Transcripts

Jeffrey C. May:
In most buildings it's either the carpets or it's off - gassing from some of the equipment, it's mold and bacteria growing in the heating and the cooling system in the duct work.

Jeffrey May, author of the book, My Office is Killing Me! The Sick Building Survival Guide, says not all people get sick from sick buildings and interestingly the people who do get sick don't always have the same symptoms as the other people who get sick. But if you suspect your workplace is a problem…

You can try some different things - you can wear a mask for awhile and see if that helps; you can get a Hepa air filter that blows fresh air towards your face; and in some cases you can cover carpets up and see if that helps. They do make plastic adhesive that can cover a carpet temporarily. You have to talk to co-workers and see if other people are having similar symptoms and in the end though, probably somebody's got to hire a professional to actually locate the problem.

Unfortunately, Jeff says, people suffering from sick - building syndrome are often mis-diagnosed.

And it happens quite frequently that people who are suffering, are told eventually by their physicians just to see a psychiatrist. I mean, if you get headaches every time you come to work, they'll probably say, "Oh, you've just too much stress, you're unhappy." It's really tragic.

At somethingyoushouldknow.net I'm Mike Carruthers and that's Something You Should Know.