The indoor air quality (IAQ) of a home or workplace can be 90 percent more toxic than the air outside. Bad indoor air quality can cause a wide variety of employee ailments, including headaches, cold symptoms, asthma, immune problems and even cancer. One survey has shown that employee absenteeism can increase as much as 17 percent when IAQ is bad. The effects on an employer’s bottom line can be huge.
Indoor air can contain chemicals such as PFA (perflorinated acids) from stain guards on nylon carpets and upholstered furniture, PBDE (polybrominated diphenyl ethers) from fireproofing on nylon carpets and furniture. Biophenol A is found in all soft plastics such as water bottles. Formaldehyde and other harmful chemicals (even some proven carcinogens) are in the fiber and glues from synthetic carpets and padding. The health implications are extensive.
At Natural Home Design Center, our green experts (the “Green Key Team”) believe strongly in the trinity of green: people, planet and profit. Making your workplace less toxic for the people who work there (and for the customers who visit) and choosing products with longer life cycles to create a smaller impact on the planet will ultimately lead to greater profit.
Here are a few ways to improve the health in your office:
Eliminate air fresheners in bathrooms and other parts of the office. Synthetic perfumes used in most conventional air fresheners can be a trigger for asthma and those sensitive to perfumes.
Increase natural lighting by adding skylights or solar tubes. If that isn’t possible, purchase full-spectrum lighting. People need sunlight for certain vitamins that we can’t receive any other way, and full-spectrum lighting or natural daylight is the best choice (rather than the usual fluorescent lighting).
Eliminate cleaners with harsh chemicals and solvents and make sure that other cleaners (such as glass cleaners) don’t have bleach additives. Even though bleach is used for elimination of bacteria, it’s not healthy, and substituting hydrogen peroxide would be a preferable choice. When bleach goes into our water supply, it acts as a synthetic estrogen, the technical name for which is PCB (the same thing that’s in all soft plastics).
Eliminate the use of pesticides. Ant spray may kill ants, but it also harms the people who breathe the spray.
Clean air conditioning and heater ducts at least once a year. Hire a professional who can tell you if you need to change or upgrade your system.
Upgrade your office equipment and cabinetry. Purchase office equipment and cabinetry that will not off-gas formaldehyde and doesn’t contain PVC. Metal, glass and solid wood are best, and new products made from special wood panels or bio-based materials are available. Remember that some of the most dangerous chemicals can off-gas from furniture and cabinets for the life of the cabinet.
Do not glue down synthetic (nylon) carpet. There are many affordable and exciting alternatives such as bamboo, cork flooring, wool carpet and true linoleum. Manufacturers have come up with easy installation with click flooring that can be placed over concrete or plywood.
Beware of “recycled” products. “Recycled” does not necessarily mean healthy for people living with the product. An example is flooring produced from recycled rubber tires. It’s not really rubber, it’s styrene butedine—a very toxic substance.
Hire a feng shui/interior health consultant to assess your individual needs. A feng shui practitioner is trained to create a positive energy flow so people feel safe and supported when they walk into your office and employees feel more comfortable. You’ll have happier, healthier employees, and your office will operate with efficiency and harmony.
Create an atmosphere of consideration. It’s mandatory that there be wheelchair access for those with disabilities. There should also be consideration for employees with chemical sensitivities. Set up a “no scent” policy so no one has to suffer. Some people might not like not being able to wear their favorite perfume or aftershave, but everyone will benefit in helping to create a less toxic workplace—not to mention that being kind goes a long way.
Encourage everyone to bring their own coffee cup. This will eliminate the purchasing of styrofoam and paper cups.
Don’t use plastic or styrofoam to heat food in the microwave.
Have a meeting to brainstorm with your employees. Other ideas that bring beauty, harmony and consciousness to the workplace—and ultimately to the planet—will arise. You may be surprised at the outcome.
Susan Bahl is owner of Natural Home Design Center in Santa Rosa (naturalhomeproducts.com). She has spent 16 years designing homes and interiors to support health and well-being. You can reach her at (707) 571-1229.
