactions, illness and injuries in many employees who have environmental sensitivities. Instead of wax, use tolerated sealants only where necessary to contain volatile organic compounds and to prevent moisture damage to porous surfaces. It should be noted that although the use of a tolerated sealant may not provide a shiny finish, it will make the surface easier to clean.

• Dust and vacuum frequently using a HEPA (or other high-efficiency multi-stage) filter vacuum and a static or damp mop.

• At least once annually, clean all fabric partitions, soft-surfaced walls and plush furniture using a process of simultaneous steam-cleaning and vacuum-extraction, with minimal moisture and without surfactant.

• Carpets, if present in the workplace, should be vacuumed frequently with a HEPA (or other high-efficiency multi-stage) filter vacuum cleaner. In addition, carpets should be cleaned, at least once quarterly, using a process of simultaneous steam-cleaning and vacuum-extraction with minimal moisture and without surfactant.

• Ventilate offices thoroughly after cleaning and ensure that there are no residual pollutants when employees return to the workplace.

• For all cleaning and maintenance products (including chemicals and toners used in photocopiers, printers, fax machines and other equipment) used in the workplace, copies of MSDSs must be maintained and made freely available to employees, as required under the Hazardous Materials Information Review Act and the Canada Labour Code, Part II, or applicable provincial legislation.

• Samples of any cleaning products contemplated for use in the building should be provided to employees on request and, if possible, should be screened by the occupants of the building who are most acutely affected by environmental sensitivities.

11.   Specific Accommodations for Employees
         With Environmental Sensitivities

Building managers should:

12.   Meeting Rooms Designed to Accommodate
         Employees With Environmental Sensitivities

Where possible, at least one meeting room in the workplace should be made available which includes the following accommodations for employees who have environmental sensitivities:

• Designate the meeting room as fragrance-free. Individuals booking the room should be advised that no scented products, newspapers, foods or volatile chemicals may be brought into the room. Conspicuously post a sign detailing conditions of use outside the room.

• Other appropriate meeting room accommodations are set out in section 10, Cleaning and Maintenance Products and Procedures, and section 11, Specific Accommodations for Employees with Environmental Sensitivities.

20.   "Productivity: Important Consideration, But Difficult to Measure," IEQ Strategies, December 1999, p. 3.

21.   Ibid., p. 4.

22.   Ibid., p. 4.

23.   Tedd Nathanson, P.Eng., Humidification Systems: Function, Operation and Maintenance, February 1995, p. 7; United States Environmental Protection Agency, Building Air Quality: A Guide for Building Owners and Facility Managers, December 1991, p. 129.

24.   Bob DeMatteo, "Electromagnetic Fields of Danger: Sweden now regulates the hazards of EMF but North American utilities continue to deal in denial," NOW, January 14 20, 1993, p. 10; "EMF: You Have Been Warned," editorial comment, Canadian Insurance/Agent & Broker, November 1991, p. 7.

25.   Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, Lighting and Human Health: A Review of the Literature (Canada: May 1, 1996), pp. i, 82.

26.   Debra Lynn Dadd, The Nontoxic Home & Office: Protecting Yourself and Your Family from Everyday Toxics and Health Hazards (New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam, 1992), pp. 183–184.

27.   Wayne R. Ott and John W. Roberts, "Everyday Exposure to Toxic Pollutants", Scientific American, February 1998, pp. 86–91.

28.   Mary Oetzel, Environmental Education and Health Services Inc., "School Districts Pay a High Price for Carpeting" (3203 West Anderson Lane, #208-249, Austin, TX 78757).

29.   Dan Nörbach and Margareta Torgén, "A Longitudinal Study of Symptoms Associated with Wall-to-Wall Carpets and Electrostatical Charge in Swedish School Buildings", Indoor Air Quality '87: Proceedings of the ASHRAE Conference, Arlington, Virginia, May 18-20, 1987, Vol. 2, pp. 572-576.

30.   "Commissioning Produces IAQ Benefits, Shows Logistical Problems", Indoor Air Quality Update, April 1995, pp. 7–14; "Industry Pursues Commissioning to Prevent IAQ Problems", Indoor Air Quality Update, February 1993, pp. 7-9; Hal Levin, ed., "Commissioning HVAC Systems", Indoor Air Bulletin, June 1991, pp. 1-6. See also Public Works and Government Services Canada, Project Commissioning Manual, Part I: The Commissioning Process (undated), pp. 1-7.

Scented Products and Smoking | Biocide Policy | Ventilation Systems | Proximity to Power Line Corridors | Lighting | Building Materials and Furnishings | Carpets | Building Maintenance and Renovations | Employee Notification System | Cleaning and Maintenance Products and Procedures | Specific Accommodations for Employees Who Have Environmental Sensitivities | Meeting Rooms Designed to Accommodate Employees Who Have Environmental Sensitivities

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